Last July the Central States Conference Executive Committee voted to make some great and necessary pastoral moves, as we sought to fill vacated pastoral positions in our territory. In pastoral ministry change is inevitable, but being truly led by the Holy Spirit when there are pastoral transitions is the key to sustained growth and success.
The first move was Pastor Pedro Vargas becoming the pastor of the Sioux Falls, (SD Sioux City, Des Moines, and Council Bluffs (IA) Hispanic District, after the former part-time pastor took a full-time call in another conference. Pastor Vargas is an experienced pastor who we believe will manage well and grow these four congregations.
Pastor Abel Zepeda will join the CSC team as a part-time pastor at the Agape Multicultural and North Wichita Spanish churches. He is a young pastor who is excited for the opportunity to begin his pastoral journey with us. We believe that he will be impactful in reaching the younger Hispanic population for Christ.
Pastor Evenson Louis-Jeune will be moving to the Agape Church in St. Louis, Missouri. Pastor Evenson, recently ordained to the full-time gospel ministry, is an excellent fit for this church and will bring his gospel-centered preaching and love for people and communities to this congregation.
Pastor Luckson Emmanuel will be joining our CSC team from the windy city of Chicago. He will pastor the Calvary and Covenant churches in Davenport and Cedar Rapids, Iowa. He is a dynamic and Spirit-filled leader who is multilingual, which will be a tremendous blessing to the rapidly growing Haitian population in this district.
We are excited for our CSC field as we do this pastoral reset, even though we are never thrilled to have our great pastors leave us for other territories. But we always trust that God knows best. And as the good prophetess Ellen White told us (paraphrasing), no one pastor has all the gifts that a church needs to grow them. May God continue to bless our conference as we do all we can to complete the mission of spreading the everlasting gospel in this territory.
