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LOVE GOD

LOVE EACH OTHER

SERVE THE WORLD

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VISIONThe Columbus Church of Christ seeks to love God, love each other, and serve the world. This three-fold statement of purpose is something the shepherds are committed to keeping before the congregation. In loving God, we emphasize God’s call to worship. This is about much more than worship assemblies, it is about experiencing the presence of God. In loving each other, we emphasize the importance of being an authentic commu-nity of faith. We are not called to be a collection of lone rangers, but a people intimate-ly connected, living in solidarity, making church a place that welcomes others, offers a place to belong, and promotes healing. And in loving each other, the church is also a place that promotes accountability, a place where we mature each other, much as iron sharpens iron as we work to equip each other to be the hands and feet of Christ. Finally, in serving the world we acknowledge God’s call for us to serve others, not to be served ourselves. We emphasize our call to be witnesses to the power and truth of the gospel.

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IDEAL CANDIDATEAt Columbus Church of Christ, we seek a minister who shares our vision of a team approach to ministry including the sharing of the preaching role. The individual will be a multi-talented, gifted leader who exercises his God-given gifts and calling to inspire the congregation, draw others to the vision, and work with our staff to foster effective ministry. We are seeking an individual who is visionary; who can lead decisively yet sensi-tively; who will exercise discipline in pursuing congregational goals; who is willing and able to build a ministry team and supervise the ministry of others.

As the primary preaching voice (preaching roughly 30 weeks a year) on the ministry team, the minister will be responsible for connecting people to God … to help them hear the call of God in their lives again (individ-ually and corporately) … and to encourage them to be fully obedient to God’s purposes. While the Columbus Church is committed to having a significant impact on our community and exploring more significant relation-ship with each other, these are ultimately the fruit of people who are deeply connected to God. We seek a prophet who can hear and then speak the word of God; who is unafraid to be a witness for God to the church and the world; a “truth- teller” willing to testify to the saving power of Jesus Christ and the transforming power of his Holy Spirit.

While preaching is not the only skill we are looking for in our new minister, it is a vital part of the mix. But, be-cause our concern is for the next twenty years of this church’s life and because we are determined to win the next generation for Christ, we need to find someone who—in their preaching—connects with those who are younger, who are less mature in their faith, and who may look and think more like “outsiders” than “insiders.”

We seek a minister who is an ambassador for Christ and a representative of our congregation in the commu-nity. Because we intend to be the type of church Columbus and Lowndes County would miss if we were gone, we are looking for someone who can lead the Columbus Church in engaging the community in service and friendship.

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CANDIDATE DESCRIPTION158 Respondents offered feedback regarding our new pulpit minister. Ranked essential and most importantwas witness/evangelist, closely followed by friend and prophet. The defined role of an evangelist issharing the Gospel with those inside and outside the church. Our church values the importance of a prophetwho fearlessly speaks the truth in love and is a friend to his church family. Also ranked essential is a ministerwith a clear understanding of our church’s vision who will serve as a spiritual guide that encouragesmembers to participate in the mission.

0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70% 80% 90% 100%

91.3%

89.86%

89.86%

88.41%

88.32%

85.61%

74.45%

55.07%

46.76%

39.57%

33.58%

Witness/Evangelist

Friend

Prophet

Spiritual Guide

Visionary Leader

Minister of the Word

Pastor

Group Facillitator

Social Activist

Church Administrator

Priest

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CHURCH DEMOGRAPHICS

Age

Membership Tenure

GenderRace

Marital Status

White/Caucasian

Married

Native American

Widowed

Spanish/Hispanic/Latino

Single, Never Married

Black/African American

Separated/Divorced

Other

54.55%

22.37%

30%

22.37%

45.45%

46%

13.16%

13.16%

13%

19.08%

Female

35-44

Not a Member

75+

I was a mem-ber, but am not now

19-24

16-19 yrs

55-64

1-2 yrs

Male

15-18

28+ yrs

45-54

1 year or less

25-34

5-9 yrs

65-74

3-4 yrs

5.26%

1%

1.97%

2.36%

3%

3%

3%

2%

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CCS Columbus Christian School

Columbus Christian School began as a mother’s day out program in April, 1996. It has grown to a five-day per week state licensed childcare center. It is governed by a policy-making board with day-to-day operations led by the school director. There are 141 students enrolled, 20 of which are school-aged children. The de-mographic makeup of our children is 38% black, 57% white, and 5% other races. We have an equal number of boys and girls. The families of our childcare center worship at numerous churches – Baptist, Christian, Church of Christ, Catholic, Non-Denominational, and Methodist, with 26% unlisted. CCS has 38 employees.

