MRCC Family,

The Elders are pleased to inform you that Bob Williams accepted our call to be our next senior minister. It was the unanimous decision of the Elders to select Bob, and was made after evaluating internal and external options over the past several months. This decision was announced in both services on Sunday, October 29. The Elders are hosting a meet and greet time with Bob and his wife, Deb, on Wednesday, November 1, from 6:30–8 p.m. at MRCC. You are invited to learn more about Bob and his vision for our church. This event is in lieu of our weekly Bible study and prayer times for adults. Seek and King’s Kids will meet as usual. On Sunday, November 12, there will be a congregational vote to affirm Bob’s calling.

Through the insight gained by our Healthy Church surveys and seminars, the leadership is convinced Mid Rivers needs a new, modern strategy for fulfilling God’s mission for our church. A new approach is needed to better minister to the next generation of believers and make us more effective in growing authentic disciples of Jesus Christ. Bob has an understanding of what is needed, has a passion for making it happen, is capable of clearly communicating it and plainly teaching it. The Elders would also like to share with you more about the 2017 Thanksgiving Offering. This year our offering has three components:

The first is to partner with Sparrow’s Nest, a Christ-centered maternity home in our community. On October 22, Elisa Zieg, Executive Director of Sparrow’s Nest, shared in our worship services some of the great things they are doing to show God’s love to pregnant mothers in their time of need. New construction on a neighboring lot has removed almost all of the established trees behind their home taking away much of the privacy and security they once enjoyed in their backyard, so they need a privacy fence with an estimated cost of $12,000. Our goal is to use the first $12,000 collected from our offering to pay for the fence.

The second is to address some of the facility needs we have by improving and maintaining our building and grounds to be God-honoring and better serve the needs of our members and visitors, while enhancing our overall ministry efforts. Replacing our aging lawn care equipment and improvements to our lower-level HVAC system are two of our most pressing needs. Enhancements to our front entry and lobby will improve our curb appeal and help create a welcoming, friendly atmosphere.

In addition to giving financially, the third component is to commit to volunteering at Sparrow’s Nest in 2018. On November 5, Elisa Zieg will return to MRCC to tell us more about the many ways we can all volunteer and she’ll be available to answer any questions you may have. Pledge cards will be available to fill out the number of hours you can volunteer in 2018. These cards can be placed in the offering basket along with your Thanksgiving Offering.

The goals are $28,000 for our offering and 300 volunteer hours. The offering will be collected on November 19. We will accept financial contributions and volunteer pledges through Sunday, December 31. If we exceed our goal of $28,000, we will first look into any further needs at Sparrow’s Nest and then evaluate additional needs we have to enhance our building and grounds.

Our congregational Thanksgiving dinner is Sunday, November 19 at 5 p.m. Join us for a time of food and fellowship as we celebrate God’s blessings and what He has in store for MRCC. We’ll have a time of worship and announce the amount of the Thanksgiving Offering collected so far. We invite your entire family to come to our Thanksgiving dinner.

Christmas Eve is on a Sunday this year. We will celebrate the eve of the birth of our Savior with one worship service at 10:30 a.m., and a candlelight service at 6 p.m. that evening. There will be no worship service or adult or children classes at 9 a.m. that day.

We are thankful for what God has done in 2017 and are extremely excited about what Bob and Deb Williams bring to Mid Rivers as God’s faithful servants. We are also thrilled about our partnership with the Sparrow’s Nest maternity home and what we can accomplish together in 2018. The Elders are confident we are moving in the direction God desires for our church and that God, through our faithfulness, has great things in store for all of us.

Serving Him,
MRCC Elders
Bryan Hampton, Ben Bigham, Bruce Sowatsky, Steve Curran, Roger Wehmeyer, Bruce Wilson