I find myself referring again to the words of Solomon in Ecclesiastes 3:1, where he says, "there is an appointed time for everything." This past Sunday, Louis Thompson formally announced his retirement.

As you all know, he will continue as an elder and be available for visitation and other duties in this role. Like most things in life, the end of one thing usually marks the beginnings of another, and we look forward to the future with hope and enthusiasm.

You will find inserted in this copy of the bulletin a detailed description of the new ministry duties assigned by the elders. The changes include:

1. A revised list for brother Thompson describing the areas that he will now serve as an elder
2. The list of duties that I (Mike Mazzalongo) will be taking care of beginning this week. Please note that those items with an asterisk (*) are ones taken over from Louis.
3. The introduction of our newest staff member, Jim Shepherd. Jim is the son of Fred and Laverne Shepherd and is presently finishing his degree in Ministry at Oklahoma Christian. Jim has a great desire to serve the Lord and has been active in the youth program (helping Tom Codding) and becoming involved in personal work.

Louis and I will be training him as he completes a 9-month internship program with us. At the end of this time, the elders will review his progress and decide if he will continue as a full-time Associate Minister. For the moment, he is "learning the ropes" -- please encourage him as one of our own begins his ministry with us.

If you have any questions about these changes please feel free to speak to the elders or myself. Let's work together to build on the solid base that the Lord has laid through Louis Thompson.