Elders Letter: August 2023
Dear Church Family,
As we transition into fall, we are so thankful for what will be the first anniversary of our third campus launch at South Greene High School! We have already seen what God has done through His people in the last 5+ years of being a multisite church at both the Greeneville and Afton Campuses, and it has been exciting to see a similar impact unfold in the South Greene community. We thank you for your willingness to serve the body of Christ in Helping People Find and Follow Jesus!
As you may know, we are taking a break from our series in Exodus to start a brand-new sermon series based on the New City Catechism (NCC). This series will help ground us in the basic truths revealed in God’s Word and give us all a deeper understanding of His character. We are excited about how this series will be integrated with Kids and Students and help equip us to teach this content to our children! For everything you need to know about the practicalities of how NCC works, go to fccgreene.org/ncc.
As we mentioned last year around this time, if you are not committed to a Life Group (LG), we strongly encourage you to do so now. Why is this so important? Because we are created with the need for relationship and community (Genesis 2:18; Ecclesiastes 4:9-12; Romans 12:4-5), and LGs are the primary means of shepherding our people. As we expand in size and location, it is unreasonable to think that one, or even a few pastors can meet the needs of so many, and LGs do so in the context and under the authority of local church leadership. The Campus Pastors (CPs) are the local shepherds at each campus. They visit LGs, meet regularly with LG Leaders, help with training, and equip LG Leaders to ensure effective shepherding of members. We are blessed to have such great CPs and a strong LG Director in Chris Oakes!
For voting members, we are asking John Hamilton to serve a second 3-year term as Elder. John and his wife Michelle have been FCC members since 2012, and John serves as a Guest Team Coach, leads in Next Steps, and is an active part of the Marriage Ministry. We are asking Carl DelSorbo to serve a second 3-year term as Elder. Carl and his wife, Christa, have been at FCC since 2017. Carl serves as the Chair of the Elder Board, Guest Team and Merge Coach, Life Group Leader, and a Next Steps Helper.Also, we are asking Mark Liebert to return as an elder and serve a 3-year term beginning October 2023. Mark is well known to us, has served as an Elder for many years, leads a Life Group, serves as a Guest Team Service Leader, has regularly preached, and helps lead our bible/theology podcast Brown Bags & Bibles alongside Scott, our Lead Pastor. He and his wife, Beth Anne, are also Marriage Ministry Directors. Chuck Bowlin will be rolling off for a one-year rest period as required our by-laws so we want to thank Chuck for his steadfast and faithful service to FCC as an Elder over the last six years! For details about who is a voting member, go to fccgreene.org/bylaws. Please vote by Sun, Sept 24 at fccgreene.org/vote or arrange in-person voting during normal office hours by emailing office@fccgreene.org.
Finally, regarding our General Fund giving, we want to say thank you! God continues to work through you, reflecting our 5th Habit—Pursue Generosity. We’re on track with YTD income vs. expenses!
Your friends and coworkers in ministry,
Chuck Bowlin, Carl DelSorbo, John Hamilton, Mike Schubert, and Scott Wakefield
Elders of First Christian Church
As we transition into fall, we are so thankful for what will be the first anniversary of our third campus launch at South Greene High School! We have already seen what God has done through His people in the last 5+ years of being a multisite church at both the Greeneville and Afton Campuses, and it has been exciting to see a similar impact unfold in the South Greene community. We thank you for your willingness to serve the body of Christ in Helping People Find and Follow Jesus!
As you may know, we are taking a break from our series in Exodus to start a brand-new sermon series based on the New City Catechism (NCC). This series will help ground us in the basic truths revealed in God’s Word and give us all a deeper understanding of His character. We are excited about how this series will be integrated with Kids and Students and help equip us to teach this content to our children! For everything you need to know about the practicalities of how NCC works, go to fccgreene.org/ncc.
As we mentioned last year around this time, if you are not committed to a Life Group (LG), we strongly encourage you to do so now. Why is this so important? Because we are created with the need for relationship and community (Genesis 2:18; Ecclesiastes 4:9-12; Romans 12:4-5), and LGs are the primary means of shepherding our people. As we expand in size and location, it is unreasonable to think that one, or even a few pastors can meet the needs of so many, and LGs do so in the context and under the authority of local church leadership. The Campus Pastors (CPs) are the local shepherds at each campus. They visit LGs, meet regularly with LG Leaders, help with training, and equip LG Leaders to ensure effective shepherding of members. We are blessed to have such great CPs and a strong LG Director in Chris Oakes!
For voting members, we are asking John Hamilton to serve a second 3-year term as Elder. John and his wife Michelle have been FCC members since 2012, and John serves as a Guest Team Coach, leads in Next Steps, and is an active part of the Marriage Ministry. We are asking Carl DelSorbo to serve a second 3-year term as Elder. Carl and his wife, Christa, have been at FCC since 2017. Carl serves as the Chair of the Elder Board, Guest Team and Merge Coach, Life Group Leader, and a Next Steps Helper.Also, we are asking Mark Liebert to return as an elder and serve a 3-year term beginning October 2023. Mark is well known to us, has served as an Elder for many years, leads a Life Group, serves as a Guest Team Service Leader, has regularly preached, and helps lead our bible/theology podcast Brown Bags & Bibles alongside Scott, our Lead Pastor. He and his wife, Beth Anne, are also Marriage Ministry Directors. Chuck Bowlin will be rolling off for a one-year rest period as required our by-laws so we want to thank Chuck for his steadfast and faithful service to FCC as an Elder over the last six years! For details about who is a voting member, go to fccgreene.org/bylaws. Please vote by Sun, Sept 24 at fccgreene.org/vote or arrange in-person voting during normal office hours by emailing office@fccgreene.org.
Finally, regarding our General Fund giving, we want to say thank you! God continues to work through you, reflecting our 5th Habit—Pursue Generosity. We’re on track with YTD income vs. expenses!
Your friends and coworkers in ministry,
Chuck Bowlin, Carl DelSorbo, John Hamilton, Mike Schubert, and Scott Wakefield
Elders of First Christian Church
Posted in Elders Letter