Post on 30-Jul-2020
As we seek to live into our vision of
bringing the beauty of the gospel to the
brokenness of life, we as a congregation
will be looking for another pastor who
can help us in the areas of worship and
spiritual formation. This will be an excit-
ing journey as we begin looking for the
right person to give leadership to these
areas of our congregational life. As we
begin our search, it is important for us to
remember a few key things.
Searching for a pastor is more than just
looking for a person to fill a job opening;
it is a process of spiritual discernment.
A number of years ago when I was an
associate pastor at a church on the East
coast, another church was interested in
calling me. I went through the interview
process with them and they seemed
enthusiastic. After a few weeks, I
received a phone call informing me
that they were going to call someone
else for that position. But the reason
they gave me was what stuck with me –
partly because it was somewhat unusual
but mostly because it was so admirable.
He said, “After we interviewed you and
you left, we almost voted to call you
right then and there. Everything seemed
to be a good fit. But we decided that we
would wait a couple of weeks, interview
a couple other people, and pray about
what we should do. After a couple of
weeks, we as a committee were
unanimously convinced that the Holy
Spirit was leading us to someone else.
And, to be honest, we were surprised. It
was not the person who looked like the
best candidate on paper or the person
we would have chosen. But we’re
convinced that it is the
person God is leading
us to call.” I hung up
the phone and was
not in the least bit
disappointed; I was
thankful. I was thankful
that this church was
sensitive to God’s leading. And that is
the way that a search should be done –
it is about seeking after God’s leading
on who our new pastor would be and
then following Him. As a result, the
entire search process should be
bathed, from beginning to end, in
prayer. We must constantly be seeking
the leading of the Holy Spirit and
become sensitive to his leading at
every step along the way.
Which brings up another important
point. As we begin the process, we
should remind ourselves that God
already knows who our new pastor
will be and, in fact, has already picked
him out. We won’t know until we go
through the process. But He has
already planned out the exact person
that He will bring to us. In his
commentary on Isaiah, John Calvin
wrote, “God does not throw down
men at random on the earth, to go
wherever they please, but guides all
by his secret purpose.” That is true of
all of us. We are not where we are
because we have randomly ended up
here. We are here because God has
been guiding our lives with his secret
purpose and working out his plan for
each of us. The same is true for a
(continued on page 2)
Gospel-Shaped Kindness and Goodness Titus 3:1-7
Gospel-Shaped Faithfulness Hebrews 10:19-25
Gospel-Shaped Gentleness (Humility) Philippians 2:1-11
Gospel-Shaped Self-Control 1 Corinthians 9:23-10:13
pastor search… and for the pastor we will
call. God has already planned that his path
and our path would intersect at this point in
time. And that means that we can walk down
this road, trusting him through every step of
the process, and looking forward to see
where the path that he has laid for us
eventually leads.
Related to the first two points is one more.
When a church searches for a pastor it is easy
to look on the surface and make decisions
about what we can see – how charismatic
his personality is, which spiritual gifts and
talents he has, what things are on his
resume, and what ministry experiences he
has already had. Of course, none of those is
unimportant. They are all important! But we
must also look deeper. In Israel,
King Saul had everything you could
wish for in an ancient king. He
checked every box. He looked the
part in every way. He was the kind
of king who was just like the kings
that all the other nations had. But, in
the end, he turned out to be a disaster. As
the Lord said to Samuel, “Do not consider his
appearance or height, for I have rejected
him. The Lord does not look at the things the
way people do. People look at the outward
appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.”
When it comes to searching for a pastor,
we should do the same. Yes, we should look
for certain talents, characteristics, and
experience. But, even more importantly, we
should look at the heart. Does he walk
closely with God? Does he have integrity?
Does he have a heart that is shaped by the
gospel and is rooted in grace?
As we begin this exciting process, would you
join me in praying fervently for this search?
Would you pray that God would lead us to
the right person, that He would guide us
through the process, and that He would help
us to see the candidates as He sees them?
