I haven't posted in a couple of weeks- primarily because I've been very busy-a few days of vacation, a wedding, two memorial services, plus the regular flow of a busy weekly schedule. It will likely be a few weeks before I can post again- Youth camp begins Aug 10- no Internet connection while I'm there-tho I will post some limited twitters when I can stand in the right location to get cellphone service. Then the week of Aug 17-21 I will be holed up finishing my doctoral project paper- needing to have it in the mail by Aug 24th. Plus, the regular weekly stuff a pastor gets to do- I'm not complaining, just explaining.
Cindy and I celebrated 33 years of marriage on Aug 2 and I completed 18 years of service at Community Baptist Church here in Winston the same weekend. I have not seen all that I dreamed possible in our years here. There have been some significant struggles and some exciting blessings. Currently we are in the middle of a remodeling process- adding 800 square feet to our multi-purpose auditorium/fellowship/AWANA's area. Dealing with the economic circumstances has complicated this project. This Wed evening our finance committee will discuss a proposal to eliminate our paid janitor, reduce our secretary's hours, and reduce the pastor's salary by $400 to $600 per month for the rest of 2009. Total savings for the church will be about $800 per month over the next 4 months or so. That deep of a cut means I will be looking for some part time employment-since my wife is the part time janitor here our portion of the salary cut will be pretty significant. I'm hoping to get my credentials so I can substitute teach in the local school district- which enables me to stay flexible with my schedule for emergencies and such.
We are also trying to retool our church's ministry. I've been meeting with a leadership team since May to pray and think about new ways to reach the community in which we live. I've been reading Paul Borden's Direct Hit and learning some new strategies for leading through change. So far the entire leadership team has been supportive and even excited about the changes we are discussing. I also realize there will be some opposition along the way and we are trying to be careful and deliberate in our efforts to communicate and explain the changes.(BTW- the finance committee met in early Aug and strenously obbjected to any salary cuts for the time being...Thank God for a people who believe in me!)

Well, it's now Aug 23. Camp was a success. The week after camp (Aug 14-21) I spent holed up in my home office getting my DMin project paper in shape. It goes in the mail tomorrow- 4 copies...oral exams scheduled on Sept. 28 in Louisville.
Tomorrow its back to normal- whatever that means.... Still very tired from camp and the stress of writing (really it was the formatting that made the process difficult).

Things at the church are, well, plodding along. Our leadership team meets again tomorrow evening to discuss some ways of changing the entire structure so that we become the kind of evangelistic people I believe God wants us to be. So, I'll quit for now...enough writing for one week. Till next time...