In Case You Missed It — Henry Williams

Here's the letter we sent out last week about changes at the Hudson campus:

June 10, 2008

Dear Five Oaks Family (at our Hudson Campus):

I hope you are as excited as I am about the move to the Hudson 12 Theatre this weekend. This move reminds me of when I came to Five Oaks in 1997 and within seven months we changed our location and our name. I believe it’s going to be a catalyst to reach new people in the area, and it’s going to be a very effective location for holding services.

As I explained at our lunch meeting a few weeks ago at Faith Community, the move to the theater is a unique opportunity. As we enter this new season of ministry in a new location, we’re blanketing Hudson and every surrounding town with 27,000 impact cards announcing our move, promoting June 22 (giving us a week to work out some inevitable kinks). An exciting development is that all those homes will have already received a flyer from the theater itself. It’s a great one-two punch.

Because of this new opportunity, we need a leadership team in place for the summer, and Brian Burquest has agreed to serve as the interim Campus Pastor for Hudson. Brian and his family have been campus participants and leaders from day one, they are West Lakeland residents and Brian is on staff as Business Administrator. This will take effect June 15.

Pastor Bob will continue participating with the Hudson campus and he will be part of the transition team. The reason we are making this campus pastor change right now is because Bob needs his weekends free in his search for a full-time pastoral position, and we need a regular leadership presence on the weekends as new folks begin arriving over the summer. We’re planning a celebration of Bob’s leadership as Campus Pastor. Please be sure to personally thank Bob, Dottie and their family for all they’ve done to launch the campus and lead it. We really can’t say or do enough to thank them for their loving and caring leadership.

I also want to tell you about our interim Worship Leader for the campus. Steve Haines has been serving as the interim Worship Pastor at Church of the Open Door during the last year and a half. This church of more than 3000 people in average attendance has been one of the leading and most influential churches in the Twin Cities for years. We feel very fortunate to have him serve in this capacity for the summer months. We look forward to introducing him to you as he begins leading our Hudson services June 15.

I know these changes can cause some anxiety as we enter new territory. They are also tough because they include some good-byes. Please pray for our Hudson congregation, for Pastor Bob and his family and for the transition to the theater. I am praying for you and appreciate all you do to bring lives to Christ and Christ to everyday life in the Hudson area.

In Christ,

Pastor Henry Williams
Senior Pastor