Slideshow image

Message from the Pastor - Ken Radant

I hope you’re all having a good week so far. Mine has been very full—which always seems to be the price I pay for taking a little time away!—but overall it’s gone OK. Good things are happening, though I’m also conscious of sad things that put a bit of a minor key into the week’s music. In particular, I’m very conscious that tomorrow will be the last day that I’m greeted by Tracey’s joyful “Hello!” when I come into the office.

So, this note wouldn’t be complete without stressing again how very much I’ve enjoyed working with Tracey over these past months. It’s been a joy to get better acquainted as we’ve talked about work, family, faith, life, and everything in between. It’s also been wonderful to know that our office business has been in such capable hands. I’ve always been completely confident that things would go smoothly, and that everyone entering the door would be helped in a competent and loving way. I’m delighted that Tracey won’t have to fight through the daily traffic gauntlet, and am excited about the many ways that her new position will be a blessing for her and for her family. But I know we’ll all miss her friendly presence and all the things she has contributed. Thanks so much, Tracey, for all you’ve come to mean to us, and for your prayers for us this past Sunday and in future. Please know that we’ll be praying for you as well as you launch into this new venture.

Speaking of prayer, we are still praying that God will lead us to just the right person who can step into Tracey’s role for the long term. Please be praying with our staff team on that front. I am confident that God has been preparing the right individual, and that our paths will cross as we follow His leading. Perhaps we’ve crossed paths already! But the project is still underway, and will require more work in the coming weeks. Thanks for your support as we go, and for your patience in the interim.

Speaking about the interim, I am delighted to say that Judy Thompson has indicated that she is willing to manage the office as we continue with our long-term search. (Thanks so much, Judy! You’re a life-saver!) 

We’re still figuring out exactly how things will work, but beginning this next week Judy will be in the office for 3 days a week, initially Monday through Wednesday. This means the office will function normally on those days, but that there won’t be consistent coverage for the phones and walk-in matters on Thursdays or Fridays. You can expect communication to slow down a bit, and we won’t be able to provide the same level of office support for various activities that we have in recent days. I’m often in the office on Thursdays and/or Fridays, but the nature of my work makes me less consistently available, so if you’re wanting to connect with me it will be best if we can make arrangements in advance via email (kenr@westvanbaptist.com). The same will be true if you are looking for other members of the staff team.

Hopefully this will be a relatively short interim arrangement. We’ll be able to cover the essentials just fine, especially given Judy’s skill and familiarity with what goes on in the office. But it will feel a little different, and I wanted to be sure everyone is aware, so no one is caught by surprise if you come by on a Friday morning and find the doors locked. 

Again, thanks for your prayers as we look to fill Tracey’s seat. If you have contacts or other ideas that would be helpful in the interim, they’re all welcome.

On other fronts, this week I’m back at church, and back into our series on Proverbs. We have a challenging, but very important topic to tackle on Sunday. We’re going to talk about sex. It’s not the very biggest subject in Proverbs, but it is certainly one of the most relevant in our world today.  And I can hardly wait to see what picture Judy is going to tack onto this week’s newsletter and the sermon header for Sunday’s PowerPoint! 

Meanwhile, have a wonderful week!