Hello and welcome to the new blog!
“Faith in the midst of change” is the theme in the Duerson household as of late. In the coming weeks we will be involved with three FCA camps, Beau Vincent Duerson will join our family, and I will be leaving my position as Area Director with FCA and joining the staff of First Alliance Church (my church) as a church planter. I have enjoyed and been blessed to serve God through FCA over the past 11 years. While not as a paid employee, I fully intend to continue serving through FCA–as a volunteer like you! I have been involved with FCA in some capacity as long as I have been a Christian. I love FCA, as much of my spiritual growth has come through this special ministry. I continue to appreciate the vision of FCA and most of all I cherish the relationships God’s given me through my involvement. I trust that those friendships will continue on into eternity! I couldn’t be happier to announce that one of those friends is going to be stepping into my role. Aaron Hogue, his wife Kelly, and their three children (Clay, Jenna, and Kate) will be moving here from Louisville so that Aaron can join staff July 1st. We will work together until September 1st, at which time I will move into my new role of FCA volunteer.
Aaron served as South Central FCA Director (Somerset) for four years before accepting a position as pastor of Pleasant View Baptist Church. For the last two years Aaron has lived in Louisville where he recently finished his degree at Southern Seminary. Aaron and I share a lot of the same passions and I couldn’t be happier that God has called him to Lexington. He is one of my best friends. Many of you know Aaron and those of you who don’t will be gaining a great new friend and teammate!
As for my family, we are “going to the land that God will show us.” I will join the staff at First Alliance Church as a church planter September 1st. Sometime next fall our church will begin a new church that I will serve as pastor. Many of the details are unknown, but it does seem that the new church will be in the Lexington/Central Kentucky area and will actually look more like a network of small multiplying churches. Sound familiar? Certainly God has used FCA to shape a lot of what I believe about church and the role of church in fulfilling the Great Commission. I have much to say about this and will in the coming months at http://www.gavinduerson.com. Please feel free to join me there as this new work is fleshed out.
Meanwhile, we have a lot going on between now and September at FCA. We are presently busy signing up teams for summer team camps and recruiting leaders for our Leadership Camp (June 24-27). We will be making preparations for year two of our “Character Coach Program.” We’ll be working on the first ever “Josh Teeter FCA Golf Challenge” which is set for Sept. 13, and there is much to do in order to give Aaron an appropriate welcome to Lexington and Central Kentucky FCA. We certainly do appreciate your continued prayers. Change is never easy. It is inevitable at some level if we are to go with God. I look forward to seeing you soon and introducing you to Aaron. Who knows? Perhaps I’ll even work with some of you on this new endeavor! Please feel free to contact me if you have any questions.
