Changes and Gratitude by Nola Passmore

The beginning of each new year is a time to reflect and a time for change.  I’d like to do both of those things in this post, but let me start by announcing a change.  I’ve been the coordinator of Christian Writers Downunder for almost two years and it’s been a wonderful experience.  However, I’ve felt for awhile that God was directing me to take up some other opportunities and that it might be time to hand over the leadership.  I’m thrilled to announce that Jeanette O’Hagan (aka Jenny) has agreed to take over the reins.

Jenny will be familiar to you already, as she is the one who posts the blog links up every Monday and Thursday and has also been the driving force behind our first CWD anthology ‘Glimpses of Light’.  It’s been a blessing having her on the committee and I know she’ll bring a lot of energy, compassion, faith, wisdom and creativity to the coordinator role. One of the main tasks Jenny will be taking over is the coordination of the blog calendar.  I’d like to thank her for the tremendous help she’s been behind the scenes.  I’ve benefitted greatly from her expertise and friendship and I know she’ll do a brilliant job as coordinator.

I’d also like to thank our other committee member Anusha Atukorala for her incredible support and wisdom during the last couple of years.  Although CWD runs fairly smoothly, there has been the odd occasion where tricky issues were bubbling behind the scenes.  Anusha is a tremendous encourager and prayer warrior and I value all of the input she’s given.  One of her new tasks will be to introduce the blog posts on the Facebook page on Mondays and Thursdays.

I’ll still be on the committee, but we’ll be looking at adding another two or three people to the team. We’d appreciate your prayers as we think and pray about that.

I’ve learned such a lot in the last two years and it’s been a privilege to play a small part in facilitating a group involving such a wonderful bunch of writers, editors, illustrators, publishers and readers.

One of the things we did during my watch was to develop a mission statement for the group.  We decided that the main aims of the group were to:

• Glorify God in our writing
• Develop our God-given creative gifts
• Encourage other Christian writers and those in related fields

You can read a longer post about those aims here.

I think we’ve come a long way in working towards those goals.  I am continually blown away by the faith, talent, creativity and encouragement evident in the group.  We don’t always agree with each other, but I love the way we are able to discuss issues in a loving and respectful manner.  Each member is an important part of the whole and I appreciate all of your contributions. I’ve also valued the way in which we’ve been able to develop stronger links with the other Christian writers groups, particularly Omega Writers, Australasian Christian Writers and FaithWriters.  Thank you to the leaders of all of those groups for your enthusiasm and support.  We are truly stronger together than apart and I appreciate all of you so much.

I’d like to thank our previous coordinator Lee Franklin for entrusting me with the leadership and showing me the ropes. We wouldn’t have CWD if not for her initial vision.  I’d also like to thank our amazing bloggers.  I’ve really appreciated your willingness to step up and share your hearts and knowledge with us.  If you have some free time during the coming weeks, why not scroll back through some of the posts? We’ve had over 500 posts since CWD started in 2011, covering a wide variety of topics.  I am truly blessed by all of the amazing insights that have been shared and I look forward to that continuing for many years to come.

So what will I be doing?  I’ll be spending more time in face-to-face mentoring and workshopping opportunities, particularly with the Toowoomba branch of Omega Writers which I co-lead with Adele Jones.  I’ll also be putting more time into the freelance writing and editing business I run with my husband Tim (The Write Flourish) and I’ll be endeavouring to finish my novel.  I’m also currently enrolled in the Queensland Writers’ Centre online course ‘Year of the Edit’, so that will keep me busy.

I’m sure you’ll join me in welcoming Jenny as the new coordinator.  I know that the CWD ship will be in very good hands under her leadership.  You’ll hear more about her hopes and dreams for the group in Thursday’s blog post.

In concluding this season for me, I’d like to give the biggest vote of thanks to God.  He has guided us every step of the way and any good that has flowed from the group has come through Him.  There have been times when I felt I didn’t have the energy or ability to continue as the coordinator, but His strength and calm assurance has always been there.  Let’s keep Him first in our writing journeys and see what amazing things he has in store for us.

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Nola Passmore is a freelance writer who has had more than 150 short pieces published, including devotions, true stories, magazine articles, academic papers, poetry and short fiction.  She loves sharing what God has done in her life and encouraging others to do the same.  She and her husband Tim have their own freelance writing and editing business called The Write Flourish.  You can find her writing tips blog at their website:  http://www.thewriteflourish.com.au