Below is a portion of Bill's August 7th letter to the Northwest Area. Read the whole letter here.

There will be new leadership coming to serve Disciples in this part of the Region in late 2015.

This week the Regional Board of the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) of Greater Kansas City extended a call for me to serve as their next Regional Minister and President for the 80+ congregations there. My duties will begin November 16, 2015.

I will continue to serve here until October 31st as Regional Minister Team Member and NW Area Minister, assisting in helping to make a smooth transition for my successor.

The Mid-America Region Executive Committee will appoint a Search Committee soon and NW Area Disciples will be well represented. The hope is to call a qualified ordained pastor to serve as a Transitional Regional Minister Team Member who will live in Cameron or a neighboring community and serve Disciples here. That might be one of the pastors now serving in the Area. A profile will be made public as soon as it is completed and interested ministers will then find application instructions on the mid-americadisciples.org website.

Should there be a gap between my departure and the new RMT Member's arrival, a plan will be published on the mid-americadisciples.org NW Area page that will provide contact information and instructions. That information will also be shared by email and print so that anyone who is interested will have the information needed to receive the support desired.

The timing of this change is inconvenient to some of us. On the other hand, I sense God's perfect timing. We might compare it to planting time, when farmers' schedules are anything but predictable. They do whatever must be done to put the new crop into the freshly prepared soil.

We will have opportunity to talk together in the days to come. For now please know that I am grateful to be serving with you. I hope to be preaching among you when invited during the next eleven Sundays.

May the grace and peace of Christ Jesus set the tone for all that we do, experience and say,

Bill