Next steps in ministry

As I mentioned in my previous post this past Sunday night (July 12, 09) was pretty challenging. Earlier in the day I had done my first circuit with the churches I am pastoring now, and I was sitting considering what had happened and wondering what to do next. It is pretty evident that the churches cannot continue on with only 19 people at their services. All kinds of ideas began to rush in and out of my head - different ways to try to attract attenders, ways to help the churches become healthy, questions about whether I was capable of being what these churches needed me to be, etc.

As I was spinning ideas and questions I realized that, on my first day, I had already hit the wall, ouch!! - that was pretty quick. I felt paralyzed by the amount of need, and my inability to meet that need on my own. In my mind I vacillated between faith and fear for quite a while. Then quietly and slowly I began to remember that God had called me to this ministry and that all He needed was for me to be obedient to His leadings. A strange and unreasonable peace began to sweep over me. This was God's ministry, and if I stayed true to what He led me to say, think and do He would be glorified through my efforts. The results may not be understood by those in the churches, in the district, or in my personal life, but that is not the issue. The issue is if I did what God told me to do - period!

I called the family together, we went for a walk along the Hudson, and then we loaded in the car for a sightseeing ride near the Vermont border. We saw some beautiful lakes, wildlife, vacationers and many other wonderful sights. At one point in the ride we came to the top of a hill and I realized that we could see the Adironacks on our left and the Green Mountains of Vermont on our right. We stopped and just stared in awe at what God had created. We were so small in the vastness of His creation. He had created such order, beauty, detail and majesty. As I sat there I was reminded of my conversation with God earlier that evening. I am simply a small part of what God is doing in the world. My role is like a rock on a mountain or a tree in a forest - seemingly insignificant but extremely valuable if done right and added to the efforts of others.

Finally Settling In . . .

Thanks for all your prayers. Our lives are finally settling down and we are settling in to our new home and our new ministries. Joan and I are tired of seeing boxes, moving boxes, packing boxes, unpacking boxes - tired of anything having to do with boxes.

Our new home is in a rural setting. The nearest store of any kind is about five miles away, and 'real' shopping is at least twelve miles away. It really slows us down from making any 'impulse' purchases. It is helping us to simpify our lives in many ways, the pace is slower for everything and there are some advantages to that.

Jake has a BB gun, an assortment of knives and chopping tools and he is in country boy heaven. Our nearest neighbor is about a quarter mile away so he can pretty much do whatever he would like in the stream and the woods around us.

Julia is playing with her cousin Sarah regularly so she has not had time to miss her friends from Horseheads - yet. She is outside a lot playing with her cousin and our dog Katie.

We held our first services yesterday morning - first at Fort Miller Wesleyan at 8:30 am and then at Chestertown Wesleyan (Northway Community Fellowship) at 11:00 am. There were 19 people at each service. Jon Wixson came up for the weekend to meet everyone and he participated in the services. Jon and I shared a skit under the name "The Sons of Thunder". The services went well and I was encouraged to find a warm welcome from both congregations.

In my next post I am going to share about the emotions I went through Sunday evening. It became evident right away that the Evil One wanted to knock me out, but God is good and good things are coming.

Father, Father Her

Father, Father Her

By James Swanson
Written and sung for Jocelyn on her wedding day, June 20, 2009

I'll never forget the day you were born
I was such a proud father
You were so tiny and frail full of possibilities
Suddenly I felt overwhelmed and scared
How could I care for such a precious life
I asked my father to give me wisdom
So that I could be the father you needed me to be

Father, father her - your love is greater than mine
Creator, keep on making her - in your design
Take her now - I commit her to you
No stronger hands could hold her
Watch over my little girl

The minutes turned into hours,
then days and months and years
you blossomed like a flower
brimming with personality
beauty shining from ear to ear
It became evident that you stand apart from the crowd
To whom much is given much is required

Father, father her - your love is greater than mine
Creator, keep on making her - in your design
Take her now - I commit her to you
No stronger hands could hold her
Watch over my little girl

