It is good to finally be here and have my feet on the ground. It is even better to be part of the Morningview family. As part of that family, I am excited about the opportunity to get to know each and every one of you better. I am proud of how you guys have held things together during the interim, and am encouraged by your openness to change. Randy had long and very successful ministry here and I know he will be missed.

However, God has opened a new chapter in the life of the Morningview family,  and that new chapter offers all sorts of new opportunities and adventures. We have a chance to rethink everything we do, how we do it and why we do it. We have a chance to rethink what family ministry is, and what student ministry is, should be and can be. We have a chance to be the best we can be, and do the best we can do to honor God and glorify him through our lives, our families, and our ministries. When we set our hearts and minds on that, because we have set our hope on God, we will find ourselves being transformed by God in our lives, used by God in our families, and delighting in God in our ministries.

In the next few weeks, and over the next few months, we will have a great opportunity to get to know each other. I will be meeting with all of the adult leaders at a Students Leaders Lunch on the 27th and with the SALT Team on the following Wednesday (March 2), during the small group time (7-8 pm). In the weeks following that, I will be meeting with the Sunday School Leadership Team, FUEL Small Group Leaders, Drama Team, Worship Band, FUEL A/V Team,  and other individual teams and leadership groups in order to begin to evaluate each ministry element and develop a comprehensive strategy for moving forward. Rayanne and I also hope to get a chance to meet each family individually over the next few months and we will have a Family Meeting with all student families each quarter beginning with the spring (April 30th).

Starting March 20th, I will be leading a Youth MIT called Don’t Waste Your Life. I encourage all students 7th through 12th grade to participate in this study, unless you are planning on participating in a mission trip this summer. If you are planning on going on a mission trip, you should participate in the adult MIT Study Preparation for Short Term Missions.

This summer we will be attending the D3 Youth Conference on the campus of Southern Seminary and Boyce College in Louisville, Ky (June 27-30th). D3 will be a summer experience full of learning and growing opportunities students who are serious about following Christ. Students can structure their own experience by selecting one of three focus tracks: leadership, worldview and missions. D3 will be an action-packed summer adventure complete with worship, games and life-shaping opportunities. D3 will set the foundation for our ministry moving forward over the next year, emphasizing service, discipleship and evangelism. Our students will also be able to forge friendships with like-minded Christians. Parents will be getting a letter this week containing more detailed information.

I pray this gives you a vision of how we are going to move forward and what we all have to look forward to as a church family. I hope it is an encouragement to you and I know I can count on you all to be on board.

Pastor M. Reid Ward
Pastor of Family and Student Ministries