Introducing our New Creative Arts Pastor

Starting this Monday, CFCOG will welcome our newest staff member, Aaron Schwindt.  I have known Aaron now for a couple of years and let me just say that he is the real deal.  Here’s a little bit of background info so you can get to know him better and the role he will be playing:

• Aaron is a twin.
• His brother Alex is also a worship pastor.
• Aaron is married to Ashleigh and they have two kids…Chloe (7) and Colin (3).
• Aaron first started serving in worship ministry back in 1989 and since that time has been in numerous bands, owned a recording studio as well as served on staff at churches throughout the country.
• Aaron and I first met in 2006 when I did some consulting at the church where he previously served.
• I was very impressed by not only his musical talents, but even more so by his video producing/editing skills and his genuine love and care for the teams he leads.
• When I stopped consulting there to come on staff at CFOCG, we vowed to stay in touch and dreamed of a day that we might possibly be able to work together again.
• In the past 2 years he has been guest worship leader for us twice, he helped produce and edit some video’s for us and he; consulted for, helped design and helped install our lighting system at United.
• He and Ashleigh are both huge fans of what’s been happening at CFCOG, the past few years, so not only is he a known hard worker to us, but our vision is something he fully embraces.
• After an extensive search, the hiring team of Senior Pastor Earl Mills, Galen Bricker, Ray Hughes, Sam Kauffman and Cathy Puhl decided that no one fit the job description better than Aaron and that we’d be foolish not to offer him the position.
• I couldn’t have been happier!  While we have a great team at United, we are burning some people out and we have some people filling roles that they are not best gifted for…long term Aaron will help to ease that pressure and tension.
• Short-term though we may not see a lot of him.  We have hired him to oversee the Creative Arts for the entire church and we’ve all decided that the first priority is to get the Sanctuary services running at a higher level.
• This will not mean a change in style so much as it will to do things in a more effecient and excellent way.  Aaron’s main task will be to train teams of people for both the onstage and behind the scenes roles that take place there.
• Intially for United he will help with some of the behind the scenes stuff that takes place during the week and will help me with brainstorming for creative ways to communicate the main point in each week’s Experience.
• Long-term as teams in the sanctuary are firmly in place, we will see Aaron take on a more visible role as the worship leader on Sunday mornings for United.
• In all our entire church will be a much better place because of the entire Schwindit family being a part of it.
• Please make Aaron, Ashleigh, Chloe and Colin feel welcome in the next few weeks as they make the transition into our and now their church family.