I am glad there is energy and passion in this church. If we are committed to blessing others and making Jesus known through word and deed, we will need that energy. Recently, though, a lot of energy has been spent on discussions surrounding a proposed schedule change for Sunday mornings beginning in the fall. That’s not helpful to us, so let me say up front: we have listened to you and there will be no changes to the current schedule at this time. The worship schedule will remain the same this fall with the Catalyst and Contemporary services held at 9:00 a.m., and the Traditional (Classic) service and KidStuf at 11:05 a.m. The Sunday morning Bible study time will remain as is, too.
Here are several reasons why we are continuing the current schedule:
1)We heard you say the social relationships and your own learning were extremely important to you in your Sunday morning classes. We are glad that they are, and we want to honor those important sources of support, sharing, and learning. The reality is that those will have to shift and change as we continue to grow. When that time comes we will think through with you how those best manage those changes.
2)We heard you express a desire to be more informed and to have a greater input into the changes which were proposed. While we thought enough leaders were a part of the process, not enough time was taken to receive the feedback we were obviously lacking. I am sorry for that, and in the future we will handle such changes more effectively.
3)We don’t want the energy surrounding Sunday morning changes to detract from the much more important process of discerning the Lord’s will for the next chapter of Ocean View’s life and ministry. We believe the Lord has some incredible Kingdom work in store for us and our full attention and energy needs to be thrown into discovering and celebrating the Lord’s direction. One of the most disturbing things to hear was that the Strategy Team deliberations were somehow responsible for the proposed changes. Nothing could be further from the truth. So, to make certain their work does not get confused with the changes to the Sunday schedule, we are pulling those changes off the table.
One thing remains unchanged: together, many of us at OVBC share a passion to be on mission with Jesus as He redeems and blesses this community. We have a heart to know Him more deeply and for others to share in His life. We want to be a part of Kingdom growth. As we continue to evolve into a missional church, changes will come which will impact our structure, our schedule, our stewardship, and our social networks. We all know it is a challenge to be flexible when changes come along, but hopefully some wisdom has been gained from this process and we will pursue God’s leading with one spirit.
