September Elder Corner
“Enter His gates with thanksgiving and His courts with praise; give thanks to Him and praise His name. For the Lord is good and His love endures forever; His faithfulness continues through all generations.” (Psalm 100:4-5)
Have you experienced the buzz at Salem these last few Sundays? It’s palpable and it’s exciting!
It reminds me that we are in a season of change on many fronts. The calendar is one clear indicator as summer gives way to fall, school is back in session, and Salem ministry opportunities are in transition. But the buzz is more than that and I’ve been reminded about two truths lately. First, is that God is doing something great. He always is! He’s in the business of change and transformation, which is evident in our individual lives as well as in the lives of our church. And second, God is always faithful, even in (and perhaps especially in) seasons of change.
On Tuesday, September 1st we had a beautiful evening service that celebrated these two truths. A good contingent of Salem members and attenders gathered at Relevant Life church, which was previously Salem’s Fargo campus. The service was conglomeration of worship, prayer and testimony, peppered with stories of Salem’s humble beginnings in 1979 through our acquisition and utilization of that south Fargo facility, to our transition to Moorhead, and ultimately our recent sale of that building to Relevant Life church. And at the heart of that fellowship time that evening, we celebrated God’s faithfulness to us and multiple other churches at every step of the journey. We worship a God who Himself is never changing, but who so beautifully manifests and orchestrates His will and plans for us through change and transformation. It was an incredible and at moments emotional time of worship and fellowship, both for Salem and for the pastors of Relevant Life. And a reminder that the same God who was faithful in the past can be relied on to be faithful in the future.
It’s with that stone on the altar of remembrance that we look around at some change at Salem this fall. First, we say thanks to those that have been so instrumental in key areas of ministry and have for a variety of reasons stepped down from their roles. These include Veronica James (Kids Director), Hailey Heinen (Kids Assistant), Luke Danielson (Worship Technology), and Justin James (Elder). It is with hearts of gratitude that we remember the significant contributions they made in their ministry areas, praise God for them, and trust He will use them for His glory in their next chapters where they live, work, study, and play.
And it’s with eager excitement and anticipation that we welcome the new or repositioned teammates to their roles. They include Zane Daddino (Youth Pastoral Apprentice), Jordan Nepsted (Kids Wednesday Lead), Shanda Hakk (Kids Wednesday Admin), Lindsey De Graaf (Kids Sunday Lead), and Kaitlyn Thompson (Kids Sunday Admin). It’s incredible to see how quickly God brought this team together and we trust He will use them along with our existing staff in mighty ways we can’t even imagine to advance His kingdom and edify His church.
Have you considered how you will engage, grow and serve at Salem in this season? Opportunities abound on all fronts! Be sure to check out the Ministry Market which will run through September 13th in the foyer on Sunday mornings. It includes booths across most of our ministry areas with opportunities to sign up both for connection or to volunteer. If you miss the Ministry Market, you can inquire about and sign-up for those opportunities at the Hub on Sunday mornings or online anytime or reach out to any pastor, elder or staff member. We’d love to help you get connected!
Just to give you a taste of what’s available, I’ll mention the Adult Learning Groups kicking off on Sunday mornings this fall. They include “Compassion and Conviction”, “Pursuing Prayer (Practicing the Way)”, the “Veritas Workshop”, and the “J-Team”. Since you’re already at church Sunday morning, why not invest in some person growth and fellowship these classes offer? And that’s just the tip of the iceberg. There are Life Groups, Prayer Teams, Support Groups, Men’s and Women’s Ministries, the Encore Ministry, College and Young Adult Groups, Youth and Kids Ministries, Local and Global Outreach opportunities, Worship and Technical Ministries, Sports opportunities, and the list goes on and on. There are no shortage of ways to engage, worship, grow and serve.
But with all the programs and opportunities that exist, I’ll come back to the two truths I started with: God is at work and He is faithful. As we continue to pursue our vision of making disciples in all the places He has placed us and as we navigate the seasons of change together, I invite you to call on Him, get involved in what He’s doing, and in the process, “Taste and see that the Lord is good.” (Psalm 34:8a)
Blessings!
