A Pastor at Last!

Today, we met our senior pastor candidate. The whole set-up for the day was different. Sunday school classes merged for various breakfast potlucks (yum -- nothing like a Baptist potluck) and the kids had their own programs, too, with breakfast. Even Keva was taken care of during this time. Each group got to meet the pastor candidate and his wife.

The pastor's name is Jimmy Patterson. He's 6'6'', 47, and looks a lot like Rush Limbaugh. But when I waited for him to make a satirical comment about Hillary Clinton, I heard instead a very soft spoken gentle voice. He was a football player in high school until a knee injury ruined his chances for college football. The Lord had other plans for him.

My prayer for a pastor was that he would be a godly man who preached God's word. I've been hugely concerned with the way churches have become so modern and "seeker friendly" at the expense of discipleship and I didn't want to see our church follow that path. So, I've prayed pretty much daily for this man, and I was SO EXCITED to finally be able to see who I'd been praying for!

What impressed me most about him was that he was not actually seeking a new pastoral position. Another man, who the pastor search committee had wanted to be our pastor but who had gone on to missions work instead, submitted Pastor Patterson's name as a consideration. And after several interviews, meetings, listening to sermons, the Pastor Search Committee extended a call to him just a few weeks ago and he accepted on condition of congregational approval.

The second thing that impressed me about him was his love for his wife. She's a dainty thing, especially next to her very tall husband, and he didn't meet her until he was 29 and nearly given up on the idea that he would ever find someone. She's six years younger, but because he's going gray and losing hair, he looks quite a bit older. Anyway, someone asked what he loves to do the most, and he said that it was to be home with his wife. Even in our short Sunday School class interview, we could all tell that he held great regard for her. I whispered to Keith that he had all of the women ready to vote for him!

The third thing that impressed me was that he intends to work with the current associate staff. He's not starting fresh by getting rid of the pastors we have here and bringing in his own crew. That was another huge answer to prayer to me because we all love the pastors that have worked so diligently.

Once all of the classes and small groups got a chance to meet him, we all gathered in the sanctuary for a short DVD presentation about him and how the Pastor Search Committee decided on him. Then, when he came up to speak, everyone gave him a standing ovation. This church has been waiting TWO YEARS for this pastor! The Pastor Search Committee has been working for two years almost to the day.

The only bad part of the whole morning were my younger kids' behavior sitting in church. Granted, they had to wait a long time, but Kade and Konner drove me nearly to the crazy house with, "I got to go to the bathroom!" "I'm hungry" "When is this going to end?" "I'm hungry, really hungry!" Not only were both of the morning services melded into one for this special moment, but the attendance was up, too, so we were packed into our row like sardines. This made little kids even more squiggly and Keva more rambunctious. By the end of the service, I was exhausted and more than a little perturbed with my offspring.

The vote was a standing vote. The pastor and his family left the sanctuary, and we were asked to stand if we wanted to vote for the candidate. The vote was unanimous. Then, when he was ushered back in, the whole congregation gave him another standing ovation. So, it's official!

He's supposed to start preaching toward the end of next month so that he can give his church in Florida 30 days notice.

This afternoon, I sacked out on the couch and fell asleep. I've been tired all day today -- too many late nights and early mornings. I'm aiming for a 10:00 PM bedtime tonight, so I better go and stick a load of Keith's work clothes in the laundry before it gets any later!