Called Forward in Hope

Thank you for calling me to serve as the senior pastor at Grace. When I first came to Grace in February 2022, I couldn’t have guessed what our journey together would look like. And I can’t tell you what to expect now either, but I can share some of my thoughts about what it means to be in this diverse community of faith where I get to serve Christ and share the love of God.

For surely I know the plans I have for you, says the LORD, plans for your welfare and not for harm, to give you a future with hope. (Jeremiah 29:11)

These words are among my favorite ones in Scripture. Because God’s love for us is particular – it is for me and for you, this is the verse that I highlight in students’ Bibles when they receive their 3rd grade Bibles. May we always remember that God knows us before we even know ourselves, and God desires good for us.

When we, as a congregation, hear the prophet’s words, there is yet another meaning. Importantly, in this verse, as often happens in Scripture, the “you” is plural. Faith is always a community practice. It is always personal, but never private. God is creating a future for God’s people, and we are invited to participate together in bringing that future about, in bringing about God’s kingdom right here on earth.

I am convinced that we cannot do that Kingdom work without listening to God to hear where God is leading us.

We must name the ways our congregation is different from who we were in December of 2021, when the last senior pastor call process was beginning. Some of the obvious ways we are different can be identified by naming those who have died, those who have been born or baptized, and those who have joined the community in the last 4+ years. But we are also different because across the congregation, we are leading differently. The rostered leaders called to Grace are different today than in December of 2021, and in many ministries, the lay leaders have changed as well.

And then there is the geographical, physical place we call home. Not only have Henderson County and our neighboring counties experienced the normal everyday changes that affect any place over a period of years, but we also came through Hurricane Helene not quite two years ago. Every experience we have changes us.

In addition to looking at our people (who) and our place (where), part of the conversation we get to have now is about our work, answering, “How do we share the love of God?”

You may remember that a little more than a year ago, the Congregation Council approved a strategic plan, with the understanding that as we gathered teams to implement the five strategic goals, we’d discern which objectives were priorities and which objectives needed to change.

We need a clear picture of where we think God is calling us in our daily ministry before we can determine what the best model for staffing will look like. And we need to listen to God for that clarity.

We are different and that means we may hear God’s direction for us differently than we did before. Let’s listen together and let’s talk about what we’re hearing.

Will you join us in listening prayerfully for God’s direction for us all?

Watch for opportunities to join the conversation as the summer continues.