A decision has been made to close the Excel Church plant we were a part of, which went into effect on February 1st. This was a decision made by the Church Board and agreed upon by the leadership. In 18 months since the start of Excel, which started before we came, we have not been able to establish a significant core group and at the current pace the work would be financially unsustainable past September. At this point, it is the better part of stewardship to reserve resources for a future plant when the economic climate and other circumstances may be more favorable. 96% of the churches that plant a church in NC do not survive after the first year, so everything has to fall into place with being God led, the right place, time, staff, etc. Our time with excel was a brief 5 months, but we learned some about church planting and made good friends. Lives in the community have also been touched. We want to thank you for your support prayerfully and financially.
Sabrina continues to try and build a clientele here in NC with her photography business. She booked her first wedding in the Carolinas at a recent bridal show that we are really excited about. I have been enjoying the Chaplain Internship at Wayne Memorial Hospital, so much so that I have applied to 5 residency programs throughout the area. So far 3 of the programs still have openings and I am interviewing with two of them in the coming weeks. Doing this chaplaincy at a local hospital has really given me perspective with pain and suffering. I am learning that a person's presence can say more than words often can. That it is often better to say less than too much and sometimes you just have to get in the ditch with people. We try and always put a positive spin on things, when life is just down right difficult and painful sometimes. It is hard to feel a sense of helplessness in many of the circumstances I find myself in as a Chaplain, but I am learning to be ok with that.
I am waiting tables part-time at a local Ruby Tuesdays. I have not done that in over 10 years, so I am a little rusty. Make sure if you go to a restaurant you tip your waiters and waitresses well:) I have also been talking to a recruiter from the Air Force Reserves about chaplaincy in the military so we will see if that goes anywhere. Sabrina and I have gotten involved in a local church, which is a growing congregation and we are excited to already have met a lot of young married couples who love the Lord. It’s always an adventure with our family so keep us in your prayers! Love-The Whites
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