"And they said to him,‘Inquire of God, please, that we may know whether the journey on which we are setting will succeed.’” Judges 18:5
Grace and peace to you from God our Father and from our Lord Jesus Christ! Life is a journey. Whether it is our family life or the life of a congregation, that journey is never
in a straight line, but filled with hills and valleys, curves and new adventures. The journey of Apostles Lutheran has had many twists and turns over the last 2 years. First with the retirement of Pastor Jim, then the appointment of Pastor Judy as interim pastor, then the establishment of our call committee and the search for a new pastor, and finally with the departure of Pastor Judy as she moves to a new call in Baltimore. Now I have been asked to partner with you, as a Synodically Authorized Minister, on this final stage of your journey to calling a new pastor. I am honored and humbled to have the opportunity to serve God and to serve all of you in this role. Any journey is better when you know with whom you travel. Over the past 2 years I have gotten to know many of you, but I feel there are many who do not know me. So a brief history of your travel partner. I was born , too many years ago, in San Francisco. My youth and college years were spent largely in California. This is where I attended medical school, and most importantly, met and married Betsy, my wife of 36 years. In 1990, looking for a new adventure we moved to rural upstate New York where I practiced Family Medicine. It was there that we raised our 2 children Chris and Katie. It is also where I received my training through our ELCA conference to become a congregational/conference deacon. This allowed me to serve as a supply minister for congregations with pastoral vacancies. It was during this time that I realized that I loved preaching and leading worship as much as I did practicing medicine Three years ago having had enough of shoveling snow and 8 month winters, we again decided on a new adventure and moved to rural coastal Virginia. We couldn’t be happier with our choice of the middle peninsula. The countryside is beautiful, the people warm and welcoming and the Chesapeake, magnificent. It is also where we found Apostles Lutheran. A small congregation of amazing people. Grounded in God’s word, alive with the Holy Spirit and incredibly energized to do God’s work in the world far beyond the walls of our sanctuary. We had found our church home! I have loved being part of this church family over the past 3 years and I look forward to working with you to continue our growth and our ministry over the next few months as we await our new full time pastor. Now you know more about me, but I would love to hear more about your story and your journey. In addition to leading worship, I will be in town on Mondays and Thursdays. I would love to have you stop by, share a cup of coffee and get to know you better. We are on this journey together. I began this letter with a question posed in Judges. With Gods help and your spirit and energy, the answer is clear!
“For I know the plans I have for you,” declared the Lord, “plans to prosper you, and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.”
Jeremiah 29:11
Amen!
Pete
in a straight line, but filled with hills and valleys, curves and new adventures. The journey of Apostles Lutheran has had many twists and turns over the last 2 years. First with the retirement of Pastor Jim, then the appointment of Pastor Judy as interim pastor, then the establishment of our call committee and the search for a new pastor, and finally with the departure of Pastor Judy as she moves to a new call in Baltimore. Now I have been asked to partner with you, as a Synodically Authorized Minister, on this final stage of your journey to calling a new pastor. I am honored and humbled to have the opportunity to serve God and to serve all of you in this role. Any journey is better when you know with whom you travel. Over the past 2 years I have gotten to know many of you, but I feel there are many who do not know me. So a brief history of your travel partner. I was born , too many years ago, in San Francisco. My youth and college years were spent largely in California. This is where I attended medical school, and most importantly, met and married Betsy, my wife of 36 years. In 1990, looking for a new adventure we moved to rural upstate New York where I practiced Family Medicine. It was there that we raised our 2 children Chris and Katie. It is also where I received my training through our ELCA conference to become a congregational/conference deacon. This allowed me to serve as a supply minister for congregations with pastoral vacancies. It was during this time that I realized that I loved preaching and leading worship as much as I did practicing medicine Three years ago having had enough of shoveling snow and 8 month winters, we again decided on a new adventure and moved to rural coastal Virginia. We couldn’t be happier with our choice of the middle peninsula. The countryside is beautiful, the people warm and welcoming and the Chesapeake, magnificent. It is also where we found Apostles Lutheran. A small congregation of amazing people. Grounded in God’s word, alive with the Holy Spirit and incredibly energized to do God’s work in the world far beyond the walls of our sanctuary. We had found our church home! I have loved being part of this church family over the past 3 years and I look forward to working with you to continue our growth and our ministry over the next few months as we await our new full time pastor. Now you know more about me, but I would love to hear more about your story and your journey. In addition to leading worship, I will be in town on Mondays and Thursdays. I would love to have you stop by, share a cup of coffee and get to know you better. We are on this journey together. I began this letter with a question posed in Judges. With Gods help and your spirit and energy, the answer is clear!
“For I know the plans I have for you,” declared the Lord, “plans to prosper you, and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.”
Jeremiah 29:11
Amen!
Pete
