Dear Friends,
This is a different kind of post than normal, but I have a very important family update…
John and I have some exciting news to share with you! We are stepping into the role of Lead Pastors at our church, Antioch Community Church Ann Arbor. We are so excited about God’s amazing plans He is unfolding in our lives, and would love to share this journey with you.
Our Journey
For many years, we have both felt that God has placed a pastoral call on our lives, however, we have felt that God was leading us to trust Him with HIS timing and to lay it down until He opened the doors for us.
At the beginning of this year, we found out that our current lead pastors, Jordan and Christy Ogden, were stepping down from the role so they could move back to Texas to be closer to family. Jordan and Christy moved from Texas over 7 years ago after God called them to plant this church here, in Ann Arbor, MI.
When our overseer team and board of advisors opened up the candidacy, the desire was to have a lead pastor with strong ties to Michigan, specifically a “son and daughter of Michigan.”
At this point in the process, we (John and Jami) both felt that God was stirring our hearts. We spent a significant amount of time praying about God’s timing. After much prayer, discussion – and many confirmations from the Lord, we submitted ourselves as candidates for the next Lead Pastors.
We then went through a thorough interview process with our overseers and board of advisors and were moved forward and presented as the next Lead Pastors to the church on Sunday, May 30th, (you can watch the announcement here) and we will be ordained and installed on Sunday, June 27th.
We are thrilled, humbled and overwhelmed at God’s plans for us, which are more than we could have ever imagined or orchestrated for ourselves (Eph. 3:20). We are also so thankful that, in fact, He has called us here, to our home state of Michigan. He is so good!
What will this look like for our family and our church?
At this time, we will be bi-vocational and John will continue with his current job. Given the current size of our church and our strong leadership team, we feel confident in our ability to do so. This will open up opportunities for our church in other ways, such as allowing more finances for a new building – which we need very much, since we have been without an “official” meeting space since COVID.
We will also operate as a pastoral team, both leading and teaching at the church, and we truly believe God’s grace and favor will be on us during this season of John being bi-vocational to help us do all things well.
How can you partner with us?
You can PRAY!
- Please pray for us as we transition into this role, that God would lead us in wisdom and give us the ability to follow the direction and vision he has for HIS church.
- Please pray for our church congregation during this transition.
- Please pray that God will provide our church with a new facility to meet in! We are currently blessed to meet outside at a local ranch, but have a goal to have a new facility by September so we can get settled in before the weather changes.
- Please pray for our family (John, Jami, Luke and Grace) that God would continue to lead us in the calling He has for our lives. This is part of Luke and Grace’s story too, as we believe God will train them up for the individual plans He has for each of them.
- Pray for God’s plans for HIS church here in Ann Arbor. We believe for BIG things to come!
Please join us!
If you would like to join us on June 27th (10 AM EST) when we are ordained and installed, you can join us in person, or tune in on Antioch Ann Arbor’s Facebook page for livestream, or Youtube channel.
https://www.facebook.com/AntiochA2
We love you all, and are so thankful for your friendship and prayers! Thank you for joining us on this journey!
Love and Blessings in Christ,
John, Jami, Luke and Grace Nadzam
PS – We would love to chat with you and share more about this journey! Feel free to reach out and ask questions!
