• Everything needed with immigration has been approved. Pastor Deven's last Sunday with us will be August 14. He will be preaching in both services. At the end of the second service only, we will have a commissioning prayer for Deven and Heather, and family, followed by refreshments.

• The Elders have asked Pastor Mark to start serving immediately as the Interim Lead Pastor until someone is hired to take on the role. He will be taking on more of the preaching role on Sundays along with other guest speakers helping meet the need.

• Our constitution specifies that the Elders are responsible for the search process as well as appointing an interim pastor. Once the Elders have identified who they believe would be the right person for the role, they will introduce him to the congregation. The members will then have an opportunity to get to know him, and they make the final decision to hire him as our Lead Pastor.
• In the coming weeks, the Elders will be finalizing a Pastoral Search Team (PST). This team will consist of the Elders along with a few other members who have gifts and skills that can help with the process.
• This team’s primary responsibility will be to consider potential candidates and identify one whom they feel would be the best fit for Summerside. This begins with preparing the job description, as well as the church and community profiles, to help introduce the ministry opportunity to potential candidates. When the team has narrowed the applications down to several top choices, they will proceed with a number of online or in-person interviews so that both parties can get to know each other better. This process is time consuming but will not be rushed.
• When the Elders are prepared to recommend one individual to the church, a weekend will be set for the new pastor to come, preach, and meet the congregation. Shortly after that visit, we will have a formal members’ meeting to vote on calling the new pastor to serve at Summerside.
• For most churches, this process can take anywhere from 4 months to over a year.
• Even after the congregation has agreed to call a pastor, there is usually a gap of several months before he is able to start in the role, especially if there are children in school, and a move needs to take place.

• As you can appreciate, we are looking for someone with the training, experience, gifts, and beliefs that fit with who we are as a church, and what we currently need in a leader. That means the search begins with pastors in our Fellowship or other churches that share similar beliefs and values as ours.
• Our Fellowship maintains a confidential database of profiles of pastors who are interested in considering a new opportunity. Their profile system can help us identify potential names of pastors who could be a good fit for our context.
• We can also post the opportunity on specific ministry employment websites such as one hosted by Heritage College & Seminary.
• We will also be taking recommendations from our staff and fellow pastors in our association or region.

• The first responsibility of every member is to pray!
  • Pray that God would be working in us through this time. Jesus is the Head of the church, and he wants us to be in tune with his will through this process.
  • Pray for our elders and other members of the Pastoral Search Team (PST), that they would have wisdom throughout the process.
  • Pray that God will be preparing our new pastor wherever he is serving now.
  • Pray for our staff as they carry extra responsibilities during this time as well as dealing with the transition to a new leader.
• In addition to praying, keep supporting and serving your church family. God uses seasons like these in a church to challenge people to step up and use their gifts in new ways. What may God be calling you to do? We aren’t planning on putting our ministry on hold! God is still calling us to be everyday disciples who make disciples every day!
• Since the Pastoral Search Team (PST) will be dealing with a lot of confidential information, it isn’t possible for them to be sharing a list of names they are considering. The Elders intend to communicate regularly with the progress the team is making. They will share as much information as they are able, while maintaining a confidential process for all who are involved.
• Updates on the process will be communicated through the newsletter, on our website, and on Sundays. If you have any questions about the process, you can speak with Pastor Mark (mark@summersidechurch.ca), or Michael Lodge (becsamem@gmail.com), who is serving as the chairman of the Elders.

On July 10^th,  I will be “preaching in view of a call” at a church in Minnesota. This means that our family will travel to the church, I will preach, and after that, the church congregation will take a vote. Provided that the vote goes ahead, I will await our immigration applications to be accepted, at which point we will move so that I can begin my role as their new Lead Pastor.

About a year ago, Heather and I began to get a sense (a tiny one) that God was prompting in us an openness to explore new opportunities. This was not something I expected. To be frank, it felt like it came out of nowhere. This desire was tiny at first, but over the last number of months, the urge for a new challenge and new ministry-season began to grow. During this time, I have remained absolutely committed to serving and using my gifts to the best of my ability here at Summerside. It wasn’t until recently (the past two months), that God made it clear that the time had come for our family to transition to a new ministry.

Not one thing. First of all, my relationship with Pastor Mark Cuthbert has always been great, but it’s only grown deeper over the years. I love Mark, I respect him, and I have never interacted with him in a negative way. The more I serve in ministry, the more I want to be like Pastor Mark - faithful and effective. He is one of my ministry-heroes. I’ve never worked with anyone in ministry that I enjoy or respect more.

There is absolutely nothing happening at Summerside that caused me to leave. It’s a bit scary to me, to be honest, to be leaving such a fantastic church, elders, and staff team. What our family does, we do by faith, trusting that God is leading us and that he has good for us in our future.

I have nothing but love, respect, and appreciation for the elders at Summerside. I have never witnessed an elder raise his voice to another elder in any of our meetings (apart from laughing!) or behave in an un-Christlike way in our interactions. They have been nothing but kind, caring, and God-honoring in all of their dealings with me. I have absolutely nothing negative to say about our elders - only positive. They are godly leaders, qualified, gifted, and they deeply love you. I’ve enjoyed them as ministry partners and personal friends.

Early on, it was just Heather and I praying together. After a month or so of that, we invited some friends (pastors) into our discernment. As we explored the potential of a transition, I began meeting with two mentors (older, wiser pastors and leaders) to help me process through what God was revealing. During this time, we continued to pray, wait on God, talk with our friends and family, and ask hard questions about our motives and desires. I spent time talking with a Christian therapist about the decision and processing through the discernment journey. In the end, it was a matter of openness on our end, followed by God opening doors before us in ways that only he could do. I never wanted “out” of Summerside. We simply feel that God is leading us in a new direction.

We were open to going wherever God led us. As we looked at options, one particular church, located in Minnesota, grabbed our attention. After a nearly four-month process of meeting with leaders from the church via Zoom, and through various interviews and questionnaires, we began to sense that God was really moving things forward. After a visit to the church, and meetings with the pastors and elders, it became clear that this was God’s leading and so we’re stepping out in faith.

Lord willing, I’m going to be around at Summerside for a while yet. This isn’t my two-week notice! Immigration is uncertain and, as we await that green-light, I’ll continue to serve at the elders’ behest, working to ensure the ministry is set-up for success for the next season. I hope to work for a few more months and help the elders work towards the future.

Summerside belongs to Jesus. In the coming weeks and months, the elders will begin preparing the search process for a new Lead Pastor. Our ministries will continue, the gospel will still be preached, and we trust that the best is yet to come. I have no doubt that God will provide a godly and gifted leader to shepherd Summerside into the future that God has prepared. The elders are confident that God will provide a new Lead Pastor to Summerside in his time.

Pray for the immigration process. Also, please pray for my children as they transition out of what they’ve always known. Most of all, pray God would be glorified in whatever lays ahead for Summerside, the church in Minnesota, and our family.