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MISSION WORK

HONDURASRWANDA MEXICO

VANUATUCHINA

The Columbus Church of Christ participates in and supports several local and foreign missions.

Anna’s Army is a group of women dedicated to praying daily for the members of our church and the community.

ANNA’S ARMY

Bread of Life Food Pantry provides food to about 300 local families each month.

Nursing Home Ministry meets every Tuesday to visit the local nursing homes and shut-ins.

BREAD OF LIFE

NURSING HOME

CSI:Columbus, Christians Serving In: Columbus, is a work group that reaches out to the community to repair homes for locals who don’t have the means to do the repairs themselves.

CSI: COLUMBUS

Every summer a group from our church goes to Honduras to work in and around the area of Tegucigalpa and the community of Santa Ana.

The congregation at Columbus supports several other foreign missionaries in Rwanda, Mexico, Vanuatu, and China.

FOREIGN MISSIONS

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MEET THE SEARCH COMMITTEE

Michelle Collins

JeffHilfiker

RitaWest

TylerWheat

TylerWhite

LindaKennedy

TiffanyWard

MattWarren

AmyCrownover

SamanthaDell

SaraGallman

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ELDERSDon Cole and his wife Edna have been members here since 1996. Don became an elder in 2006. Don is a retired Air Force officer. Don became the founding director of the Center for International Peace and Justice at Lipscomb University. He contin-ues as a Visiting Professor of Political Science at Lipscomb.

Before becoming an elder in 2006, Les served as the deacon over the Children’s Bible School Program. He and his wife continue to be blessed with the opportunity to teach 2 and 3 year olds about God in Bible class. Les counts it an honor to shep-herd a flock of Christians who continually strive to reflect the love of Christ in their lives.

Since becoming members of our congregation in 2005, David and his wife Elesa have assisted in the development of our children’s ministry, Champions for Christ, and have taught various bible classes. They currently teach together in the 5th and 6th grade Sunday morning bible class. He is currently employed at 4-County Elec-tric Power Association as their Manager of Information Technology

After a tour in the Army where he served as a chaplain’s assistant, Wade worked for the Miss Department of Humans Services as a counselor serving children with emo-tional and behavioral problems, retiring in 2002. After retiring Wade and his wife Gail spent two consecutive summers in Tegucigalpa, Honduras teaching at Baxter Institute. He has also taught Sociology courses at Miss University for Women and is presently teaching part time for East Mississippi Community College.

Don Cole

Les Chaffin

David Kilpatrick

Wade Ward

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STAFFPaul Bennett has served as a full time youth minister since 1997 and has been here at the Columbus Church of Christ since 2002. He and his wife Sara have been mar-ried since 1998 and have two clones. One for each of them.

Billy has been the Preaching Minister in Columbus since 2001. Billy is married to his childhood sweetheart, Lisa and they have four children: Caleb, Logan, Matthew and Ally. Billy and Lisa have strong roots in Mississippi, having grown up in Vicksburg and have lived in North Alabama and the New Orleans, LA area prior to returning to Mississippi.

Vicki has attended the Columbus Church of Christ since moving to Columbus in 1999 and has served as secretary since April, 2004. She is married to Donald and they have four children.

PAUL BENNETT

BILLY FERGUSON

VICKI BARKSDALE

Minister of Body Life

Minister of Discipleship

Secretary

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A BRIEF HISTORY

Columbus Church of Christ was chartered in 1921. The congregation met in three buildings, prior to moving to the current location in January, 1970. Twenty-three preachers have served Columbus Church of Christ over 95 years. The Columbus Youth Forum was a successful, annual youth program from 1966 to 1992. Throughout the 1970s and 1980s, congregations from all over the mid-South modeled after our Christian Education program. Columbus Church of Christ serves our families, works in our communities and supports our foreign missions.

For the full history click here

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Columbus is a city in Lowndes County, Mississippi that lies primarily east, but also north and northeast of the Tombigbee River, which is also referred to as the Tennessee-Tombigbee Waterway . It is approximately 146 miles northeast of Jackson, 92 miles of Meridian, 63 miles south of Tupelo, 60 miles northwest of Tuscaloosa, Alabama, and 120 miles west of Birmingham, Alabama.