Darren Kallod, Church Chairman
Have you experienced the buzz at Salem these last few Sundays? It’s palpable and it’s exciting!
It reminds me that we are in a season of change on many fronts. The calendar is one clear indicator as summer gives way to fall, school is back in session, and Salem ministry opportunities are in transition. But the buzz is more than that and I’ve been reminded about two truths lately. First, is that God is doing something great. He always is! He’s in the business of change and transformation, which is evident in our individual lives as well as in the lives of our church. And second, God is always faithful, even in (and perhaps especially in) seasons of change.
On Tuesday, September 1st we had a beautiful evening service that celebrated these two truths. A good contingent of Salem members and attenders gathered at Relevant Life church, which was previously Salem’s Fargo campus. The service was conglomeration of worship, prayer and testimony, peppered with stories of Salem’s humble beginnings in 1979 through our acquisition and utilization of that south Fargo facility, to our transition to Moorhead, and ultimately our recent sale of that building to Relevant Life church. And at the heart of that fellowship time that evening, we celebrated God’s faithfulness to us and multiple other churches at every step of the journey. We worship a God who Himself is never changing, but who so beautifully manifests and orchestrates His will and plans for us through change and transformation. It was an incredible and at moments emotional time of worship and fellowship, both for Salem and for the pastors of Relevant Life. And a reminder that the same God who was faithful in the past can be relied on to be faithful in the future.
It’s with that stone on the altar of remembrance that we look around at some change at Salem this fall. First, we say thanks to those that have been so instrumental in key areas of ministry and have for a variety of reasons stepped down from their roles. These include Veronica James (Kids Director), Hailey Heinen (Kids Assistant), Luke Danielson (Worship Technology), and Justin James (Elder). It is with hearts of gratitude that we remember the significant contributions they made in their ministry areas, praise God for them, and trust He will use them for His glory in their next chapters where they live, work, study, and play.
And it’s with eager excitement and anticipation that we welcome the new or repositioned teammates to their roles. They include Zane Daddino (Youth Pastoral Apprentice), Jordan Nepsted (Kids Wednesday Lead), Shanda Hakk (Kids Wednesday Admin), Lindsey De Graaf (Kids Sunday Lead), and Kaitlyn Thompson (Kids Sunday Admin). It’s incredible to see how quickly God brought this team together and we trust He will use them along with our existing staff in mighty ways we can’t even imagine to advance His kingdom and edify His church.
Have you considered how you will engage, grow and serve at Salem in this season? Opportunities abound on all fronts! Be sure to check out the Ministry Market which will run through September 13th in the foyer on Sunday mornings. It includes booths across most of our ministry areas with opportunities to sign up both for connection or to volunteer. If you miss the Ministry Market, you can inquire about and sign-up for those opportunities at the Hub on Sunday mornings or online anytime or reach out to any pastor, elder or staff member. We’d love to help you get connected!
Just to give you a taste of what’s available, I’ll mention the Adult Learning Groups kicking off on Sunday mornings this fall. They include “Compassion and Conviction”, “Pursuing Prayer (Practicing the Way)”, the “Veritas Workshop”, and the “J-Team”. Since you’re already at church Sunday morning, why not invest in some person growth and fellowship these classes offer? And that’s just the tip of the iceberg. There are Life Groups, Prayer Teams, Support Groups, Men’s and Women’s Ministries, the Encore Ministry, College and Young Adult Groups, Youth and Kids Ministries, Local and Global Outreach opportunities, Worship and Technical Ministries, Sports opportunities, and the list goes on and on. There are no shortage of ways to engage, worship, grow and serve.
But with all the programs and opportunities that exist, I’ll come back to the two truths I started with: God is at work and He is faithful. As we continue to pursue our vision of making disciples in all the places He has placed us and as we navigate the seasons of change together, I invite you to call on Him, get involved in what He’s doing, and in the process, “Taste and see that the Lord is good.” (Psalm 34:8a)
Blessings!
Darren Kallod, Church Chairman
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