God has accomplished many wonderful things through Mountain Reformed Church in the last year:
- We became established as a non-denominational, independent Christian Reformed church at a new facility with peaceful and beautiful worship services
- We acquired sound equipment, video equipment, hymnals, paraments, choral music, a wonderful digital grand piano and more
- We established corporate officers
- We wrote our constitution and bylaws
- We became an Arizona corporation
- We applied for 501(c)(3) status
- We established a wonderful Sanctuary Choir
- We established the staff positions of Pastor and Minister of Music
- We enlisted wonderful accompanists and musicians to assist with our worship service
- We began to establish fellowship and study groups
- We just presented our first Advent cantata, and it was absolutely beautiful!
The fellowship, talent, kindness and love found at Mountain Reformed church is truly special. We provide unique traditional, reformed worship for the Prescott area.
Great news!
We are excited to share with you that we have been notified by the IRS that our application for 501(c)(3) status has been approved! Of course, we need to receive the determination letter in the mail before this will be completely official, but we are now confident that all 2021 donations back to our start date in February of 2021 (not January 2021) will be tax deductible, and we will be fully established as a non-profit 501(c)(3) corporation before the end of 2021.
Challenging news
It is with great difficulty that I need to inform you that Debbie and I will be moving at the beginning of 2022. I have accepted a position as Minister of Music at Palm West Community Church in Sun City West, AZ.
For the last two years I have been working more than one job and sometimes as many as three jobs. Debbie has also been working outside her normal career so that she could help provide health insurance. This opportunity came along in Sun City West, and we prayed very much about it. We asked God to close the door if this wasn't the right thing, but God just kept opening the door wider. It is a great new opportunity for us and it will meet all of our needs. We never thought we would leave the Prescott area, our church, friends and family, but God has another plan for us.
I do want to emphasize that Mountain Reformed Church has been more than generous in providing for us. Your care has helped to carry us through a very difficult time in our lives. We will be forever grateful for this.
This new calling is something that we cannot pass up at this stage in our life. We don't have a whole lot of years left to finish strong and save for retirement. We wish we could remain with you and see all that God is going to do through Mountain Reformed Church, but it is clear that God has a new direction for us. Our hope is that MRC will continue to grow and prosper in spreading God's Word.
What about MRC???
As I expressed at the beginning of this letter, this church is full of talented people! We have some of the best people in all of the Prescott area who have vast talents in worship and music, administration, business and finance, education and many other areas. The leaders of our church will be diligently working to identify Pastoral candidates for the church to call. In the interim they are making plans and enlisting more people to help. Several retired Pastors in our area have been contacted and some have indicated a willingness to serve on an interim basis.
It is so important that you all continue to support the church and the leadership of the church. You don't want to miss the blessings of where God will lead this church in the future, and we don't want to lose any of the momentum that we have all helped to build together!
I will continue to be available to help in the transition period. I will not be guiding or directing the church, but I am willing to assist when needed with the various systems we have already established.
Let's keep this going! This will be a church that provides an open-door relationship with God for all through worship, teaching God's Word, and by celebrating with music and the arts.
Our mission is simple: All Glory to God! Amen!
The joy and the friendships we have established together will not end! We will be close by. We all serve the God of eternity.
We love you all!
Joe and Debbie Place
