It has been almost a month since we left Shelby, OH.  Our journey has taken us through Indiana, Illinois, Wisconsin, Minnesota, South Dakota, Wyoming, Montana, Idaho, and finally to Washington.  Along the way we caught up with friends from seminary who currently live in Indiana.  We also visited the Mall of America, Mount Rushmore, and spent a day at Yellowstone National Park.  We attended an Alliance in church in Cody, Wyoming that Sunday.  Everyone traveled so well through our long days and late nights of travel.  We all agreed it was a great adventure...but we were all definitely glad to finally be in Washington!

We arrived at our apartment to find the church had already moved most of our stuff in.  Beds were made, tables and furniture were in place.  It was a great head start on moving in.  It felt like a major blessing.  The kids each discovered they had a Washington t-shirt waiting for them as well.  They thought that was pretty cool.

The weather here has been beautiful.  The temperature ranges between 70 and 80 degrees, but cools to 60 degrees or below every evening.  The sun has been shining pretty much every day since we have been here.  More than a few people have informed us that we should not go falling in love with the sunshine and that the rain will come.  They have jokingly referred to this time as their "2 weeks of summer".

We went hiking in the mountains on Labor Day.  The kids were not sure exactly what to expect.  Hiking in Shelby and hiking in Washington are a little bit different.  Turns out the mountains in Washington are a little bit bigger!  We had a lot of fun and the kids all agreed that they loved it. 

The kids started school on September 7th.  They have done so well in this adjustment.  Jewel and I have been amazed at how they have handled this whole transition.  One adjustment they are really liking is getting out of school every Friday 2 hours early!

We are still looking for a house.  We currently have an offer on a house that is pending bank approval.  We probably won't hear anything more until sometime in October.  It is located in a neighborhood right across the street from the church.  It seems to be a great house in a very good location for life and ministry.

Next Sunday will be my first Sunday preaching at Mountain View.  It seems like its been a while since I have preached, and I feel very ready.  I am looking forward to Sunday.

There is so much more we could tell.  God has continued to show His faithfulness in some big ways and some small ways.  We have continued to see his hand of provision and blessing and we continue to be amazed at his faithfulness and more.

We love you and continue to pray for you in your transition as you search for a new pastor.

Love,
Tim, Jewel and the family.

Dan Scarrow, from the Central District office, led the church through the evaluation form where we had a chance to give input on our church, its strengths and weaknesses and things we'd like to see in our next pastor. He also gave opportunity to ask questions. One thing he wanted us to be prepared for was a potential 8-12 months before we have a new pastor. Reasons for the time delay included: 1) time for us to heal from losing a man we loved, 2) time to go through the search process carefully, and 3) time for whomever we call to prepare their current church for departure like we had with Tim.
Later, Dan shared with us from Isaiah 58 focusing on our need to please the Lord and not ourselves. The passage also taught us to to not serve in the church out of a false sense of duty or religion but to serve, again, in an effort to please the Lord. There are things we should be doing to serve the Lord and the rewards that will come from following  Check it out in the New Living Translation that he used. www.BibleGateway.com 
Next week we hear from one of our pulpit supply pastors, a friend of Pastor Tim and highly recommended by him.
Don't forget we meet on Wednesdays at 7 pm to pray for our church family and future pastor.
If you have ever thought about joining us for Sunday School this is a great time to start. We meet at 9 am and the assignment for this week is to look at the book of I John and find the instances where the author says, "I write to you because" and the times he says, " by this we know" or similiar wording if your version doesn't use these exact words. Even if you can't make Sunday School this might be a good exercise for you to do on your own.

Pastor Tim, Jewel and the kids will spend their last Sunday with us on August 7th. We cried through the last prayer meeting with Tim, even then knowing God is working and moving both in the life of the Young's and Shelby Alliance Church.
While we will celebrate our time with the family on Sunday, the 7th, after church, we also mourn the loss of our pastor and friend being with us daily.
The lovely thing about technology is they will only be a phone, email or Skype call away. As we look to the future, we will be filling our pulpit with some great speakers who love the Lord and will encourage us to continue in our growth with the Lord.
Next Sunday, the 14th, a representative from our Alliance district will be with us to talk about the transition process and what we can expect.
Plan to be at church for both of these important Sundays.

The Elders along with the Board of Ministries are working closely with our district superintendent in seeking the will of God in providing the necessary information to call the pastor God has chosen for Shelby Alliance Church. The following steps are vital to gain the necessary information and position our church during this transition time. Updates will be posted here in this blog.

Congregational Surveys:  Both surveys will be done after Pastor Tim has left for Washington.
    1 - The first questionaire is primary in determining our church's strengths and weaknesses, what type of church we currently have and the type of pastor you feel will lead us in coming years.
    2 - Second, to give greater clarity to the type of pastor you described in the first questionaire, the board will ask, and welcome, your input as to the traits, talents, gifts, age, strengths, characteristics, etc that your new pastor should possess.

Board of Ministries:
    *They will review/update our current 'Pastoral Job Description' to be in-line with the results of the congregation's input.
    *They will also determine the Salary/Benefit/Reimbursement Package' we can offer the new pastor.

Committees: Each committee is to develop their own processs and involve others of our congregation:
    1 - Pulpit Supply: Led by Dick Mott and Barb Powell.
    2 - Visitation Committee: Led by Greg Friebel and Jean Viers
    3 - Children's Church: To Be Announced
    4 - Small Groups: Led by Matt Peyton and Cheryl Cronbaugh
    5 - Search Committee: To be Announced

If you have questions don't hesitate to ask any of the elders or Board of Ministries members, the full list of these names can be found in the information hallway, off the main foyer.

Pastor Tim, in following the Lord's leading, has accepted a call to be the pastor of a church in the state of Washington.
It has been a great 7 years of growth for our church and we are confident Pastor Tim has acted on the leading of the Holy Spirit. With that confidence, we are extremely sad to see his family leave but know it is all ultimately, a part of God's plan.
The Board of Ministries and the Elder Board have met with the District Superintendent to learn about next steps in this process.
For now, our focus is to make the last days of Pastor Tim's ministry memorable and to love on his family.
The Boards will be seeking people to serve on committees so prepare your hearts now for how the Spirit may be leading you to help.