May 2017
Meet Jim Garvey
As a way to help you better understand our ministry, and hopefully be encouraged by it, we wanted to share an interview with one of our Board members, Jim Garvey.
1. Name, occupation, and how long have you been a member of SCFBC and served on the Board? Jim Garvey, former Navy submariner (25 years), and mechanical engineer at a tech startup for the last 17 years. My wife, Julie, and I joined SCFBC in 2002, and I've been on the Diaconate for 3 years and have served on the Board for 4 years. 2. What does a Board member do? Unlike the old Diaconate, where individual Diaconate members were in charge of areas of ministry (Missions, Magnification, Maturity, Finance, etc.), the Board now has a completely different role. All of the individual ministry areas are now staff functions reporting to the Pastor. The Board exists solely to support the Pastor in execution of his vision, to assess his performance of that vision, and to assure non-violation of the church's Boundary Principles that we've agreed to follow. In effect, we're a sounding board and second-checker organization. 3. How does serving on the Board help the church? Although my heart is in serving and mission, I've come around to actually believe this is a more efficient and better organization than the old way. I can still serve (Bethlehem, 4th of July, Redwood Glen, etc.) and at the same time play an advisory role in the church's future. 4. What are the blessings you've experienced in this ministry? Being on the Board (and its predecessor Diaconate) as long as I have, I've gotten to know a lot of really good people. I'm not naturally outgoing; so, being "forced" to sit and discuss significant goals and issues with wonderful people, praying with them, seeing faith in my abilities in their faces, and making a difference in our church have been the biggest blessings. 5. What words of encouragement would you give to someone interested in serving on the Board? If you feel you're a mature Christian, able and willing to devote your time for the betterment of the kingdom of God in the here and now, and able to take the blessings and the heat that come with being a decision-maker, then "Uncle SCFBC wants you!" We’d love to hear from anyone who has an interest in serving on the Board in the future, or who would just like to find out more about how to partner with us in prayer for the church. God Bless! -Nicole Wiesen |