Lots going on here in the last few weeks, so we have a couple updates to share here today.
A video update from Steve on church services and building use. Is that a look of mischief in Steve’s eyes? Probably.
Below the video we have two letters regarding Steve’s decision to step down from his role as Lead Pastor at Crestwicke. The first letter is from Steve, the second from our Deacons’ Board Chair, Dwight. If you watched the Sunday, May 31st teaching video, you will have heard Steve’s announcement, and we had a follow-up video from Dwight last week. The letters below essentially summarize the content of the videos and we will be mailing them out to those in our church family who do not have email.
Letter from Steve
Dear Friends,
As I recently announced, I will be stepping down as the Lead Pastor here at Crestwicke Baptist Church on August 31, 2020. This decision was not made lightly, and it was very difficult for me. I’m in my ninth year in this position, and as the church has grown I have done my best to teach and shepherd it through a variety of phases of growth. In all of my time here, I think now is the best and most exciting time to be part of Crestwicke. There is a healthy spirit in the congregation; the church is growing in every way that matters; we have new ministries; the demographic is better than it’s been in a long, long time. I believe some healing has taken place in the church, and based on the Word of God and his grace, the church is able to move forward to even higher ground in the future.
One of the main reasons why I feel that I can step down at this time is that the church is so healthy. The board is also strong—the elders and deacons have been extremely good to me during my entire pastorate. I do not have a single complaint for how I have been treated by the leadership. In my judgment—although I’m not without bias—I think the staff here are excellent. I don’t know of a finer young man than Jake, nor do I know of a finer Pastor Emeritus than Sam. (Then again, Sam is the only Pastor Emeritus I’ve ever met.) Steph is as excellent an administrator as anyone could ask for. So between the elders and deacons, the staff, and the church, things should be fine moving forward.
Far more important than the leadership, the staff, and the congregation itself, is the fact that our hope and trust for the future is based on Jesus. God is still ruling the universe, and Christ is still Lord of the church. The Holy Spirit is still active in guiding and distributing spiritual gifts. Crestwicke is more than 90 years old, which means that I have been part of it for less than 10% of its existence. For over 90% of Crestwicke’s life, no one at the church had even heard of me. It is simply not my church. The only person in the universe who owns the church is Jesus. That’s why this will all be okay.
It has been an incredible privilege to play a small part here in what God has been doing. Whatever good has come from the ministry has been by his grace. Since the God of grace guides the future, we can continue to walk by faith.
Every blessing,
Steve
Letter from Deacons’ Board Chair, Dwight
Dear Friends,
As you may be aware, Pastor Steve recently announced that he will be stepping down as Lead Pastor of Crestwicke as of the end of August 2020. Pastor Steve has been with us since 2012 and over his time with us he has been a huge blessing to our congregation with his teachings and messages. We are all going to miss Pastor Steve as over his time with us we have really come to love and appreciate him. His departure leaves us with a hole that we think will be hard to fill, but we are trusting that God is able to provide for us as He has in the past.
Our immediate plans are for Pastor Steve to continue in his current role of preaching and teaching until his departure. In the meantime, the deacons and elders will be meeting to formulate plans for the future. While we acknowledge that this process is uncertain and there is a lot to consider we are trusting that God is faithful to continue the work he has begun in us. We trust that the same God that brought us Pastor Steve is still in charge of our current situation and that He will guide us if we only listen to His leading. For the current time we seek your patience as we work through this situation and ask that you hold us up in your prayers. We are heartened by the strength of community that we have shown through the current COVID-19 crisis and pray that this commitment to Christ and community will guide us through the next few months.
We want to maintain an open communication channel, so please feel free to reach out to the office if there is something that you wish for us to know, or if there is some way that we can help or be praying for you.
Yours in Christ,
Dwight Smikle
On behalf of the Deacons