About a month ago, I shared with our church family that one of our associate pastors, Cary Schmidt, had been sensing the calling of God to the pastorate. After trying to talk him out of it didn’t work, 🙂 I spent many, many hours with him in prayer and counsel as we sought God’s direction for him and his family.
Preparing to see Brother Schmidt transition to another ministry has been difficult and awkward at times for me. And yet, as I shared with our church family when I made the initial announcement, 1 Thessalonians 5:18 instructs, “In every thing give thanks….” Our entire church has much to be thankful for through the ministry of the Schmidts. Most of all, I am thankful for the twenty-two years Brother Schmidt has faithfully helped me in the ministry!
In many ways, Brother Schmidt is like a son in the faith to me. As a senior in high school, he helped Terrie and me unload the Ryder truck the day we moved to Lancaster. Four years and a Bible college degree later, he and his new bride, Dana, joined our staff. For the past twenty-two years the Schmidts have been faithful co-laborers in this ministry.
From a personal (and perhaps selfish) perspective, I don’t want to see Brother Schmidt go. And yet, we have seen the obvious hand of God in this. We’re thankful that he’s going to a church that loves him and where there is a great need. Monday morning, as Brother Schmidt and I spent some time together in prayer, he shared with me that he believes his ministry will in many ways be an extension of what he has learned here to the glory of God.
The Schmidts will be taking much of the month of July for transitioning to this new ministry, and it looks like we will be saying goodbye to them in early August. We certainly love Brother Schmidt and his family and are proud and excited to see how God will use them to reach souls in New England. Please pray for the Schmidts as they make this transition and as they seek the Lord’s blessing in their lives and upon their new ministry.
