Greetings Morningside Church Family,

When we talk about kingdom values and the work of Christian ministry, we can sometimes fail to stress the critical importance of God’s gift of administration. Paul mentions this gift alongside “gifts of healing, of helping, … and of different kinds of tongues” (1 Cor 12:28). According to Paul at least, this gift a big one. I’m reminded how important it is every time we work on an annual church budget!

The Greek word Paul uses in this verse is often translated “leadership,” which is pretty close. I find it helpful to know, however, that it refers to the work of a shipmaster. A person with the gift Paul lists here, you see, is not so much the owner of the ship, nor even its captain. Unlike these others, the shipmaster is tasked with the day-to-day affairs of running the ship and its crew. How well Paul illustrates the work of administration in the church!

Morningside has had a few shipmasters over its 69 seafaring years. I can assure you, none of Morningside’s administrators has shown as much faithfulness to God and his people as Kathy Powell. For nearly 23 years, and some of those through difficult waters, Kathy has helped steer the ship as Business Administrator. With Kathy’s announcement that she intends to retire at the end of this year, we have an opportunity to thank her—and God—for all she has done.

I am personally blessed and encouraged to have served alongside Kathy these past two and a half years. She’s been such an important part of our staff team through a challenging season. Once she retires, I will miss having her just an office away, though I am personally heartened at how well she has prepared Carol Gallups for the next season!

Kathy has agreed to let us celebrate and thank her with a special reception on Sunday, December 12. I invite you to join me, the Elders, and Personnel Committee at a reception in her honor that afternoon. More details will follow. For now, please save the date!
Your Servant in Christ,

For the fourth quarter of 2021, the deacons will be busy interviewing and selecting the new slate of incoming elders and deacons for next year. That list will be presented to the congregation in December for your approval. 
 
Of course our main task as always is family ministry, so please contact your deacon if you have any needs, concerns, or questions. 

Even as COVID continues to be unpredictable, we do see our families and friends slowly returning to worship.  Our financial outlook is good. The level of offerings to support the budget we unanimously approved for 2021 has been unpredictable and now falling below our ministry goals as we move into the last half of the year.  We have been blessed that God has provided for all our ministry needs to date. Our combined faith led us to approve the 2021 budget and it is that same faith in God’s work we need as he continues his work moving into 2022.  Please be in prayer about renewing your commitment to the work God has called us to do, “to know Christ and make Him known”.

August and September is always an exciting time of year for NextGen Ministry. The beginning of school seems to bring an extra level of excitement and enthusiasm from kids and students, which is thrilling to our leaders! We are anticipating a wonderful fourth quarter of ministry as we continue to see an increase in attendance and participation in all areas of NextGen Ministry. We are especially thankful for the many guest families who have attended recently, particularly in the Student Ministry. 
 
Children’s Ministry
We recently began a new series in the Gospel Project in Elementary Bible Fellowship, and the kids have been learning about “From Creation to Chaos.” This series lays a foundation for kids to understand how God created the world and uniquely created us in His image, but sin entered the world through Adam and Eve’s disobedience and chaos ensued. Although the effects of sin are devastating, God immediately began unfolding His rescue plan. His rescue plan began through His covenant with Abraham and the promises of His covenant are fulfilled in Jesus. Parents, be sure to pick up an activity sheet each week from Bible Fellowship to review the weekly lesson and practice the memory verse! 
 
We have also recently launched a new series in Wednesday night Breakout, which is a TeamKid series focused on worship, Bible study, prayer, rest, serving, and sharing our faith. Wednesday nights offer a great variety of fun and depth as kids learn Scripture through music, focus on a Bible memory verse, experience Bible study, and enjoy a fun game or craft. During the first 30-45 minutes of Breakout, we have been introducing and learning our new musical, StarQuest. Set in a context of space-age exploration, StarQuest offers kids an opportunity to journey through the universe to share God’s Word with cultures who have lost God’s Word. Each song will help kids learn Scripture and hide God’s Word in their hearts to be able to share with others! 
 
Safe Shepherding
We are in the process of updating our child protection policies for all of our NextGen Ministries. The updated child protection policy is called Safe Shepherding, which will foster a culture of safety and care in our ministries to families. The policies will include semi-annual volunteer and leader training, volunteer and leader screening, tailored policies, and intentional oversight. Dates for training will be announced soon.  
 

Over the past quarter, the Recruitment Committee has worked to fill the eight upcoming vacancies in four committees.  The following church members have been recommended by the recruitment committee, affirmed by the Elders and have agreed to serve in their respective roles:
 
Church Treasurer: Mike Ussery
Finance Committee: Tracey Beatty, Mike Crane, Linda Deal* and Heather McCabe*  (*two-year term)
Personnel Committee: Seth Johnson
Global Ministries: Mark Graydon and Michelle Repass
Recruitment: Alice Hiltibrand

In addition to preparing a Personnel budget for 2022, we also approved several staff changes this quarter. In August we added to the payroll a part-time ministry director. Phil Martin is our Group Life Director overseeing groups and classes for adults. In addition, Personnel worked with the Elders to bring Chris Trammel before the church for ordination. We celebrate God’s work in his life!
 
We regret to say that Jennifer Seiler has stepped down as Children’s Ministry Director after a short tenure. Jennifer cited health concerns as the reason for her departure. She and her husband, Phil, intend to remain at Morningside. We pray for Jennifer's strength and healing! Like you, we are also praying for Gwen Pigg’s healing after a long ordeal. Christina Baptiste continues to serve as the director of the Weekday Preschool in Gwen’s place. 
 
Finally, Personnel wishes to congratulate Kathy Powell on her announced retirement after 23 years of faithful service to Morningside. Kathy announced her intention to retire at the end of this year. Kathy has agreed to stay on as a part-time consultant as we transition the Business Office during 2022. She leaves big shoes! And we are grateful for all she has done to minister to the staff and the congregation for nearly a quarter-century. 
 
We invite you to join us in celebrating Kathy’s gifts and service on Sunday afternoon, December 12. In the meantime, we invite you to seek her out and thank her for her years of faithful service!

In July, the Missions Committee and Connections Ministry hosted a blood drive and will host another drive in October.  The committee provided gift bags to families during open house in August for the Weekday Preschool. We will host a Fall Festival for the preschool students on October 28th. During September, the committee encouraged church members to “Choose One” mission project to be involved. This campaign was promoted through a video and signups on Sunday mornings. Now through November 14th, we are collecting boxes for Operation Christmas Child. There will also be a food collection time for Thanksgiving baskets. In December, we will sponsor the Lottie Moon Christmas Offering.

This quarter, the Bereavement team was grateful to have received an expression of appreciation from Claude May’s family with a check to MBC. During the last three months, our group did not provide any meals due to the loss of a loved one.

Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, 
who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves receive from God. 
~2 Corinthians 1:3-4