The vote is in...and it's UNANIMOUS!

The new pastor and his family.

I am a proud wife, to say the least! As many of you know, Erik will be graduating from North Park Seminary this May. It has been a long four years of balancing work, school and family. In January we started "the call process", which basically is a search for the perfect position for Erik. We interviewed with the superintendents in January and the phone calls started coming. It was hard to focus on anything else at that point. What place did God have in store for us? Would we be moving across the country? Would Erik be working at a church or a camp? So many unknowns, but God had a plan and soon enough it all became clear.

Erik was called by the search committee at Winnetka Covenant Church to see if he was interested in interviewing for their Youth Pastor position. He met with them twice and after the second interview received a phone call asking if he would accept their invitation to candidate. This basically meant that they were only interested in Erik and by accepting, Erik was only interested in them. No more interviews, just preparation for the "candidating weekend."

This past week was a busy one. Erik lead worship at the Wednesday night gathering and met with the Junior High students to share a little about himself. Saturday night was a church potluck followed by a question and answer time. Erik gave a 10 minute talk about his story, his experience and his vision for Winnetka Covenant and then the floor was open for questions. He did very well. Good questions, no surprises..."What is your youth ministry philosophy?" "How do you think things are different for students from when you were in High School?" I sat in the front row, so proud of my husband - so composed, so confident and so articulate. Then I was asked to share about myself. For those of you who know me, public speaking scares me to death, but I did it. I figure, I know who I am so I can easily share that! I was glad the congregation was able to get to know me a little better as well.

Now to Sunday: Erik gave the sermon and helped plan the service with the other pastors. I wish I took a video or something - he was amazing. (He probably shouldn't have done so well the first time...now they will always expect that from him!) I know that I shouldn't be surprised; he's been working hard in seminary for four years! I sat in the congregation in awe of my best friend and my husband, who's now becoming a pastor. God gave Erik a peace of mind and a clear message to share with the church. He looked so comfortable and natural behind the pulpit. After the service we headed into the gym for lunch. I went to get Caleb and when I came back to hug Erik there was a long line of people waiting to greet him and thank him for a job well done. We have felt so comfortable at Winnetka Covenant since we started attending back in August. People already know our family, but it was a chance for them to see Erik as a pastor. After the lunch we headed home and the members joined in the sanctuary to vote on calling Erik to serve as a pastor. Later that afternoon, we got a call from the chair of the church along with the whole search committee. With a loud cheer, they informed us that it was a unanimous vote! What a great way to begin a new career; knowing the the entire church is supporting us and excited for many more years together.

We are so thankful for God's timing and plan for our lives. We are excited to be staying close to family and friends and the wonderful community at Winnetka Covenant. Erik will begin work on June 1, my sister gets married on June 8, baby number 2 is due on June 25 and we need to be out of our seminary apartment by June 30. We continue to pray for God's direction and timing as all of those things together can seem overwhelming. Thank you for your prayers for us, we have truly felt them!