And would you pray for the new pastor, even
though we don’t know who he is right now,
that God would be working in his heart and
preparing him to minister among us?
Brookdale News is a
monthly publication of
Brookdale Church
203 South 31st Street
St. Joseph, MO 64501
Phone: 816-279-0983
Fax: 816-279-7684
Website:
www.brookdalechurch.com
Editor: Terri Lansbury
E-mail:
terri@brookdalechurch.com
On January 29, Brookdale held its annual meeting and
celebration. After worship, everyone gathered at the
SMC for lots of food and fun, including a round of
“Family Feud” with host Sue Bolander and competing
teams of Brookdale members. The questions and
categories were all related to ministries of Brookdale
Church. After the game, we all watched a slide show
put together by Kelly Taylor, highlighting the MANY
activities and events at Brookdale over the past year.
We are truly blessed to be part of this congregation!
On January 27-28,
Brookdale Church
hosted the winter
meeting of the
Presbytery of Mid-
America. This is a
time when church
leaders through the
region come together
for fellowship,
worship, and to
conduct the business of the church. While
the business meeting was only for teaching
elders (pastors) and ruling elders appointed
by each local session, everyone was invited to
the worship service on Friday evening.
For those who aren’t really familiar with how
our denomination — the Evangelical Presby-
terian Church (EPC) — works, I’ll try to give a
very brief synopsis:
In late 1980, a group of pastors and elders
began meeting in St. Louis, Missouri, for
prayer and planning. They came from the
two mainline Presbyterian denominations at
the time, the United Presbyterian Church of
the USA (PCUSA—the “northern church”)
and the Presbyterian Church US (PCUS—
the “southern church”) . . . These leaders
envisioned a denomination that was really
evangelical and really Presbyterian; hence the
name. In addition, the motto, ‘In Essentials
Unity, In Non-essentials Liberty, in All Things
Charity; Truth in Love’ was adopted.
The word “Presbyterian” describes how we
organize and govern ourselves. It comes from
an ancient Greek word meaning “ruled by
elders.” A team of trusted servant leaders
(our pastors and elders) leads the church.
These leaders work together as peers in
directing the life and mission of the church.
This team approach is consistent with the
vital connection we see in the New
Testament, where followers of Jesus Christ are
connected to one another in relationships built
on mutual beliefs, trust, and accountability.
Just as individual Christians are connected to
one another, individual congregations are con-
nected under Christ as the Head of His Church.
Because of this connection, we believe we can
accomplish more for Christ and His kingdom
working together than working separately.
There are three organizational levels in our
system:
1. The local church.
2. The presbytery (regional gathering of
churches).
3. The General Assembly (the national gather-
ing of churches and our national office).
We are intentionally “local church focused;”
our presbyteries and Office of the General As-
sembly work to serve the local church and its
leaders as they pursue the mission God has
called them to. 1
You can learn much more about the Evangeli-
cal Presbyterian Church, it’s history, beliefs and
values at www.epc.org.
_________________________ 1 www.epc.org
Terri and John Lansbury will host a group this fall on a faith-based cruise aboard Royal Caribbean's “Jewel of the Seas”. We’ll depart October 6, 2017, arriving in Rome to begin our adven-ture and learn more about the “Journeys of Paul.” The guest speaker on this cruise will be Rev. Adam Hamilton, author and senior pastor of the Church of the Resurrec-tion in Kansas City.
Our first stop will be the island of Sicily. We’ll explore the town of Messina, the connecting point of the “Italian Boot.” In neighboring Taormina, those who wish can climb to the mountaintop Greek Theater and take in the views of the Mediterranean and Mt. Etna.
During our trip, we’ll be able to explore two of the beautiful Greek is-lands — Mykonos and Santorini. We’ll travel to the ancient city of Ephesus, Turkey, where Paul spent three years of his ministry, preaching and teaching. The ruins of Ephesus have been restored much like the city was in Paul’s time.
