Dear Bethlehem Friends,
To all of you… but especially to my “Prayer Challenge” friends – Two important prayers have been answered this week.
Last night, Walt Reamer, George Jones, Doug Bray, and I attended the Zoning Board meeting in order to present our case to receive a Special Exception to the Zoning Ordinance having to do with permission to have a second use on the property – namely the Common Grounds Coffee House.
The opinion of the Zoning Board was that we would only use the property as a House of Worship, which would not allow us to open the Coffee House without special exception. It was their opinion that the Coffee House is a Restaurant, and that we needed to meet other conditions regarding signage, parking, and loading/unloading. Last evening, we were able to make our case for those conditions and were granted our Special Exception. Praise God. Now, it is full speed ahead to prepare for opening as soon as it can practically and effectively be done.
A second answered prayer comes in the person of a man named Sean Garner. A number of months ago, we posted the information regarding a job opening we have for the position of Director of Discipleship Ministries. Sean was one of several persons who responded to the posting. Sean comes with a depth and breadth of ministry service. Sean grew up in Lancaster County, where his parents still live. He graduated from West Chester University in 1994 (Summa Cum Laude) and attended the Master of Divinity program with Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary He has served as a Senior Pastor in Daytona Beach, FL, but recently worked at Hempfield United Methodist Church in Lancaster County and Haymount United Methodist Church in Fayetteville, NC. In all of those positions he was a leader who promoted the expansion of ministries in multiple ways to reach more people for Christ. He has lead staff, mentored interns, volunteer teams, mission trips, worship teams and lay workers in many projects.
He describes himself this way:
Spiritual Gifts: Leadership, Shepherding, and Teaching
Languages: English, Conversational Spanish, and Creole (Haitian)
Free Time Activities: Daily Exercise, Reading, Watching Sports and Movies
You’ll find Sean Wearing: Khaki Shorts, black shirt (he says this eventually becomes a running
joke at every ministry.)
You’ll find Sean Reading: The Iliad, Good to Great, The Stand, e.e. Cummings, C.S. Lewis
You’ll find Sean Listening To: BBC Newshour, ESPN Radio, etc.
Sean can Play and Teach: Voice, Guitar, Drums, Piano/Keys, Bass Guitar
Sean is married to Sommer, who is a great talent in her own right. She is a private voice teacher and had a successful studio in the York area. She is a classical singer and a Zumba Instructor, and has served churches as Director of Creative Arts. Both Sommer and Sean have experience in theater and drama.
I hope you can capture my enthusiasm as this couple prepares to join us in ministry. That enthusiasm is share by the members of the Staff-Parish Relations Committee. We are looking forward to wonderful new opportunities in Discipleship.
Keep Praying!!! God is doing amazing things! And God will not stop as we are faithful.
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