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June 30, 2023
Dear Grace Commons Family,
As June comes to a close, I am bittersweet as Carrie and I begin our last month with you. There are still several weeks of learning and worship together. On July 9, we will kick off a short sermon series exploring what the Bible teaches about the office of Pastor. In preparation, I am immersing myself in a study of four key passages in the Scriptures which illuminates God’s vision for what a Pastor is and does. Today, let me update you on life at Grace Commons:
Search for our new Pastor (Head of Staff)
The Pastor Nominating Committee (PNC) is moving forward with a deeper dive into the finalists, three very promising candidates for your new Pastor (Head of Staff). Each of these candidates is at the moment praying for you and asking God to show them and us if they are indeed God’s choice to be the person God is calling to serve alongside you in the years ahead. Please continue to pray for your PNC as they engage in interviews and work with our search consultant, Rob Lauer, to discern who God is calling as your next Pastor (Head of Staff). Visit our website for more information about our pastoral search.
Supporting our Ministry
Tomorrow is the beginning of Ministry Year 24 which is Grace Commons’ version of a fiscal year. Our Ministry Year runs from July 1, 2023 through June 30, 2024. As we prepare to invite a new pastor into our congregation, we need each covenant partner and regular participant to join together to financially support the work of Grace Commons. I have fond memories of the years I spent playing Little League baseball. I remember one coach in particular whose coaching philosophy could be summed up with the phrase: On this team, everyone plays. That is my vision for each one of you. Don’t be surprised if one of our church officers or staff contacts you over the summer to ask how you plan to give of your time, talents and financial resources to help us fulfill our mission here in Boulder County. At Grace Commons we pray everyone participates.
The 1603 Walnut Project
At a Congregational Meeting on June 11, a motion to proceed with the project at 1603 Walnut was presented by the leadership of Session and Trustees and approved by the congregation by a 93% to 7% vote. One primary concern raised during the motion discussion was the issue of "option 4" in the motion—selling the 1603 Walnut property. As seen by the overwhelming majority vote, it is understood that the four options (including option four to sell the property) need to be available to the trustees and in the order presented in the motion. The selling of the property will be the last resort, but if needed it will allow the payback of funds to the Capital Campaign account and sufficient funds to support the main campus operations for a short period. Trustees and Session will continue to keep you informed as the project at 1603 Walnut proceeds.
New Building Hours
After much consideration and evaluating our staffing capacity, beginning July 1 the Grace Commons Church facilities will be closed on Fridays and Saturdays to all ministry programming, and the church business office will close at noon Mon-Thurs. In order to be good stewards and provide rest for our staff and facilities, we need to find ways to lessen the demands we make on them. This recommendation was made after numerous conversations with our ministries, including Doorways, Music & Worship, Outreach & Welcome Ministry, the Boulder Symphony and the Boulder International Film Festival. All have agreed to work with us to minimize their impact on our staff and facilities for the coming year. Of course exceptions will be considered as needed. This change will be implemented July 1, 2023, which is the beginning of Ministry Year 2024.
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