September 2020
Pastor’s Column

Greetings beloved brothers and sisters,

I cannot begin to express just how happy Tina and I are at the opportunity God has bestowed upon us by placing us with all of you. It has been the answer to long, hard and sustained prayer — both yours and ours. And like so many things that are answers to prayer, the process has not always been smooth or without difficulty and frustration.

Certainly the year 2020 has provided all of us with large amounts of frustration and many detours from clear and untroubled journeys. But, in all of this, the Pastor Nominating Committee, the Session, the Deacons, the Trustees, Presbyterian Women, committees, teachers, and the membership have worked and prayed effectively to ensure that we are able to function safely and well. And let us not forget the work of David Watson, Jerry Mahaffey, Bob McCreight and Jeff Black in preaching and worship leadership.

I arrived to find a well-oiled, maintained and smoothly operating machine. And I am thankful to God for that.

Many churches both here and abroad have fared far more poorly than we because they have insisted upon their own “rights” to do things and have failed to properly and prayerfully plan for what is necessary and required to make things happen. We still have much work and much waiting to do and to endure in the coming weeks and months as this pandemic spreads and expands. Bio-scientists and physicians tell us it could be as much as a year before we are even close to a return to “normal life.” And even then, we will have to deal with economic constriction and recovery, racial tension and political stagnation and strife.

But, this is not the first time the Church of Jesus Christ has faced such catastrophes. Nor will it be the last time. We are charged by God with faithfulness not with success, and yet God’s faithfulness to us and to His covenant results in success, though not always in ways in which the world views success.

Let us continually strive to be loving, faithful to our God and outreaching to and interceding for our community as well as our family here.

Though I could go on for multiple pages, I will sign off for now. I’m too new yet as your pastor to know exactly what to say, but I do encourage you to come to me, call me, e-mail or just plain pop into my office and share with me your needs, desires, hope or complaints.

Many thanks to you all!

Grace & Peace in Christ Jesus our Lord
Pastor Rusty+