NEWS FLASH!!

CLPC has hired a new Director of Student Ministry. Kim Angle will begin her ministry with us in early March. Ms. Angle is a 2012 graduate of North Park University with a degree in Youth Ministry. She previously served CLPC as a summer intern in 2011 and was the 15-month intern with us from May 2012 to August 2013. Since leaving CLPC, Kim has been serving as Associate Director of Youth Ministry at Lafayette-Orinda Presbyterian Church (outside of San Francisco). Kim is famous for her quick smile, contagious sense of humor and deep faith in Christ. If you know Kim, you love her. If you don't know her, you will love her! We are very blessed to have Kim permanently joining our staff team. You'll hear more about Kim as her March start date draws nearer.

But you may be wondering, what about Daniel Wheeler? Please read on!

Three months ago the Session asked Daniel Wheeler along with Jimmy McGregor to give full-time leadership for the "R&D" (short for "research and development") initiative. When Kim begins her ministry at CLPC in March, Daniel can start transitioning to his new "R&D" role. Jimmy will also transition to "R&D" from his current role as Coordinator of Men's Ministry. Session has planned for Daniel's salary during the two-year "R&D" initiative. Jimmy will work with "R&D" as unpaid staff, as he did with his role in Men's Ministry.

These changes are part of Session's bigger vision to embark on a two-year experiment we're calling "R&D." The session is aware that our world is changing in a way that will require CLPC to make adjustments in the future. This two-year experiment, using a portion of our staff and membership resources, will help us to explore new paradigms of being a disciple-multiplying congregation in the Clear Lake Community.

Our current plan is that "R&D" begin with the formation of a small core team alongside Jimmy and Daniel. After some weeks of prayer, study and research, that core team will extend an open invitation to a larger number (fifty people or so) in the congregation. This larger group will form 3-5 missional communities under the leadership of the core team. The missional communities will form a collective identity as a missional village for the purposes of accountability and resources. What we're experimenting with is the idea of being church without heavy reliance on facility or programs while focusing on reproducible discipling relationships with neighbors of all kinds.

Please keep Kim, Daniel and Jimmy in your prayers during this season of transition. The "R&D" initiative is an exciting vision from Session with dynamic implications requiring our fervent prayer and ongoing conversation. I am excited about how these next two years will impact our collective call to follow Jesus Christ.