Twenty-eight years and very grateful!

In three days, on November 5^th, twenty-eight years ago, Anne and I were voted in as the pastor and wife of the Bacon’s Castle Church family.  I was young—twenty- seven years old—very idealistic and hopeful.  I’d like to believe I still am but I know all these years have tempered me with a dose of realism.  It’s hard for me to believe that I’ve lived longer in Surry than all other places combined.

                                                                                                                           

Shepherding and leading at Bacon’s Castle has been one of the greatest joys of my life, though it’s not always been easy.   I have often felt overwhelming gratefulness fill my heart for the privilege that’s been mine.  As I was reflecting over these many years, I wanted to tell you some things for which I’m very grateful.

I guess personally, I’m most grateful to God and to you for the friendships and relationships that He has given me over my years of serving.  For almost three decades I’ve walked alongside some men and women who have become as close to me as brothers, sisters, and friends can become.   Thomas Aquinas said, “There is nothing on earth to be more prized than true friendship.” There is little for which I am more grateful than you my friends, my family.

As I reflected on being your pastor all these years, gratefulness for how you’ve loved and treated my family overwhelms me.  You’ve loved my Anne and my kids—my family.  You’ve treated them as your own.  Many of you have invested time and training in their lives.  You’ve prayed for them, supported them in their endeavors-- from high school sports, to college, to careers.   I think some of you have loved them as much as Anne and I have!

I’m grateful for how you’ve followed my leadership.  I wish I were a stronger and better leader—I think our church might reflect that today if I were.  But what leadership gifts I do have, you have supported and nurtured.   In the early years, when I was young and you didn’t know me, we had some struggles.  And, not that along the way we’ve never had any others; but mostly over the years you’ve trusted my heart, and that will always mean more to me than I can ever express.  

This is humbling to admit, but I’m thankful for all the times you’ve forgiven me when I’ve dropped the ball or let you down.  In these last twenty-eight years I’ve had plenty of chances to mess up, even hurt you, and far too many times I’ve done just that but yet, so many of you have stood by me, forgiven me, and even encouraged me nonetheless.  Anne alluded to it the other Sunday when she shared, but the hardest part for me as a pastor has been to watch people leave our family for this reason or that.  I’m sure that some have legitimate grievances with me—my sin may have hurt them—but so many of you have not let that deter us or destroy our love or our church family.   You’ve pardoned me and loved me and I’m grateful for that forgiveness.

I could definitely go on with this, for there is so much more that makes me grateful as I think of Bacon’s Castle.  Your love for our guests when they come, your love for children and your desire to be a church committed to God’s Word and His Will are just a few of the things that make me thankful.   But when I think back over the last twenty-eight years I’m so very grateful to God for the opportunity He’s given me to have a part in what He’s been doing in your lives.  God has given me the privilege of leading some of you to know and trust Christ, and those opportunities came to me because I am a pastor—not all of them but many of them.  He’s given me the chance to pour my life into many of yours, to help you learn and grow in your walk with Jesus.   As a pastor, He’s allowed me to be there and cry with you when it hurts and laugh with you when the joy is overwhelming.  It’s a privilege for which I’ll always be thankful to Him.

People often ask me if I’ll stay here with the Bacon’s Castle family until I die.  That I don’t know.  Who knows, there may come a time when you and I think it is best that I step aside from being a pastor.  But this I do know, no matter what the future holds, I’ll always be grateful for this privilege that’s been mine.