another prayer request and important updates

We have to start our first ministry update of 2010 with another serious prayer request.  Today I got the news that Greg Coffin, one of our bass players, just lost his daughter-in-law.  I am personally unaware of the details surrounding her death, but I do know that she was a young mom who just gave birth recently to another grandchild for Greg and Joan.  Please be in prayer as this family deals with this loss.

The reality of this life that we live is that even in the midst of losses and life-changes, the rest of life still goes on... and it's still going on for our ministry.  So, as we continue to pray and support the members in our community that are walking through these life changes, here's some things that you need to know:

• This Tuesday marks our first All Team meeting of 2010.  Same time and same place: 6:30-8:30 p.m. in the cafe then Worship Center.  The subject?  Community.  We'll have food of course!

• If you're on our Waterloo teams (or would like to be and/or are planning to audition), please make every effort to be there.  Following our All Team meeting, Jon Lloyd, Jeremy Ott, and Dan Olsen will be taking you up to the chapel and going over what our first services are going to look like up there.  Remember: we're starting services up there at 11:00 a.m. on Sunday, January 31st!

• New rotations are being finalized this week, as we're finishing making a few asks for Waterloo and figuring out how to manage some holes in Cedar Falls.  The picture looks pretty optimistic!  Stay tuned for the new schedules.

• We have some new staff hires!  Matt Miller is coming on our P&P staff as our Created Video Director.  He will be replacing Matt Rittgers, who has for some time now been looking for what God has next for him and his wife Hilary.  Be in prayer for them as they continue to discern what God has for them, and join us in welcoming Matt and his wife to our team!  Also: Brett Pyke, who has been on our staff for 6 months now as an intern, is now hired on at 30 hours per week as an Assistant Technical Director.  He will be supporting Dan by taking on some of our Cedar Falls campus technical needs and allowing our tech ministry to better support our multisite initiatives.  Praise God for both of these guys!

• Dan Lincoln, the candidate who visited us a few weeks ago interviewing for our Cedar Falls Worship Director position, has just today decided that it's not the right time for a move to Cedar Falls.  He loved our church, our vision, and our people... but when it came down to it, just didn't feel a peace about the move.  Please join me as we wish him and his wife, Tiffany, well in their future ministry.

Alright.  That's it, folks.  Stay warm out there.  See you this Tuesday!