The time has come for me to move on. June 5, 2016 is my last Sunday in Sault Ste. Marie, MI.
Or as C.S. Lewis put it in The Last Battle, "upward and inward!" God has called my wife and me to a new and exciting direction and ministry, taking care of my aged father.
I love this community. It's been a joy to be a co-founder of the "Family Arts and Crafts Family Fun Fair" which is part Engineer's Weekend (the last Friday and Saturday of June). Being a mediator has given me one form of blessing, or as Jesus said, "Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God." [Matthew 5:9] Being a referee for the local AYSO has been fun and challenging. My goal was to keep the players safe and allow them to enjoy the game of soccer.
I've spent 15 years at this church. If I had stayed one more year, I would have doubled up the previous two longest tenured pastors.
A parsonage was built and payed off. A garage was built thanks to anonymous donations from two families. Several fixes were made to the church building: a new metal roof, overhang/concrete, finally (after 20+ years) connecting to city sewage. The church is debt free.
But what I'm most excited about are the people who's lives have been changed by God, through His grace. Indeed, the blood of Jesus can cleanse us from all unrighteousness. There are too many to recount and memory is not able to keep track. So far this year we have had 4 baptisms and three professions of faith.
Maybe it's best that I finish this phase of my life (and blog) by suggesting that Christianity is fairly simple: love God and love others (all). If you want to know how to do that, read the Bible and do what it says.
Or as C.S. Lewis put it in The Last Battle, "upward and inward!" God has called my wife and me to a new and exciting direction and ministry, taking care of my aged father.
I love this community. It's been a joy to be a co-founder of the "Family Arts and Crafts Family Fun Fair" which is part Engineer's Weekend (the last Friday and Saturday of June). Being a mediator has given me one form of blessing, or as Jesus said, "Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God." [Matthew 5:9] Being a referee for the local AYSO has been fun and challenging. My goal was to keep the players safe and allow them to enjoy the game of soccer.
I've spent 15 years at this church. If I had stayed one more year, I would have doubled up the previous two longest tenured pastors.
A parsonage was built and payed off. A garage was built thanks to anonymous donations from two families. Several fixes were made to the church building: a new metal roof, overhang/concrete, finally (after 20+ years) connecting to city sewage. The church is debt free.
But what I'm most excited about are the people who's lives have been changed by God, through His grace. Indeed, the blood of Jesus can cleanse us from all unrighteousness. There are too many to recount and memory is not able to keep track. So far this year we have had 4 baptisms and three professions of faith.
Maybe it's best that I finish this phase of my life (and blog) by suggesting that Christianity is fairly simple: love God and love others (all). If you want to know how to do that, read the Bible and do what it says.
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