Search Results

Did you miss the announcement regarding Damascus Road's new interim senior pastor? Watch now!

The Elders are pleased to announce the appointment of Associate Pastor Mike Bernoi to interim Senior Pastor in accordance with Damascus Road bylaws. In the spirit of shared leadership, Mike will be partnering with our Executive Director, Jason Earle, to lead our staff and day to day operations of the church, under the oversight of the Elders. Our shared teaching approach and shared leadership teams will continue. Going forward, our leadership team will be assessing leadership structures as we prepare for pastoral hiring this year. For additional details, you can access the following documents: 1) Interim Senior Pastor job description, 2) Mike Bernoi's bio, 3) Interim org structure. If you desire to speak with an Elder or the Executive Director regarding any of these leadership transition, please fill out this form. Please pray for Mike and the Damascus Road leadership team as we move forward in this new season. We’re grateful for your support and prayers!

The following letter was emailed to the congregation on March 31 as a followup: Dear Damascus Road Family, As we approach Easter, we are reminded that we serve a God who specializes in bringing about new life in the midst of heartache and pain. While we are deeply saddened and are processing the resignation of our Senior Pastor, Rajendra Pillai, we wholeheartedly believe that God is faithful and that He is working for good; He is healing and growing His church through this transition. We want to thank you for your questions about Rajendra’s resignation and the future plans of DRCC. We have posted responses to the most “Frequently Asked Questions” on the website at damascus.com/updates , and we also invite you to reach out should you wish to connect with one of the Elders to schedule a 20 minute phone call or Zoom meeting to ask any additional questions that you might have. One very commonly asked question and answer that we would like to highlight is about the leadership structure at DRCC. There are multiple leadership circles that collaborate and work in concert with one another. During his time as Senior Pastor, Rajendra wisely established a Pastoral Leadership Council that is responsible for overseeing the day-to-day operations and ministries of DRCC. This team includes: Mike Bernoi, Associate Pastor of Adult Congregation Jason Earle, Executive Director Paul Foss, Pastor of Outreach and Men’s Ministry Roger Record, Pastor of Youth and Missions Michael Yudt, Director of Children’s Ministry The Pastoral Leadership Council functions under the purview of the Elders and in close collaboration with the Trustees and DRCC staff. Leadership at Damascus Road continues to be characterized by our emphasis on shared leadership and shared teaching. Thus, the Elders, Trustees, and Staff continue to be energized and aligned around our mission to proclaim Christ and present everyone mature in Him! (Colossians 1:28) Another question that has emerged is “How can I support the leadership of DRCC during this season?" We are deeply grateful for the heart of this community to serve and to be the body of Christ as we join together to pursue God’s will for DRCC through... Prayer: Join us in prayer for God’s wisdom as we continue with our theme of “HEAL” in the context of our vision to be a “Community of Light by the Power of the Lord Jesus Christ."...because every time we pray, something happens! Service: We thank you for serving in DRCC Ministries! We are all equally ministers of Christ, and your gifts and talents are invaluable to our community! The Easter season brings many unique opportunities to serve, and you can learn more at damascus.com/easter. Stay tuned for more opportunities to serve in the coming weeks and months! Love: John 13:35 offers this insight, “By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.” In Philippians 2:1-2 Paul offers this: “Therefore if you have any encouragement from being united with Christ, if any comfort from his love, if any common sharing in the Spirit, if any tenderness and compassion, then make my joy complete by being like-minded, having the same love, being one in spirit and of one mind." Ephesians 4:3 calls us to “Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace.” We take counsel from Paul in 2 Corinthians 13:11, “Finally, brothers and sisters, rejoice! Strive for full restoration, encourage one another, be of one mind, live in peace. And the God of love and peace will be with you.” As always, please reach out to us anytime at damascus@damascus.com. We look forward to connecting with you at our weekend services. As we move forward together, we will share updates about DRCC ministries along with news about our formal search for additional Pastoral staff. We are deeply grateful that you are part of the Damascus Road family—thank you for allowing God to work in you and through you in this community! Let’s continue to draw near to Him together at the foot of the cross this Easter season and beyond with great anticipation of what God will do next! With much love, The DRCC Elders, Brian Deyaert, Acting Lead Elder Glenn Vonk, Acting Secretary Mike Bernoi, Associate Pastor of Adult Congregation Paul Foss, Pastor of Outreach and Men’s Ministry Roger Record, Pastor of Youth and Missions Michael Yudt, Director of Children’s Ministry Eric Closs, Elder Blake Dunlevy, Elder Amanda Morgan, Elder Michelle Rader, Elder Glynn Thompson, Elder

We know that you may have questions during this period of transition. We are here to help you answer some of those. Please complete this form to request a 20-minute phone/zoom meeting with one of DRCC's Elders/Senior Leaders.

Letter to the Congregation from the Elders As shared in the worship services on Sunday, March 19, it is with deep sadness that we announce that Pastor Raj Pillai, after much prayer, has discerned that his season at Damascus Road has come to a close. While we grieve his decision, we fully support both him and his family as they enter into a new season. Rajendra has faithfully served on staff for close to 19 years and will be deeply missed. His last day is April 8, 2023. If you missed the service, we strongly encourage you to watch it here (the Elder statement is at the 39:30 mark): Continue to pray for the Pillai family, our leadership circles and the Damascus Road community. While we grieve, we’re also trusting that with Jesus, the best is always yet to come. Grateful to be on this journey together as we proclaim Christ and help everyone become mature in Him. (Col. 1:28-29)