Transition Team Update #1
GMo Family,
Thank you to those who participated on April 27th at the congregational meeting – the GMo team was thankful for your questions and for your initial feedback as we start into this transition together. If you were not able to make it, the audio of the meeting is available within the Members Homepage of the GMo website.
The GMo leadership team is working quickly to finalize a transition roadmap, working closely with the Grace DC network pastors. One key element of that will be standing up a search committee for a new lead pastor, following Pastor Russ’s departure on June 1. This will involve congregational participation, so stay tuned for more information on this. Another important line of effort is sustaining current congregant support structures and ensuring administrative functions of GMo continue uninterrupted in the interim before a new lead pastor is identified. While Pastor Joel will have a key role in this prior to his departure by summer’s end, this will be a team effort as we align the efforts of the shepherding team, the diaconate, and our current non-pastoral staff, who are an incredible blessing to our GMo family. We are grateful for the ways our staff will provide continuity and are very excited that Jahanna Schwab has just taken over as our children’s coordinator!
If you are wondering how you can help or what you can do immediately, here are four simple things we suggested during the congregational meeting:
1. Pray corporately and individually for this transition, for the leadership team, for unity of the body, and for God to sustain the work of His church in this city.
2. Take care of your GMo family members, looking for ways to serve your brothers and sisters – this is already an incredible strength of GMo! As the leadership team increases focus on the pastoral transition, each of you will be best positioned to recognize a GMo brother or sister in need and take action to help.
3. Lean into the GMo community by committing to your CG, joining a small group, volunteering with a ministry partner, and signing up to help with our children/youth ministry. Now is a great time to strengthen your investment in our church’s life!
4. Give us feedback. We are trying to plan wisely and anticipate gaps, but we’ll miss things. Your perspective is essential as we partner with you to provide care for this church body and continue to advance the Gospel in Northeast DC.
The leadership team will continue to provide updates, to include some specific reflections on this transition, to include a series of letters from Pastor Russ (the first sent last week), and we will schedule additional congregational meetings going forward. If you have specificquestions in the meantime, please reach out to a member of the leadership or email shepherding@gracemosaic.org.
In partnership with you,
The GMo Leadership Team
