“I thank my God every time I remember you. In all my prayers for all of you, I always pray with joy because of your partnership in the gospel from the first day until now, being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.”
Philippians 1:3-6
On August 1, 2025, I will have been your pastor for two years. In many ways, it feels like just yesterday that I stood before you on Sunday, June 4, 2023, and preached my trial sermon. In other ways, it feels like I’ve been in this role for a long time. It is without a doubt the most fulfilling, tiring, exciting, engaging, etc. etc. etc. job that I have ever had.
Every Sunday morning, I get to stand behind what my preaching professor, Dr. Danny West, called thesacred desk. I do not take my responsibilities lightly as preaching the Word and pastoring our church are a high calling.
The picture above is my view from the pulpit. We have a beautiful sanctuary. I love going in there during the week, looking at the stained-glass windows, and taking a moment to be still. But there is one obvious thing missing from this picture—you. While our sanctuary is a fantastic space, it is not the Church. The word “church” is a translation of the Greek word ekklesia, which can be literally translated as “an assembly” or “called-out ones.” The Biblical meaning of church is not that of a building, but of people. YOU are the church.
You are the reason that these two years have been so incredible. What a journey of baptisms, weddings, baby dedications, funerals, mission projects, coaching youth sports, a major church birthday, Wednesday night activities, Fall Festivals, trips to Caswell, Sunday mornings, pastoral care visits, and lots of celebrations. And that doesn’t even include running into people at Ingles or at the Mexican restaurant.
The Apostle Paul thanked the Philippian church for their partnership in the Gospel. I thank you for your partnership in the Gospel—your partnership with me and the rest of our incredible church staff. We are in this partnership for the Gospel at a place called Poplar Springs Baptist Church. We have various roles that line up with our God-given talents and abilities. We work on mission together to grow the kingdom of God here in our corner of the world.
God has us here…for this season…for this moment…for this time.
We are just getting started church.
Prayer: God, we pray you lead us as a church and call us to move through Your Holy Spirit. In Jesus’ holy name we pray, Amen.