Dear Church Family,
Thank you to everyone who voted on a final slate for the Leadership Development Team (LDT) at our April 30th Special Church Meeting. We are pleased to announce that the result of the 195 ballots collected was a 91% approval of the entire slate, with each member of the slate receiving at least 95% approval from the congregation. In accordance with our transition to the new Covenant, the six newly elected LDT members will serve through August 2024. In addition, the LDT includes two elder appointments, our church chair, and a member of the pastoral staff. The following is the complete LDT team:
Preston Hawkins, Jeff Liou, Franci Maharaj, Jeanne Mead, Les Stocker, Bassem Wahbi, Christy Cooper (Elder Council Appointment), Michelle Jensen (Elder Council Appointment), Dan Crichton (Church Chair), and Mathew P. John (Senior Pastor)
Be in prayer for the Leadership Development Team as they take on the important task of identifying and equipping leaders for the next ministry year.
After much deliberation, discussion, and prayer, the Elder Council has made the decision to close the Imago Dei School effective at the end of the current school year on June 16, 2023. This difficult decision was based upon several factors including the church’s downsized leadership team and reduced budget which impacted the opportunity to provide sufficient resources to nurture and grow the school. The board, staff, and parents have been contacted and the church leadership is working on transitional plans for everyone involved. We are working with a private Christian institution called Bridge Montessori Education to assume operations of the preschool. They are in the process of obtaining the necessary license and permits from the City of Pasadena. We will keep you informed as the details become available.
We also take this opportunity to give you an update on our annual giving from September 1, 2022 to April 30, 2023. We are currently behind the income forecast by $99,000. As we approach the final months of our fiscal year, we will be regularly updating you on our giving patterns to ensure we can wisely steward our church’s financial resources.
Please direct any questions concerning these topics to the Elder Council at or at the Fireside Chat with Pastor Mathew.
Blessings,
Dan Crichton
Church Chair