So we are standing here now
You are on the edge of a brand new life
God has sent you the perfect life-mate
Although it might not always seem that way
Together you'll grow and flourish
Together God will use you to touch lives
You are in your Father's hands now

Father, father her - your love is greater than mine
Creator, keep on making her - in your design
Take her now - I commit her to you
No stronger hands could hold her
Watch over my little girl

Father, father her
Father, father her

Hard to Believe Jocelyn Is Getting Married

It is hard to believe that Jocelyn is going to get married today. What makes it extra hard to believe is that five-year old Julia is running around the house singing, asking questions and being very excited about life. I keep on mistaking Julia for Jocelyn, and remembering Jocelyn as 'Little Miss Big Hair' like when she was a little girl. So in a strange way Julia makes it seem like Jocelyn is still five-years old and there is no way that she is getting married today.

But she is not five, she is nearly twenty-one and she is getting married today. We are so proud of her for who she has been and who she is becoming. We trust that Jon is just the right man for her in God's plan for both of their lives. Jon is an intelligent, Godly, gentle, analytical person who is the perfect complement to Jocelyn's vibrant personality.

Julia's wedding day will come soon enough and by that time I might be confusing grandkids with Julia, who knows. I just thank God for each of our children - Jocelyn and Jon, Joshua, Jacob and Julia - and I recommit each of them to their Father's care.

Specific Needs at the Chestertown Church

The NCF (Northway Community Fellowship) church has some specific needs that need to be addressed. If you know of a way you could help please let me know.

The building has several physical issues - unfinished rooms, exterior siding issues, a new sign out front, some water issues from ice and snow, etc. In mid-August a skilled work team of 8-10 will be coming from the Lisbon Wesleyan Church to spend most of a week working on the church building. There is plenty for them to do as you can tell from the preceding list. We need to pull together a work plan for them and supplies for them to use.

First, we need someone who would help us assess what needs to be done and help us gather the right materials for the workers to use. I would like to start working with this person the second or third week of July so that we are well-prepared for the work team.

Second, the church needs help to pay for the materials. We will know how much our total cost will be after someone helps us to assess the materials we will need. My guess would be that we will need more than $2,000 in materials.

If you can help in either of these ways please contact me and I will let you know what the next step would be.

Email: backinaday@gmail.com
Phone (until June 25th): 607-739-9915
Phone (after July 6th): 518-695-3766

Thank you so much for your prayers . We can't wait to 'see what God is doing' in and through NCF.

Thanks for praying for the meetings!

We had three meetings on Thursday and they all went very well. It was a full day but it was worth it. Joan and I got to know several people from the Fort Miller and Chestertown churches, and we had a great time talking to Pastor Brian Bartow who has been interim pastor at the NCF (Northway Community Fellowship) church in Chestertown for the past four months.

It became evident right away that both churches care about souls and that God is opening up ways for the churches to grow, become more solid, and touch lives. What a great opportunity!

The Fort Miller church will meet for Sunday service at 8:30 AM and then we will travel up to Chestertown and hold a service at 11 AM. During the week NCF has Family Night on Thursday nights and we are hoping to have a weekday late morning prayer meeting at the Fort Miller church. From there we will see where God leads.

Upcoming Meeting

Dear Prayer Team,

Joan and I will be traveling to the Albany area next Thursday, June 11. We will have a meeting at 1 PM with the members of the Fort Miller Wesleyan Church. We will get to know them and they will be able to get to know us a bit. We will also discuss some of the options for the direction of the church and then discuss service time options. Then at 6 PM we will be meeting with the Northway Community Fellowship members in Chestertown. We will have a very similar time with them.

Please be in prayer for these meetings

1) Pray that I will know what questions to ask and what statements to make that will assure them of our dedication to the Kingdom of God and to their church.

2) Pray that we will mutually decide upon service times that work for both churches. This is a really big deal. We desire for both churches to be viable and growing. Since the churches are about an hour apart this will make Sunday moring scheduling very important and tough.

3) Pray that we all sense the presence of the Holy Spirit as we discuss and decide some big issues. When the meetings are done my prayer is that we will all know that God is leading each church in the right direction for this time and place.

Thanks for caring and praying.