Happy New Year!
Another year has just gone by and a new one awaits us. What was 2014 like for you, and what will this year bring? At this time last year I never expected to be sitting at my desk here at Tenth Presbyterian Church in Philadelphia! I was starting my seventh year in North Carolina helping the new senior pastor adjust to his role. Little did we know in just a few months the Lord would begin the process of bringing Bev and me back to where we started!
As senior associate minister, my resolutions or goals for this year center on my role here at Tenth. In overseeing the staff my primary focus is pastoral. This focus addresses several levels, but my primary mode is to come alongside of them personally as well as professionally. I have been spending considerable time with both the administrative staff and the pastoral staff and have come away grateful for their fellowship as well as their partnership in the gospel.
The next goal would be to do the same with the officers at Tenth. I want to come alongside of these men who have such an important calling and to encourage them in their service. Yet, at the same time I want to be making sure they are keeping their eyes on Jesus personally as well as in their calling.
Finally, I want to meet many of you. I want to connect, encourage and learn from you as we face this new year together.
Through it all I want to resolve to keep my own heart in check with my Savior. I want to grow more in the grace and knowledge of Jesus and not take him for granted. Pray that I indeed would practice what I preach!
What about you? What do you want to pursue in this coming year? What lasting changes, by God’s grace, do you desire to pursue and accomplish? Over the next few weeks I’ll be suggesting some resolutions and ways to meet them. In the meantime, may the Lord bless you with a renewed vision of his love for you and for his church.
Tenth Highlight
I want to bring to mind some of our ministries that you might want to visit and especially pray for in the coming year. Today it is the ACTS ministry lead by David Apple. You might be somewhat familiar with it but have you visited it? It’s a unique and influential ministry that has a host of volunteers, who genuinely love and not simply pity our guests. Would you resolve to pray for this work and all involved? Perhaps even resolve to visit once this coming year.