We’ll visit the ancient city of Athens, where we can explore the Acropolis, the Propylaea, and the Parthenon. While in Athens, we’ll also recount Paul’s teaching on Mars Hill. We’ll then travel to Corinth, a city that inspired St. Paul’s most famil-iar letter. As we walk among the ruins, we can visualize his address to the Gentiles as he began the task of building the church.
When we arrive at Naples, where Paul landed on his way to Rome, we’ll journey inland to ancient Pompeii, dating almost to the time of Paul, where we’ll can see the ruins that were covered by ash from the eruption of Mount Vesuvius in A.D. 79.
We’ll walk the streets of Rome and visit the Coliseum, the Pantheon, and more. Finally, we’ll
visit the Vatican, home to one of the greatest museums in the world; and, of course, tour St. Peter’s Basilica and the Sistine Chapel with Michelangelo’s frescoes, now restored to their full glory. We’ll also tour the Catacombs of St. Sebastino, which con-
tain some of the only surviving examples of early Christian art.
When we return home on October 18 we’ll all have some wonderful memories to share!
After hosting several groups in the Holy Land over the past 17 years, Terri and John are looking forward to sharing this new adventure with an-other group of friends. If this sounds like something you might be inter-ested in, contact Terri in the church office - (816) 279-0983.
1 - Ella Bryant
3 - Brent Peterson, Carson Peterson
5 - Don Weston, Diana Haynes, Brenda Hewins
6 - Lisa Wyckoff
7 - Fran Perkins
10 - John Bachman, Nichole Kammerer
11 - Bobby Larimore
12 - Aileen Hunter
14 - Sue Bolander
15 - Gary Jahne, Janna Trulsson
17 - Tori Hudgens
18 - Collin Lemon, T.J. Larson
19 - Janey Holloway
20 - Janeen Burnham
22 - Earl Hadle, Debby Hanlan
25 - Will Austin
28 - Laura Weckerlin, Ed Brown
29 - Sandy Zweerink
March
1 - Deb Birr
3 - Mike O’Donnell
6 - Teresa Fetter
Thank you and your church family for everything you have done for us at Christmas. It’s greatly appreciated, and the children are loving all their things. Thanks again for sharing in a time of need. God bless you all, — Rebecca, Noah, Kaden, and Paisly
“It’s All about that Baby” Christmas musical may have been delayed 3 weeks, but it was certainly worth the wait. The children poured their hearts into the songs and lines and gave to the congregation a worshipful and fun-filled production. I’m grateful for all their hard work and so enjoyed listening to them share the Good News of Jesus’ birth.
If you are a parent of a student who is in 8th grade or older and are wondering what the process is for your student to become a member of Brookdale Church...well you are in luck! Starting in the end of February we will be having our annual youth confirmation class. These classes will last 3 weeks in which each student will learn about the Presbyterian Church, about Brookdale Church, and how to be a thriving member within our congregation. At the end of this class the student will be welcomed into membership. So be out the lookout for the informational letter being sent home and if you have any questions feel free to ask!
Class dates will be: Monday February 27th, March 6th, & March 13th from 6:30-8:30 pm.
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There’s an amazing opportunity awaiting you! Pray about it, talk to your family about it, and imag-
ine what it might be like to invest a bit of your life in this awesome place and the children of Hope
for Tomorrow in Guatemala. Then, if all seems right, sign your name on the “I’m interested” sheet
in the foyer!
Here’s what you need to know:
Dates: May 27-June 3 (2 days travel; 5 days on the ground
Cost: $1500 (fund raising opportunities available) Deposit: $100, nonrefundable, due in the church office
by Feb. 22 Passport: Required; no visa necessary Immunizations: Tetanus updated; Typhoid and Hepatitis
A & B — good to have but not required Projects: at the new home just around the corner Special times with the children will be planned A day trip to beautiful Antigua, founded in 1543 by
Spanish Conquistadores, for sight-seeing and shopping