After 25 years, Kerns is moving on

We’re less than weeks away from saying goodbye to Kerns after 25 years of music ministry. Here is information about his last day and our celebration, plus some information about what is to come.

Celebration: February 27th at 10:30

Kerns’ last day leading worship. We’ve been doing the occasional “Gospel According to [a musician/band]” name, and this day will be “The Gospel according to John Kerns.” Following worship, there will be a time of celebration of his ministry with Spirit Garage, culminating in one final set of the songs.

There are some ways you can help us celebrate this well, but if I write about them here, he’ll see it. So instead, contact me.

Musician Transition: A Search Team has been formed

It consists of Wade Barry, Erin Arndt, Jason Eldridge, Rachel Barth and me. Their first meeting is Wednesday, February 9, along with the Drivetrain (the Leadership team of Spirit Garage) and some Bethlehem staff. We’ll be talking through the transition, next steps, posting, interim, etc.

That team will be charged with assessing and naming needs and wants, writing a job description, naming qualities to search for in a person to get the desired needs and wants and then posting, interviewing and hiring new staff that would fill the music/band role.

In the meantime…

You might imagine this could take some time. And that’s not a bad thing: 25 years of a stellar band leader/Worship leader/musician is a very very–unprecedented–long time, and some breathing space between Kerns and what comes next is called for, in order for all of us to be open and ready to receive the gifts of the next person.

We’ll still have music. We’ll be filling in with some guest artists and relying on our usual musicians during this time.

Spirit Garage will go on!