I love this time of year when the leaves change color. Right outside my window, in the Downtown Campus parking lot, are four maple trees that turn a magnificent shade of red. They are beautiful! The leaves are not the only thing that has changed at Bethlehem; the Global Outreach (GO) Department has also changed. Todd & Tamara Rasmuson have moved on to serve as global partners with a ministry called Orphan’s Joy.

With Todd & Tamara’s absence, the department has made some changes to ensure all tasks, responsibilities, and care for our global partners are covered. Here’s what those changes look like:

• Tim & Amy Moline are Global Partners-in-Residence on loan from Converge for the year.
• Tim & Cassie Devane also serve as Global Partners-in-Residence, dividing their time between the GO Department and Campus Outreach. 
• Pastor David Livingston, myself, and Tim Moline have formed a triumvirate leadership team. David, who generally oversees the Barnabas Team ministry and pastoral care, will now also oversee all the South Campus global partners. Tim will oversee the North Campus global partners, with Amy ministering alongside to help out with meetings, counseling, and member care. I (Brad), who normally cover all aspects of short-term ministry trips, will also cover the Downtown Campus global partners. Of these three, I am the only one who is full time and will be the main point person for the department. This triumvirate meets weekly with Pastor Kenny Stokes to make sure all tasks are delegated, done well, and followed up on.

Tim & Cassie focus on discipling and overseeing the Nurture Program along with Nick Whitehead. Nick is the GO Ministry Assistant and is a seminary student. He handles many administrative responsibilities and tasks and works closely with Marianne Derfus, who serves as the GO Administrative Assistant. Marianne’s responsibilities are with our global partners. JoNell Baker is the other Administrative Assistant in the department. She serves in a part-time role, and her responsibilities are anything related to short-term ministry mobilization. I am delegating more to JoNell so I can focus more on pastoral care of our global partners and overseeing the department. 

We miss Todd & Tamara, but God has put together an amazing group of individuals. They are working long and hard to make sure our global partners are loved and cared for, and to ensure that nothing falls through the cracks. We would love your prayers in this season of change.