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Yesterday marked the one-year anniversary of the day Pastor Moore and I signed our contract to serve Gloria Dei during this pastoral interim. As I look back over this year, I am grateful for the ways God has been present among us—through worship and prayer, through conversations and care, through steady leadership, and through the faithful service of so many people who love this congregation.
An interim season is never simply a time of waiting. It is a time in which the Lord continues to tend His church. There has been gratitude for what has been, hope for what is ahead, and at times honest uncertainty about the road before us. Yet through all of it, Christ remains the head of the Church. The same Lord who has called, gathered, enlightened, and sanctified His people continues to guide Gloria Dei by Word and Spirit.
As we continue this journey, I encourage you to pray for the pastor God will ultimately send. Pray also for your leaders, staff, ministry teams, and for all who serve quietly and faithfully. Pray for open hearts, patient spirits, and joyful expectation.
This is also a good time to practice generosity. Gloria Dei is where generosity creates community. Your gifts of time, encouragement, service, hospitality, and financial support all help prepare a warm welcome—not only for a prospective pastor, but for the mission God continues to place before Gloria Dei. A generous congregation bears witness that the Gospel is alive among us.
I also invite each of us to renew our own commitment to the life of this congregation. Come to worship. Return to Scripture. Encourage one another. Reconnect with ministries where your gifts can bless others. Invite neighbors, friends, and family to come and see. When the time comes for Gloria Dei to welcome a new pastor, that leader will be joining the people of God in the work Christ is already doing here.
So let us move forward with thankful hearts and open hands. The Lord is still planting seeds of faith, hope, and love among us. The Lord is still calling people to Himself. The Lord is still shaping Gloria Dei into a community of grace for the sake of the world. May our prayers deepen, our generosity grow, and our commitment be renewed as signs of God’s ongoing work among us.
In Christ’s peace,
Pastor Schantzenbach
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