Senior Pastor Candidate Dean Nelson A Letter From Pastor Dean

Senior Pastor Candidate Dean Nelson A Letter From Pastor Dean Nelson Greetings! After much prayer, reflection and conversation with trusted friends, my wonderful wife Kathy and I are excited to be your candidate for Senior Pastor. We are thrilled with how God has directed our steps, and I am eager to share those steps with you the last week of April and on Sunday May 1 , as we gather to discern God’s call together. st
Your Pastoral Search Team (PST) has done a thorough job of getting to know me over the past few months. We have prayed together, laughed together and spoken honestly with one another. We have eaten together and tasted some wonderful Yakima Valley wine together. And through the course of our conversations, I experienced a gentle pull and a gentle push. The gentle push was an internal recognition that my current call to the church I deeply love was coming to a close, and that God was preparing me for a new call. The gentle pull was toward you. You will quickly discover that I am not a Marvel super hero. But as a follower of Jesus, a husband, a father and a pastor, I do seek to be faithful. For me, that means being faithful with the gifts that God has given me for building up the church. I believe that the gifts, experiences and passions that God has woven into my life are a healthy match for Yakima Covenant Church and so does your PST. And now you have the awesome privilege of affirming this call. How can you participate? Please join me in prayer each day! Dietrich Bonhoffer in The Cost of Discipleship says, “A Christian fellowship lives and exists by the intercession of its members for one another or it collapses.” For the past three months my prayer has been: “Lord, guide my steps and the steps of Yakima Covenant.” In the next couple of weeks let’s continue in a fellowship of prayer for the decisions that lie ahead of us. I also encourage you to get to know me by reading about my personal interests and experiences, and by meeting Kathy and me in person, and by hearing a message that I will bring during Sunday’s worship. I understand that this is a big step for Yakima Covenant. It’s a big step for Kathy and me also. But God has gone before us and I am confident that our Good Shepherd will continue to guide our steps as we seek Him together. Warm Regards, Pastor Dean Nelson Meet the Nelson Family I grew up in a Christian home where God was the center of my parent's lives. They and my home church, Vista Evangelical Covenant Church impressed upon me the need for Jesus Christ to be my Savior and Lord. At an early age, about 10, at a Covenant Bible Camp I made a decision to follow Christ. I loved the outdoors, being in the woods, raising crops and animals so I set out to pursue a degree in agriculture with the possibility of returning to farm. While at the University of Wisconsin River Falls, I got involved in InterVarsity Christian Fellowship. Shortly after attending IVCF, I was asked to lead small group Bible studies and outreach events on campus. My enjoyment of these ministries and the affirmation of others suggested confirmation of gifts of leadership and shepherding. Those early experiences cultivated a burning desire to devote my energies to fulltime kingdom service as a pastoral leader in the local church. In preparing to go to seminary I decided to spend a summer working at Lake Beauty Covenant Bible Camp as Athletic Director. Kathy grew up in a Christian family and attended Salem Covenant Church in Pennock, Minnesota where she professed her faith. Influenced by a lovely pastor’s wife, Kathy remembers thinking that it would be wonderful to be the wife of a pastor. She attended Northwestern Bible College in Minneapolis Minnesota, pursuing a degree in legal and medical secretarial. She was involved in on-­‐campus ministries and had a love and desire to serve and help others. During the summer of her junior year of college Kathy decided to be on staff at Lake Beauty as camp secretary. Our story together begins in the summer of 1983 at Lake Beauty Covenant Bible Camp. It was a wonderful summer of service and ministry for children’s and family camps. As it turns out it was the place for kindling a romance. We were married in August 1985. That summer seems like yesterday but 30 years of marriage has passed. Kathy and I like to read. Our spiritual life is fed by learning, friendship and the arts. Golfing, hiking, and movies enhance our lives. As a family we have enjoyed travel, camping in our 1973 Bethany camper, games and much laughter. We have been blessed with three terrific children. Our son Jordan and his wife Liz, teach 6 grade in Parker, Arizona. Kelsey and her husband, Tomas, live in Thief River Falls, Minnesota. Kelsey teaches 4 grade and Tomas high school social studies. Our daughter, Kylie, is completing her student teaching and will be searching for an elementary teaching position. th
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We believe God gives all couples a joint purpose in life. Our calling is to full-­‐time ministry to create beauty in the church and enhance God’s light in the community. We have had the privilege of serving Cadillac Covenant Church in Michigan for 5 years and still have friendships there. We have served Bemidji Evangelical Covenant Church in Minnesota for the past 21 years and it has been an incredible journey. As Pastor of Adult Ministries and Leadership Development, I have sought to build strong community in a church that has more than doubled in size, staff and budget. I have committed myself to leading well, caring well and preaching well. I have been directly involved with pastoral care and building teams to edify the church. This has meant direct involvement in leading funerals, weddings and hospital care. Kathy and I were a part of a start-­‐up mentoring ministry that led us to a three month sabbatical in Italy studying sacro desco. This June and July we will be in Oxford to stay at C.S Lewis’s home researching and writing a men’s mentoring book called Life Well Done. In these church settings my ministry has been characterized as stable, relational, collaborative ministry in partnership with leadership, staff and the congregation. Candidate Weekend Events Wednesday April 27, 2016 • Dean, Deacons, and Dessert. 7:00 PM. Terrace Room. Yakima Covenant Church. Members of the Deacons are invited to come have dessert with Dean and Kathy. Thursday April 28, 2016 • Meeting with Staff. 8:30 AM. Yakima Covenant Church. • Meeting with Women’s Bible Study. 10:00AM. Terrace Room. Yakima Covenant Church. Members of the Women’s Bible Study are invited to come have coffee with Dean and Kathy. • Meeting with Choir. 6:30 PM. Yakima Covenant Church. Members of the choir are invited to come to choir practice early for a brief introduction to Dean and Kathy. • Meeting with PST. 7:00 PM. Terrace Room. Yakima Covenant Church. Friday April 29, 2016 • Meeting with Preschool. 9:00 AM. Yakima Covenant Church. Dean and Kathy will be touring Wonderland Preschool. • Meeting with Council. 6:00 PM. Terrace Room. Yakima Covenant Church. Members of Council are invited to have dinner with Dean and Kathy. Saturday April 30, 2016 • Donuts with Dean. 8:30 AM. Fellowship Hall. Yakima Covenant Church. Members of the Senior Luncheon, Men’s Bible Study, and Men’s Breakfast are invited to come have donuts and coffee with Dean and his wife. • Congregational Meet and Greet. 3:00—5:00 PM. Fellowship Hall. Yakima Covenant Church. All members of the congregation are invited to attend this open house style event. Light appetizers will be served and childcare will be available. Sunday May 1, 2016 • One Church Worship Service. 9:30 AM. Sanctuary. Yakima Covenant Church. Members and friends of Yakima Covenant Church are invited to come hear Dean’s message. • A congregational meeting will be held immediately following the Sunday worship service in the sanctuary of Yakima Covenant Church. Members will be asked to vote to confirm the call to Pastor Dean Nelson to be the Senior Pastor of Yakima Covenant Church.