It has been awhile since I checked in with you!  It has been a busy summer for me.  We have had two new grandchildren born in the last 3 months and I was busy with the Presidential Search Committee.  Here are a few items for your information.

New President for CWW:   Working with the presidential search team was a great experience. If you haven't seen it yet, we presented Scott Ridout as our candidate to the Converge Worldwide Board of Overseers last Thursday.  They voted unanimously to recommend Scott to the delegates at next month's CWW Biennial meeting in Minnesota.  I hope many of you will have the opportunity to attend that historic event.

Converge Northwest 125th Annual Gathering: I can't stress enough how important to me this year's meeting is. Our focus on Starting and Strengthening is helping our district align with our national and international agenda. With our new president coming on board, I am really excited about our future and how I see God moving through us. We have excellent speakers and workshops that will help equip you and your leaders for greater effectiveness. Personally, I am going to share my heart around "Why Converge." I will be beating this drum right up to the meetings at Bethany in Puyallup Oct 24-25.   I need you there.  This event and your participation is more important than you realize.  So, I guess I am saying get used to the beat of the drum.   BTW - Here is the Brochure.  

Assessment Center - We have been able to plan for a Church Planter Assessment Center here in the Northwest, November 4-7, at Cascade Church in Monroe. (Thanks Nate Hettinga and the Cascade Team for hosting).  After years of sending candidates to San Diego, Phoenix, Minneapolis, Chicago, Indianapolis, Washington DC, San Jose and Orlando, we have a great opportunity to boost our Northwest planting efforts by doing more of the assessment ourselves.  I hope you are thinking about who in your leadership needs to be assessed as a possible planter!   If you have questions, let's talk.

We have growing momentum in Church Planting. The Leadership OnRamp with Neil Tibbott has been excellent at identifying potential planters.  Dr. Wes Johnson and his prayer team have begun to pray with great intention for our planting efforts.

Please be praying for our current church planters in various stages of work:  

• John Kelly - Freedom Hill in Tacoma.
• Simon Darshi - Hindi speaking church in Portland
• Scott Molvar - preparing to plant out of Crossroads Bible Church in Bellevue
• Oscar Vega - planting a Latino church in Bremerton with Sylvan Way Baptist
• Rey Abellera - working with Gospel Outreach of Kitsap County (Filipino)
• Dimitri Nosarev - laying the groundwork in the Boise, ID area with Dusty Taylor and Revive Church.

• My health - kidney stones
• George Bedlion Jr. - recovering from appendectomy
• Gail McDicken - Former pastor's wife of Walter Anderson - in cancer treatment
• Paul Goddard - former church planter and pastor in Everett - in cancer treatment