A Closed Chapter…
Posted on January 29, 2007
Filed Under Uncategorized
Yesterday the chapter closed officially on my twelve years of ministry at First Christian Church. The official end came 2 weeks after the practical end. I have been working at Mariners already for 2 full weeks and am starting to feel like I am getting up to speed on my new job. For those who may have not heard, I am now the Director of Communications for the Lighthouse & Global Outreach ministries at Mariners Church in Irvine.
During all my years of ministry I accomplished many things. Prior to joining the staff in any paid capacity, I served for 4 years in Children’s Church, I ran 4th & 5th grade camp for 3 years, and taught 2 year old Sunday School for many years as well. As was mentioned in services yesterday, my first paid position at First Christian Church was as the custodian for HCS and then the church. I am very proud of all the things that I did as the janitor. I took a lot of pride in my work and always did my best. I also learned a lot of life lessons from Art Andell which I still use today. However, since 1992, I have done a few other things, like ran lots of successful youth programs, transitioned youth ministry, founded a department, and brought fiscal disciple to it. I was part of the strategic planning team and was a key part of the crafting of the church mission statement. I participated in worship planning. I setup and maintained a very good computer network on a shoestring budget. I tried to bring a level of excellence to the communications ministry, even in the face of lots of pushback and roadblocks. Sadly, to the many who never knew of those accomplishments, I will always be that guy who used to be the janitor. I know that people who knew and loved me, know that there was more to me than that tired old joke. I know that my value comes from the service I rendered for Christ, not from the recognition of men. Mostly I know that yesterday confirmed for me that leaving First Christian Church was the best decision I could have ever made.
So now the chapter is closed. Today I stand and look to the future. I have a lot of exciting new challenges ahead of me and I am trusting that the Lord will lead me where He always wants me to do. I am thankful for the years the Lord let me serve at First Christian, and I pray that I will be able to maintain the friendships that were formed there. Finally, I thank God for moving in my life and in the life of my family in such a powerful way. It is always easier to stay where you are because it is comfortable and predictable, but the Lord is teaching me that it is better to trust and follow, because even though it is scary sometimes, the reward is worth it!
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