Columbus is also part of the area of Mississippi called The Golden Triangle, consisting of Columbus, West Point and Starkville, in the counties of Lowndes, Clay and Oktibbeha.

Columbus has hosted Columbus Air Force Base (CAFB) since World War II. CAFB was founded as a flight training school. Today, it is one of only four basic Air Force flight training bases in the United States, and prized as the only one where regular flight conditions may be experienced.

Columbus boasted a number of industries during the mid-20th cen-tury, including the world’s largest toilet seat manufacturer, Sanderson Plumbing Products, and major mattress, furniture and textile plants. Most of these had closed by 2000. A series of new plants at the Gold-en Triangle Regional Airport, including the Steel Dynamics, Inc. mill, the American Eurocopterfactory, the Paccar engine plant and the Au-rora Flight Sciences facility, are revitalizing the local economy.

Columbus is home to a state university, the Mississippi University for Women. The MUW campus is also home to the Mississippi School for Mathematics and Science, a state-funded school for academically gifted high school juniors and seniors.

OUR COMMUNITY

Mississippi University for Women

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COMMUNITY LINKS• City of Columbus Web Site• Columbus Convention & Visitors Bureau• Columbus Dispatch Newspaper• WCBI DT-TV• Golden Triangle Development LINK

LOCAL SCHOOL LINKS• Columbus Municipal School District• Lowndes County School District• Heritage Academy• Columbus Christian Academy• Victory Christian Academy• Annunciation Catholic School• Mississippi University for Women• Mississippi State University• East Mississippi Community College

The Lowndes County School District operates three high schools—Caledonia, New Hope, and West Lown-des—fed by similarly named elementary and middle schools.The city’s public high school (under the Columbus Municipal School District) is Columbus High School, located in the eastern part of town. It is the largest high school in the city and fifth largest in the state. Columbus has several private schools, including: Columbus Christian Academy, formerly Immanuel Christian School (K-3 through 12); Heritage Academy (Christian, K-12); Annunciation Catholic School (Catholic, K-8); Victory Christian Academy (Christian, K-12); Palmer Home for Children (orphanage)

Columbus is bursting with a beautiful and di-verse selection of antebellum homes, many of which are open to the public. Those who en-joy splendid architecture should take part in the annual, award winning, Spring Pilgrimage. Usually held in March or early April of every year, the Pilgrimage offers historic carriage rides, and guides dressed in period garb, leading visitors through more than two-dozen historic homes.

Columbus also offers outstanding recreation. The Tenn-Tom Waterway dominates the area, offering excellent fishing, boating and water sport opportunities. Lake Columbus is known to offer some of the best bass fishing in the state, and hosts a number of fishing tournaments. Lake Lowndes State Park is situated around the gorgeous 150-acre Lake Lowndes. Several exceptional golf courses dot the region.

Tenn-Tom Waterway

COMMUNITY OUTREACH LINKS• United Way of Lowndes County• Columbus-Lowndes Habitat for Humanity• The Good Samaritan Medical Clinic• The Last House on the Block• Golden Triangle Boys & Girls Club• Palmer Home for Children

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COLUMBUS DEMOGRAPHICS

Education Level

Population Families

Cost of Living and Income

Unemployment Rate

Median Age

24,000

38.3 years

12.9%Race

White/Caucasian

Spanish/Hispanic/Latino

Black/African American

Other

18.69%31.64%HS Graduate

No HS Diploma

Bachelor’s Degree 8.69%

There are 9,615 occupied homes in Columbus, MS. 32.98% are husband-wife families. 22.32% are female led with no husband present. 35% of the population lives alone.

Cost of living is 2% lower than the MS average and 20% lower than the national average. 33.1% of Columbus residents live in poverty.

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LOWNDES COUNTY DEMOGRAPHICS

Education Level

Population Cost of Living and Income

Unemployment Rate

Median Age

59,710

36 years

6.5%

Race

White/Caucasian

Spanish/Hispanic/Latino

Black/African American

Other

13.7%29.4%

14.8%HS Graduate

No HS Diploma

Bachelor’s Degree

25% of the population lives in poverty. Cost of living is 4.8% lower in Lowndes County than the U.S. average. The annual average salary is $39,319. The median house value is $113,400. The median household income is $38,672.