Albany NY

It appears that we will be either planting a church north of Albany, Clifton Park area, or that we will be restarting the Albany Wesleyan Church. I have been having ongoing discussions with Pastor Paul James about ministry opportunities and it seems that we are centering in on Albany as the place that best suits our skill set and our ministry gifts.

This is welcomed news because Joan and I have been feeling led toward Albany from the outset. We just wanted to be sure that we were not telling God or telling the district what to do. When Pastor Paul called to say that his heart was leaning toward Albany my spirit just leapt because I sincerely believe that God has a work for us to do in Albany. I see the many, many houses and many more lives and I can just imagine God reaching to family after family. I can just see kids who hear about their heavenly Father for the first time, teens who recognize their value in the Kingdom of God, and parents who come to understand Biblical principles for marriage, family, finances and relationships.

Last week I came across this scripture and I have received it as God's call upon my life.

'I am sending you to them to open their eyes

and turn them from darkness to light,

and from the power of Satan to God,

so that they may receive forgiveness of sins

and a place among those who are sanctified by faith in me.'

Acts 26:17b-18

Please pray with us as we move to Albany in late June and July and then take the next weeks and months to prepare for a church to open. We have never gone into this exact kind of situation and we know that we will need your prayer support. I believe that the call God has given us is to invest ourselves in this region long-term. In time I pray that we will be able to sister other churches throughout the Albany region and toward Boston.

Please pray specifically that we and the Eastern New York Wesleyan District officials will have a clear understanding of whether we should plant or re-start.