Retirement of Mark E.
After two and a half months of nothing, Mark and Linda Eldridge had a contract entered on their beautiful home this last week. What that means for Faith is that they will be moving to Texas in July. Mark and Linda have been an integral part of the life of Faith for over 20 years. I had their beautiful and smart daughters in the youth group and watched them grow into incredible women. Mark has been directing, training and leading our Tech Department for the last fifteen years. During that time, he replaced and upgraded the sound system. He installed sound boards on the walls in the sanctuary to absorb reverberation to improve our sound. He most recently designed and installed the sound equipment in our Bixby location. In addition, he regularly plays the drums in worship and shares his passion for music with us. Mark also ran his own audio company that designed custom sound systems for automobiles. He has already retired from his company and now will be moving on from his time serving Faith. They will be moving to be closer to his parents and daughter. Linda will continue to work at a new job in Texas until she is ready to retire. Linda has served on every committee, volunteered for kid’s ministry and been an incredible servant leader in many ways. They will both be deeply missed.
Because Mark warned us of his intention to retire, we have already conducted interviews for his replacement. We are excited to share that Eric Newendorp has been hired to coordinate the Tech ministry. Eric currently plays in the Praise Band and has previously led our contemporary worship team. He works in professional sports management for his day job. He and Christi came to Faith many years ago and helped us create the Special Angels ministry. They helped plant Living Water UMC and came back to Faith with me. Seungrok will be partnering with Eric to make this significant change as smooth as possible.
You are invited to a reception on June 28th at Noon in the Great Hall. The Leadership Team will provide finger foods and drinks for you to enjoy. We hope you will gather to tell Mark thank you for his service to the life of this church that we love. You are encouraged to bring a card or a letter to gift them with words of appreciation. Put this important date on your calendar!
Change is hard on us all. As much as it hurts to lose the Eldridge’s, we want to bless them and support them in this next step. We give thanks for the time that we have gotten to journey alongside them in life. You may not have actually seen Mark doing his job, but if he hadn’t done it so well, I guarantee you would notice.
In another life transition, we will be baptizing a new baby in the 9:00 Service on Sunday. Ryan and Tyler Sharpe and brother James will join us as we welcome Robert to his faith family. Also the kids will be singing in worship at the 11:00 Service. It will be another wonderful Sunday in the life of our congregation.
Hope to see you then,
