About a month ago I communicated with you the need to fill our Media Associate (Production Director) vacancy. Click here to see my February 7 post or simply scroll down to the previous post.
I am happy to notify you that we have hired Josh Guarneri as Media Associate (Production Director). Josh will begin his employment here at Calvary on Sunday, March 15. He will report to Chad Mason as Pastor for Mobilization and Worship.
Josh has been Production Director for Fielder Church (Arlington, Texas) East Campus since 2012 until now. He served as Production Coordinator for Dallas Baptist University from 2010 to 2012. He also served as media director for High Pointe Baptist Church, Cedar Hill (2011-2012) and Cockrell Hill Baptist Church, Dallas (2007-2011). He began his ministry in this area at Getsemani Baptist Church, Fort Worth as a sound engineer from a very young age. Josh holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Biblical Studies with a Philosophy Minor from Dallas Baptist University.
As you know, the Media Associate position has been vacant since November 15, when Jared Solis stepped down from this role. I asked Lorena Lozano to help us carry this ministry in the interim and she has done a phenomenal job for these four months. I am so grateful to Lorena for all she has done and for the spirit in which she has done it. Lorena has agreed to stay in her interim role through March 29 in order to ensure a smooth transition in this important ministry. The previous post has a link for the positions' job description.
As we have shifted to multiple worship leaders in each service, according to style and language, and as the supervision for the worship ministry is the responsibility of a pastor that has a dual assignment, the role of the Media Associate will be vital to the implementation of our worship ministry. This person will be a key central point of communication and execution of worship plans for Sundays and special events. This position became vacant after we had made significant reductions in our personnel so it is very important that it is filled so that the new reduced team structure can function adequately.
I am convinced that Josh is highly qualified for this position and is an excellent fit for our context and needs. Although I have the authority to hire support staff and associates, which I have done on more than one occasion, in this case I felt it was important to involve others in the decision. Recognizing that Josh is my son, I felt it was important to have input from key leaders in our church. I have sought the support of the pastoral staff that relates to worship, the personnel committee, and the coordinating council (chairpeople of all the administrative committees and deacons). They each have provided me with the support to make this hire and with wise counsel in this regard. (The Coordinating Council discussed it in my absence and communicated a unanimous general consent to move forward).
Please pray for Josh as he will be moving to the Valley the weekend of March 15 and as he begins this new ministry. May he be a blessing to our church and may our church be a blessing to him.
