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Community Corner

Local Church Welcomes New Pastor

Chapel of the Cross welcomes Pastor Derek Duncan.

After a two-year search, voted unanimously on Sept. 26 to invite Pastor Derek Duncan to be the new Lead Pastor.

Though young by New England standards, Chapel of the Cross recently celebrated its 50th anniversary, with four years in their current Flanders Road location. Now the membership counts the days until their new pastor arrives.

Duncan and his family will move to the area sometime in November, and he begins preaching this month as well. He said, “I can’t wait to learn about New England and live in a place of such beauty. I plan to ask a lot of questions and absorb all I can.”

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Duncan has pastored churches in Oklahoma City, Washington State and most recently, a large urban church in Indianapolis. He said, “Until now, I had only been to Boston once 23 years ago. But through some unusual circumstances, God made it clear He was up to something here.

“I loved our church in Indianapolis and was humbled by all God accomplished there. However, we have a responsibility to continue to listen and follow His voice, even if it means leaving a place of comfort and love. So my wife and I stepped out in faith and began to pray about where God might be leading.” That place turned out to be Westborough.

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Elder Paul Christensen said, “The first thing you notice about Derek is that he is very genuine. He has a passion for the community and for thinking about how faith affects our daily lives and our interactions with others.”

"I'm really looking forward to Derek's heart for people,” said church elder Jamie Louixeaux. “He’s a gifted communicator, able to take complex things and make them simple to understand.”

Duncan said, “I’m hopeful about discovering the needs of the community and meeting them, just making a difference in the place where we live. I want it to be clear that we love Jesus Christ, and our love for Him makes us want to do good things for others.”

Chapel of the Cross began with five familes meeting for Bible study in 1961. Fifty years later, it’s a church of over 400. Charter memeber Mary Clinkscale said, “We couldn’t have imagined in those days that we’d be a church this large and healthy now. It feels good to be moving forward, but that’s part of our legacy, moving and changing. We’re a better congregation for it, staying open to the new.”

And something new is just around the corner. For more information, visit the Chapel of the Cross website.

 

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