I absolutely love my church.
When you start following God’s will for your life, be ready because it is an adventure. I have been blessed to have served at several different churches in about every context you can imagine. Two years ago Henderson Baptist Church in beautiful downtown Hickory Tavern, South Carolina, called me as their next pastor. The first year I would call a foundational year. Henderson was getting to know me, and I was getting to know Henderson (and Hickory Tavern). I really didn’t know what I was doing, but I focused on doing those things that I did know how to do: teach, preach, and pastor. I did have a healthy dose of fear. Fear that I would fail. Fear that the church would fail. Fear that I would be another in a long line of short-term pastors. At the end of my second year, about to start my third, it is starting to get fun! God is truly doing a miracle here at this church. People are getting saved and lives are being transformed. This year the church has started growing, both spiritually and numerically. This morning we had as many people in our morning worship service as we did at homecoming last year (without the fried chicken and poundcake!). Pretty soon we are going to have a space problem. It is fun when you see people bringing their friends and family to Christ. It is fun when I stepped into our ladies Sunday School class and they are apprenticing several different ladies to teach. It is fun when we just had a baptism and next week I get to baptize again. It is fun when I get to focus and do those things that God has called me to do (teach, preach, pastor) and let the church do everything else. It is freeing to focus on what God has called you to do and let Him and His people handle the rest.
I Love My Church, and I hope you do too!