Navigators

From Pastor Tim’s article in the 3/16/16 Weekly Update

The WU staff sat down with Pastor Tim this week to ask some questions about the decision to suspend the Navigators ministry.

Q – For those who are unfamiliar with Navigators, what exactly is it?

A – Navigators is a ministry that started about 10 years ago. Its primary focus has been on ministering to our community by lovingly assisting people with urgent needs.

Q – What types of needs would qualify as urgent?

A – In some cases, food, housing, financial assistance to pay a bill or a need for counseling.

Q – How has Navigators been supported?

A – God has blessed this ministry in that all the monies to do this ministry have come from donations to the Community Aid bin (located in the parking lot) and from grants from Community Aid. We have not had a line item in our CAC Operating Budget for it.

Q – Why was the decision made by the elders to suspend Navigators?

A – After prayerfully considering it over a period of time the key “fleece” was the absence of leadership. Donna Shue, who had been faithfully serving with excellence for several years, stepped down because she is pursuing a counseling degree at Lancaster Bible College. When no one expressed an interest in taking on the leadership role for Navigators and the need was communicated to the congregation, it was decided to suspend operations.

Q – Is there significance to the word “suspend?”

A – Absolutely. In our minds we are not ending the ministry or expressing a desire to move in a new direction. We’re just sensing that when God wants to do something different He typically does it by raising up or not raising up a leader.

Q – In your mind, is this a bad thing?

A – No. It can hardly be bad when a group of people sincerely seek God’s will and sense an answer. Ministries ebb and flow and some things that worked very well for a season eventually stop working. Only God is unchanging; our approaches to ministry are always adapting and changing. We feel this is God’s plan for CAC at this point in time and being able to process that is actually a good indication that we’re praying and listening.

Q – What about the people that Navigators has been serving?

A – Our desire is to be able to refer people who come into our doors to the various other ministries that are doing similar work in Carlisle. Carlisle CARES, My Brother’s Table, Project SHARE and the Samaritan Fellowship are all serving many of the same needs that we have been. Our goal will be to still be a link in the chain of helping people.