Dear Church of the Big Wood Family,

I’m writing on behalf of the Session as a follow up to the announcement made during the service two Sunday’s ago on March 30. In it, George Kirk informed the congregation of the church’s pastoral succession plan, a process the church is using to help prepare for my retirement in a flexible 15-18 months, and is designed to help lead to the calling of a new pastor at Church of the Big Wood. For those of you who missed this announcement, you can find the video below.

Why am I preparing to retire? Certainly not because there is something wrong at the church, as I believe the church has never been in a better place. And certainly not because I'm tired of serving - I believe God has more for me to do.  

Rather, I'm preparing to retire for two reasons - first because I believe it is time for God’s "what's next" at Church of the Big Wood, and that will involve someone else leading it.  Second, I believe it is time for God's "what's next" for me - and while I don't know exactly what this will look like, I do know it will mean being more available to Beth, my adult children, and my new grandson, as well as finding new ways to use my gifts in a new season of life.  

The church has secured the services of A.E. Sloan Leadership to help us with the pastoral succession process. A key part of this process is getting input from all of you. In order to do this, a short four-question survey has been prepared, and we are asking that everyone take a few minutes and answer these questions. The best way to do this is online by responding to the email that will be sent to everyone on our email list early next week, or by clicking on the Congregational Survey link. If doing the survey online is something you find difficult, please contact the church office and we can get you a printed copy of the survey to fill out and return.

Please be keeping this entire process in your prayers. And if you have any questions about anything (the survey, the process, my retirement) please don’t hesitate to ask me or any member of the Session or staff.   

On Behalf of the Session,

Mark Inouye
Pastor