Installation #3 - February 16th, 2021

Let me begin by thanking you for such an amazing welcome and installation service. The creativity around the gifts was outstanding and the video that helped us put faces to the names is also greatly appreciated. The kids were simply awesome, and Pastor Mike nailed the message.

The weather is cold (though beautiful with the sun) and a high level of social restrictions remain in place. However, spring is coming, and we trust a greater level of connecting opportunities as well. For now, we get to enter Lent with exactly the right feeling:  longing for the new life celebration of Easter.

For this season I encourage you to put adjust your attitude toward online meetings. Of course, they are not as good as in-person, but they are better than not meeting at all.  Consider adding a small group conversation as your Lenten discipline.  The SG2 series (Spiritual Gift Small Groups) are an important step for us as we are “Learning Missional Practices”. The sermons will look at what the gifts are all about, but since the variety of gifts are all about working together it is vital that we find ways to connect. Follow the link on our website or contact Brandon Vermeer directly to join in.

On Sunday you invited me to all the different groups. I am really looking forward to connecting with each ministry at Mountainview both to get a sense of what is happening and to wonder together what is our, Missional Next Step. So far, I have been in weekly staff meetings plus PMT/DMT, council, and board meetings. We just passed a revised structure that will allow us to work more efficiently without losing effectiveness. It will take a while, however, for me to fully get the feel of the culture of leadership at Mountainview as that culture is really the collected unnamed values that undergird everything that happens in a community.

Finally, thank you for the continuing gift of life verses and the stories that go with them. There is one verse which early on was obviously the most common one among us, but then after a while another verse surpassed it and is now by far the most influential verse at Mountainview. I will not tell you what it is yet. I don’t want to influence anyone who is still considering their life verse… and the suspense will keep you reading “What’s Going On”.

Pastor Erick Schuringa