We are grateful this week for last Sunday as we welcomed Laura Edgar back to Auburn, and the church elected to call her as our Associate Pastor for Youth, College, and Young Adults. Laura will graduate and begin her work soon, as her first Sunday at Auburn First Baptist will be May 31. We look forward to her becoming a part of this congregation, working alongside of us and providing leadership for us.
As we give thanks for this last weekend, we are also thankful for the Search Committee, whose diligent work led us to this moment. We are grateful to Joe Turnham, chairperson, and to Bliss Bailey, Amber Berry-Moore, Lee Alice Johnson, Tim Meeks, Lexie Rasco, Beth L. Smith, Holly Smithart, and Andy Yohn. This group worked prayerfully and patiently, as they sought a candidate to recommend for this position.
We are also thankful to the Search Committee and others, who coordinated the gatherings this past weekend, where our congregation was able to meet Laura Edgar and Seth Kochera and for them to meet us. This fellowship was instrumental to the weekend and required quick planning and help from many people. The congregation extended such a generous welcome, and we are thankful for each person who helped and who came.
We need to also say a deep word of gratitude to a couple more people, whom we will thank in the coming weeks. During the interim, the leadership of these ministries were led and coordinated by Leigh Anne Armstrong and Cindy Cleveland. They have provided such good leadership during the interim for which we are so thankful. When we see them in the coming weeks, we can thank them again for their leadership amongst us.
In the coming days, we will gather for College Sunday on April 19, celebrating our college students in another way. We look forward to their leadership in worship, as they have been planning and preparing. We are thankful for them and for their voices, which we will hear on Sunday. We will gather yet again this week on the Lord’s Day, remembering “who we are” as the body of Christ and as a congregation at the corner of College Street and Glenn Avenue.