"Life's about changing, nothing ever stays the same."  Those lyrics to a Patty Loveless song have resonated with me throughout my life. I can remember hearing them as a kid and tearing up, thinking about my friend from camp that I would never see again. I am not someone who enjoys change.  I find it to be hard on many levels. However, the Gospel of Jesus Christ demands change from everyone.  At times these changes are private, at times they affect a few, and at other times they affect many. 
 
The Lord has asked my family to step by faith into a change.  We have been asked to uproot our lives and move to our next phase of ministry.  Jen's position at Belding Schools is coming to an end, and she has been offered a position with Presbyterian Reformed Ministries International in North Carolina.  I am hopeful for an opportunity to work with them in the future, but at the moment am stepping in faith towards an unknown opportunity.  
 
Obviously, this is a major change and it is a change that affects you, Oakwood family.  In order to prepare for our move and spend time scouting for a new home down south, the Council and I have agreed to conclude my time here at the end of April.  We hope to move in early summer after Jen and the kids have finished out their school year. 
 
Your Oakwood Council has been at work securing pulpit supply and navigating all the aspects of a transition in pastoral leadership.  Please join me in praying for them, and praying for Oakwood as you navigate the change the Lord has invited us all to participate in.  Jen and I would also appreciate your prayers for our family as we follow God's lead.   The Unstoppable Kingdom advances through the Father's love in us in Belding and beyond. 
 
May the Lord lead us all and pour hope, peace, joy, and love into us on the journey!
 
Pastor Kevin