Twenty Years

Wow. October is here once again. This is pretty much the start of my favorite time of year: fall and winter. But this particular October is special for a number of different reasons, and I just want to share some of them with you over the course of this month. Once we get into November I hope to go back to some Bible-study-oriented posts, but for now, I want to take this time to share some thoughts with you concerning the special things that are going on here.

October 2007 is the 20^th anniversary of my church, Westwood Church of God in Ashland, KY. This is special to me because I was one of the "founding members" of the congregation, and now I have served as Senior Pastor of the church for the last six years (the anniversary of my installation as pastor was actually yesterday, September 30^th). I remember hearing as a child my parents and grandparents saying things like, "I've known them for 20 years," or "This happened 20 years ago." At the time I thought that twenty years was like an eternity and that the definition of forever was, "Anything 20 years or longer."

Now that twenty years of ministry is now behind us, I realize that it's not all that long at all. Over the last 20 years we have been able to reach a great many people and to have a positive impact on a number of individuals. This is not to say we've been perfect or we haven't had our share of troubles. In fact, we have had trial after trial. Of the original 13 members of the congregation, I am the only regular member left. Many people have come and gone over the years, some under not-so-pleasant circumstances. Close to 60 of our members have passed away over the years. Times have been rough, but times have also been miraculous.

Still, I want to share here what I did with my congregation yesterday (when talking about the sixth anniversary of my pastorate). It's not about me, and it's not about what has been. It's about what CAN and WILL be. I am grateful that I have been around to witness the wonder of God's hand in Westwood Church of God over these past twenty years. I don't know what the future holds, but I look forward to whatever He has in store in the years ahead.

My prayer for me and my church (and the prayer you, too, should have for yourself and your church) is that I and my congregation will continue to be open and willing vessels in the hands of Christ, and that He would work His will through us, that we might grow stronger in our faith and testimony, and that souls might be touched, healed, and saved through His work in us. The glories of the past are wonderful memories, but the prospects for the future are beyond imagination.

My thanks to the Lord and to those who have made and are making Westwood Church of God what it is today, and may God's will be always done in our little corner of the store.

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