Keith Smith

"From the day we walked from South Seminole Christian Church to Metro Church, I have believed we as a church were involved in a God-led transition. I have been amazed by the believers from South Seminole Christian Church, who faithfully followed the Spirit of Christ towards a new mission: The Kingdom Work at Metro Church. I have been encouraged by the evidence of Grace and Truth at Metro and have valued my service here.

"I feel I am now being led towards a role that is more closely aligned with my sense of who God made me to be. I will be partnering with Pathway Counseling to minister through pastoral care and counseling, an area where I believe I am gifted. I will no longer be serving with the staff of Metro as of July 31^st.

"This decision is made with a lot of thoughtfulness and prayer. I want you to know I love this church, the staff and its leaders. I love the mission and I love all of you. It has been an enormous privilege to roll up my sleeves and serve Christ with you this past year. This has been a year of personal growth and expansion and I will take many wonderful memories with me as I move forward.

"Thank you for accepting me and embracing my family. We have all been stretched and inspired. Jennifer and I covet your prayers and you can count on us as we transition from Metro to Pathway.

"God bless you for your faithfulness."

Bob Mehlenbacher

"On June 1^st we will be concluding our ministry here at Metro Church after four years of serving between the Metro Church and South Seminole Christian Church. God has opened a door for our family to move to Kissimmee, FL and join the staff of the Florida Christian College. I will be working as the Residence and Athletic Director of the College. I will have the chance to oversee and lead the intercollegiate athletic program, and look to add sports to grow the program in the near future.

"Our family will also live in a three-bedroom apartment on campus, and I will oversee campus life among the college students. The College has forty single student apartments as well as 17 married student apartments.

"We are excited to have the opportunity to create a healthy social and spiritual environment for students on campus. We love the people here at Metro and look at the last four years as a great blessing from God.

"This last year we have had the opportunity through the merger to see God work in ways we have never seen before. We are excited about what God has done and will continue to do here at Metro Church.

"Even though we are moving we are not completely leaving. Being less than an hour away you will still see our family on a regular basis for a while. We may not be able to be here every week but we definitely will be here as often as we can. Metro Church will always hold a special place in our hearts and we will always consider it part of our home.

"May God continue to bless the Staff, Eldership, and people of this congregation as you continue to serve God in the future."

Okely Cruz

"After much prayer and study, Paul and I have decided to home-school our two sons. For that reason, effective June 1^st, I will no longer be able to work for the Metro Church office as the church's Administrative Assistant.

"It has been a blessing to work in the church office and we want to extend our most sincere gratitude to the staff, the volunteers and everyone else that has been involved in the office ministry for the past 4 1/2 years.

"Metro Church is part of our life and an extension of our family and we will continue to worship and be part of the body at Metro. We are very excited to embark on this new journey of our lives.

"Please join us in prayer as we put our trust in God, knowing He is in control and will provide what's best for our family and the Metro office.

"Grace be with you."