Today I was both honored and humbled that you chose to elect me to be President of our congregation for the next 2 years. This is not a position I take lightly.
Before I talk about the future I would like to take a moment to thank those who have served on council over the past several years whose terms have ended. Suzanne served as our President over the past two years through what can only be described as difficult circumstances. Her service speaks to her commitment and God’s support and guidance. I want to commend and thank her for her guidance, perseverance and faith.
Doug has served our congregation in an excellent manner as our Stewardship chair for the past several years. His guidance and cheerful contributions will be missed at our council meetings; as will his horse Diablo. Thank you so much for providing “Jenny” as a suitable replacement today. Lauren was our Evangelism Chair. Her guidance and enthusiasm will also be missed at council, but will be a great attribute on the Call Committee.
I cannot thank the Finance Committee enough for their assistance over the past two years. While I am comfortable with the numbers portion of a budget I am not always great with the lingo and euphemisms associated with it. Gene Bain, Vince Russo, Joel Flegal, Doug McAdams and Bob Thompson were always patient with me as I tried to grasp the concepts behind numbers. As Treasurer, Joe Baggett is also an advisory member of the Finance Team. I cannot thank him enough for the guidance and patience he has shown to me over the past couple of years. This congregation is truly blessed to have people of this caliber in leadership positions in the congregation.
On to the future. We as members of Holy Cross are truly at exciting time in our congregational history. As we move forward, we have the opportunity to learn from the past and create the future. Our Transition Team stepped forward and completed the work necessary to give our congregation a solid foundation to propel us to into the future. Today this torch was passed to our Call Committee. They will carry on the accomplishments of the Transition Team as they work with the Synod to find the best person to lead our congregation as we move into the future.
A key element of our progress forward is ensuring the fiscal resources are available for our Call Committee to fulfill their obligations. As of last Sunday nearly 20% of the $25,000 has been raised. This is an outstanding start. I ask everyone to continue this momentum and prayerfully consider contributing to our future. Be it $5 or $500 each contribution is one step closer to obtaining this goal and demonstrating our commitment to our future pastor.
The coming weeks and months will be filled with challenges, opportunities and fellowship through our various 500 x 500 challenges. Each of these moments represents opportunities to deepen our connection with our Savior and each other. Please try to make the time to take advantage of these events whenever you are able.
In closing, I will take the opportunity to repeat what I said about another acronym for the word JOY. Jesus first, Others second, Yourself third. With this definition of JOY in mind let’s help each move forward and embrace our future as a congregation and servants of Christ.
In God’s Love and Understanding,
Mike Berg