| Two Sundays ago in worship, Micah announced that he has accepted a call to lead worship at a church closer to where he and his family live. He will be leaving Kairos at the end of the calendar year. This is obviously bittersweet news that brings forth a variety of difficult and conflicting feelings for many of us. Over the last four and a half years, Micah’s worship vision, leadership, and skill have been integral in gathering us for worship, cultivating our faithful imagination, and sending us to be the Church in the world. And for all the visible gifts Micah has brought, I will tell you they pale in comparison to the unseen ways his thoughtfulness and passion have helped shape and encourage us to be the church God has called us to be. Micah has truly been a gift to our community, and he will be deeply missed. Yet this news is still sweet because Micah does not leave Kairos out of convenience or frustration but from a true sense of call. As he mentioned in worship, what made this decision so difficult is how much he loves and has felt loved by the people of Kairos and what hope and energy he senses among the staff right now. That said, since returning to Atlanta, Micah and Mary Lynn have always had a vision and heart for East Atlanta, and while I wish the Lord had other plans, I am truly excited God has finally provided a path for them to lean into that call. As for next steps, it hardly needs to be said, but we will not find another Micah. Yet, in a testament to Micah’s leadership, I don’t believe we have to. Micah has built a culture and community of worship at Kairos. He has put in systems and vision that will not leave when he does. We will surely miss Micah’s presence, but I am so grateful how he has set us up to be able to continue to lean into the values of worship he taught us to love and encounter the Lord through. It will take intentionality from everyone, but that doesn’t feel like survival, that sounds like growth. Therefore, without sugar coating the loss, we see this transition as an opportunity to affirm our vision for worship and dream about who might best lead us in this next season of Kairos. We look forward to keeping the community updated on that search process once we begin it in the New Year. Thankfully, in this interim time, Derek Mount has agreed to take on a greater role in planning and implementing Sunday worship. Derek has long been an active part of our church, and for the last couple of years, he has helped in an official capacity with the behind the scenes worship prep, co-writing with Micah, and as a leader on Sunday morning. Derek knows and has been a leading voice in helping to cultivate the sound and sense of community on Sunday. Therefore, I am grateful for his willingness to help foster and continue those values as our community discerns how to build on Micah’s faithful work. Micah’s last day will be Christmas Eve, but we will have a special time to celebrate him and his family after the Lessons and Carols service on December 22nd. Until then, I encourage you to reflect on this transition – to allow yourself to feel whatever emotions surface and to reach out to Micah or me to ask questions or share your thoughts. I will be honest, when Micah first told me his plans, I was shocked and incredibly sad, but by God’s grace, I did not jump to fear, scarcity, or action. Instead, I felt invited to sit in those emotions, and what I found was my feelings were not in response to bad news, but to the many good things God has done through Micah. It has led me to a place of gratitude and hope. Friends, this is the great joy and difficulty of truly being a community together, and I can’t encourage you enough to lean into it fully. For I know God will meet you there. Grace and peace, Drew |
Posted in Uncategorized