Hello church family and friends!

Hopefully by now, you've heard the BIG news at Arlington Woods! I will be leaving my role as the church's Family Ministries Pastor.

Thank you to everyone who has reached out and expressed sadness, anger, and frustration over this news. It shows how much you love me and my family. I thought that instead of responding and saying the same thing to everyone individually in emails, on social media, and over the phone, I would just share a few of my thoughts.

While this news hopefully doesn't prompt you to jump up and down with joy, I DO think it's ultimately good news for the church. 

When I started at Arlington Woods 10 years ago, it was because there weren't a lot of kids/teens/families here at the church.  Pastor Mike and the church prayed about how they could turn things around for the better. They worked on a strategic plan and ultimately decided that they would bring me on staff to revitalize these areas.

Today, the church is growing and thriving. I feel that over my time here, I've accomplished what Pastor Mike (and God) wanted me to do. 

The simple truth is that it's not humanly possible for one person to do everything that I do even remotely well. For those that don't know, I'm responsible for preschoolers, elementary age kids, teens, young adults, families, and MORE!  At some churches, they have 3-4 pastors doing my job!

I believe Pastor Cliff and the church board have a good handle on what this church needs and I'm believing that Arlington Woods will continue to grow and thrive as I pass the baton on to others to build on what I've done.

It’s been a good run, and I really appreciate all of your love and support. It’s been our joy to be a part of this church. We will greatly miss you all, but I’m believing that God has good things in store for you and us. I’m looking forward to some rest and renewal over the summer and then we’ll see where God leads!

-Pastor Ben