An Invitation

We have walked through many geographical, social, professional, and academic transitions over the last four years. Each time believing that the Lord was taking us through seasons of baby steps that he was using to mature us individually and as a couple. We are now at a place in life where we are privileged to look back and see the value in the things we have been through. We believe God is showing us that the next step is into a more formal season of training. Pete will begin graduate school at Gordon- Conwell Theological Seminary this fall for his Masters of Arts in Biblical Studies.

As we begin seminary this fall, our hope is to surround ourselves with a team that will join us in this place in our journey, and travel with us as our life of ministry plays out however the Lord desires. We hope that as you and your family continue reading about the roles that need to be filled on our team, you will prayerfully consider what role and capacity is best for you now and in the future. Right now there are 2 primary roles on this ministry team, each needing groups of multiple people.

1: Spiritual Friendship – this group of people will commit to being the backbone of our team. Their primary role is to pray and encourage. Committing to this is very simple, just subscribe to this blog. When our life, ministry, and prayer updates come out you will be the first to know. All we ask is that you pray and then respond on the blog, or in private, with whatever encouragement you feel lead to administer. You will remind us that we are not alone in this journey and that the Lord is involved in our lives.

2. Financial Partnership – seminary is expensive and vocational ministry does not generally pay well. : ) We are obviously not making these choices based on future income, so there are several ways that you can help us now financially.

a. Pete has been accepted into Gordon-Conwell’s Partnership Program. The program involves extracurricular activities designed to help students learn valuable stewardship skills for their ministry careers. Each member of the program (other Gordon-Conwell graduate students) raises a team of supporters to make tax-deductible contributions to the trust. Those able to successfully raise the minimum amount of support reduce the cost of tuition by 67%. To qualify we have to establish from a church or other source an annual gift of $500, and a team that is willing to give a total of $210 a month for the duration of the masters program. We are hoping to finish the program by the end of 2010 or early 2011. It is our desire to gather a team of at least 21 people giving $10 a month. However, if there are donors who feel as though they can give more than $10 a month, it will reduce the number of people who are needed to meet the Scholarship requirements. One time gifts are also appreciated and contribute to the balance of the scholarship. All contributions to this trust are tax deductible and you will receive a monthly receipt for your gift that includes an update from us. This is the primary need we have now from our Financial Partners. If we do not have the donors, we do not get the scholarship. The deadline for financial commitments is August 29th. Many of you will be receiving notices in the mail soon. However, if this is something that you would like to be a part of, please e-mail us and make sure we have your mailing address. These support team members should also subscribe to the blog to receive our periodic updates.

b. Non-tax-deductible contributions can also be made to Pete’s tuition balance and books through the student account.

c. Finally, you can support us by using and promoting Kassie’s new photography business. We have recently started this new enterprise and we are hoping that the business will generate enough income to pay our living expenses and allow Pete to go to school full-time. So if you need a photographer, or know someone who does, we would love to serve you in this way! Check out her work at www.echoesphotography.com.

We believe that God is telling his story to the world using real people, in real time, in day to day life. We also believe that each of us has the opportunity to play a role in that story. That is what we extend to all of you, an invitation to let our spiritual stories intertwine as together we engage God’s plan of redemption for the world.

Thank you in advance for your support. We look forward to hearing from you and connecting with you personally in the near future.

Pete and Kassie

Please contact us if you have questions or want to catch up. We would love to hear from you!