Village Church Lead Pastor Candidate

Pastor David Gieseand his wife Sally

Brief Resume...

Education Master of Theology by Research (in Homiletics), The University of Edinburgh, 2016 Master of Divinity, Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary, 2015 Bachelor of Arts in Pastoral Ministry, Moody Bible Institute, 2012

Current Vocational Ministry and Academic Experience Assistant Pastor, Executive Staff - Judson Baptist Church in Oak Park, IL Assist in preaching, executive leadership, administration, and care in a multiethnic church of 200 on a staff of six

Adjunct Professor (Preaching), Moody Bible Institute, Chicago, IL Prepare course material and teach homiletics to an undergraduate class of 10-16 students

A letter to Village Church...

To Village Church,

As my wife, Sally, and I become more and more familiar with your story, we are becoming more and more in awe of God and his faithfulness to and through you. Christ was preached during your first Easter Sunday service on April 3, 1983 and— 1,893 Sunday services later—the gospel continues to advance. As Sally and I learn of the Lord’s providence you have lived over the past 36 years, there is no other response more fitting than to proclaim, “To God be the glory!” Sally and I add our voices to the choir of praise for God’s sustaining grace to you all.

This is why I am simultaneously humbled and delighted to engage in the candidating process with you. For over a decade, the Lord has put it on my heart to preach the gospel and serve as a pastor. God’s call on my life has been sharpened and affirmed through my years both in training and in ministry. Appreciating the magnitude of this historic moment in the life of our family and in the life of Village Church, Sally and I have soaked this journey in prayer and godly council. To our delight, we have experienced an increasing sense of confirmation and excitement over the several months leading up to today.

If we could stand in the future and look backward on the next several decades of gospel-ministry, it is my prayer that we would have no other response more fitting than to proclaim, “To God be the glory!” The world needs the gospel today just as desperately as it has needed the gospel in the past. It is my prayer that Christ would continue to do something so great through Village Church that only God could take the credit. This is why Sally and I are humbled and honored to candidate as the lead pastor for the next season of scripture-saturated, gospel-centered ministry. We want you all to know our prayer is with you and for you. As we all take bold steps of faith together into a new season of ministry, may God draw us closer to himself and closer together.

For God’s glory, the gospel’s advance, the growth of Christ’s people, and the good of the world!

Pastor David

Proverbs 3:5-6

About David...I grew up in northern Minnesota as a pastor’s kid in a loving family of six. My childhood was filled with hunting, friendships, fishing, school, water sports, and treasured time with family. Little did I know then, but the Lord’s call on my life would lead me from a small town in Minnesota to live in several world class cities like Chicago, Boston, and Edinburgh, Scotland! I have loved every season.

During my high school years I sensed a call to ministry and an increasing love for the local church and the preaching of God’s Word. The Lord sharpened this sense of calling during my time training for pastoral ministry at Moody Bible Institute, Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary, and The University of Edinburgh. I currently serve as the assistant pastor of Judson Baptist Church in Oak Park, IL and adjunct instructor of preaching at Moody Bible Institute. I am grateful to God for the countless ways in which he has used mentors, family, friends, and ministry experiences to shape my life.

I started praying for my wife five years before I met Sally. When I first saw Sally, I quietly sensed the Lord saying that this was the one. We met in the college ministry at Moody Church and were married four years later at Moody Church. We spent our first year of marriage living in Scotland while I completed a masters degree. I thank God (every day) for the gift of a wonderful wife and best friend in Sally. We currently live in the Logan Square neighborhood of Chicago and our deep dish pizza allegiances are with the large, pepperoni & sausage with spinach, extra cheese, and extra sauce from Pequod’s Pizza in Lincoln Park.

About Sally...I grew up in Chicago in a family of five. I have fond childhood memories of playing with my two older sisters, reading parties while surrounded by books sprawled out on the floor, rollerblading by Lake Michigan, exploring Chicago, eating deep dish pizza, and the camaraderie that came while making meals together. Our day would always end with time spent in family prayer and God’s Word. Little did I know then, but my parents’ love for the Lord was being etched in my heart, which would later drive me to give my life to Jesus and serve him.

I attended Loyola University in Chicago and majored in Elementary Education. I currently teach Kindergarten on the West Side of Chicago. My time spent teaching has been fruitful and a desire to support and train teachers is budding. I am prayerfully considering furthering my education by pursuing a masters degree.

I prayed that God would show me the man whom I would marry, one week later I met David. The moment David and I met, I too had a quiet thought in my heart that this might be him. Four years later, we were married. I thank God he provided David as my husband. The more I think of God’s sovereignty in the big picture, the sweeter it is to know he even cares about the details of our stories. We enjoy spending unhurried time with each other while riding our tandem bike, watching movies, and savoring the joys of everyday life.

1319 N. Hunt Club Rd. Gurnee, IL l 847.244.6606 l vcgurnee.org

Candidating Schedule for David Giese...

Wednesday, September 11 10:30am Meeting with Staff 6pm College-age, Singles, Young Couples Pizza Dinner - childcare provided

Thursday, September 12 10-11:30am Seniors (60+) Gathering

Friday, September 13 6:30pm All Church Dessert Gathering w/ David & Sally - childcare provided

Saturday, September 14 10am Mid-life and Empty Nester Couples Gathering

Sunday, September 15 9am David preaches at Village Church 10:45am David preaches at Village Church 12:30pm Lunch with Elders & Wives

Sunday, September 29 Membership votes on calling David Giese as our new Lead Pastor

Preaching Link...

judsonoakpark.com/sermons

To hear some sermons from Pastor David Giese go to the address above...scroll down to the Media Archive section...click on the box titled Speaker and type in David Giese and click Enter...his sermons will pop up just below...click on the box of the sermon you want to listen to and then click to play.