Celebrating the freeing, supportive presence of God. So your experience of God may become your experience of life. It is wonderful what God can do!

July 3, 2005

Good Morning!

Let us pray: We are your people and you are our God. You have asked us to gather in your name. We are here, Lord. You have promised that you will be here too. Speak to each of your people this morning and grant them your peace. Amen.

I am very pleased and happy to have been appointed here at First Church by our Bishop, Violet Fisher, and I am very eager to get to know each of you. In the United Methodist Church, we are called by God, affirmed during the process of education and ordination, and appointed to serve a church in ministry by the Bishop. As pastors, we are put to work for God wherever the need exists.

For me, obedience and responding to God's call began very early in my life. I was raised in a loving home where prayer and faith were a part of our daily life. I was faithfully prepared to hear the call of God in my life when it first came to me at the age of 16 but not fully mature enough to respond to it adequately.

I was drafted into the Army in 1968 and my faith was vastly tested when I received my orders for Vietnam in 1969. Although I was initially angry with God for not keeping me out of the war, I slowly came to realize that God wanted me to serve him even there. I was trained as a personnel specialist, but arriving at Cam Rahn Bay soon learned there were no openings at the brigade level. I was transferred to the group level of command and once again there were no openings Next came the battalion level and when informed of no openings, I assumed I was destined to be a company clerk.

God knew what I did not know. Within the course of an hour, those in charge of placing me returned and said that the Chaplain was in need of help and would I be interested? It was in that moment that I realized I had been led far into the war zone, but the hand of God was in it all along! Faith and trust in God gave me the strength I needed to survive the close calls of the next 12 months, returning me safely home.

I received the second call of God on my life seven years later, after having established a home and family of my own. This time, at the age of 29, I was mature enough to know what I had to do. With veterans benefits and four children, I cut back to part time work and went back to school full time. With God's help we were never left wanting.
I have served United Methodist churches now for 27 years and have sensed God's presence in each. I believe that I have responded to God's call to be here. I sense the responsibility of your care. I have met with a few of your congregational leaders and ministry teams and I have heard so many wonderful things about you, your work, and your commitment. I have also spent some recent time with your long-time pastor, Doug. We have amazed each other over how much we think alike. I can tell, through our conversations, how much he loves and cares for you.

He and I share that common bond whereby we have committed our lives to serving our beloved God-through Christ, who seeks us each day. As pastors, our mission is to pray, to teach, to preach, to offer the sacraments, to visit, and to respond in your various times of need. During this process, we naturally develop a strong, brotherly and Christian love for you. I do so look forward to our times together and our spiritual growth.

Like Abram and his wife, the Lord never stands still, he never ceases to challenge us to new heights, new experiences, and sometimes, new locations. It's that last part - new locations - that pastors are usually well acquainted with. I come from a church family accustomed to a new pastor about every five years, and yet I was privileged to serve these wonderful people for eleven years. Doug is one of the fortunate pastors who was privileged to serve you for twenty years.

This is why I stand before you this morning and Doug stands before the people of Geneseo with mixed bags of emotion. We both are eager to respond to God's call, to truly become a pastor of people who are new to us. But at this point, we find ourselves grieving for the loss of the people we have grown to love and know so well. Both you and I are in a grieving process. Our loss is very real. We have come to know and trust our pastor and our people, and were very comfortable working together. But then we hear the call of God, "Behold, I am calling you to a new thing."

As God closes a window, God always opens a new door. As we both cross over the threshold of that new door, we do so with feelings of uncertainty and cautiousness, and yet anticipation and eagerness- with an excitement that comes in meeting a new friend. We begin our journey together with the faith and trust that God is at the helm and overseeing our journey. With God's help, we can accomplish all things through Christ who strengthens us.

We are bold to proclaim that we are not without hope! We are the children of God, the devout friends of Christ, and the seekers of the Holy Spirit. Our every journey, our every endeavor, no matter how uncertain, no matter how challenging, is crowned with the victory that all things are possible with God! For in him, we will find our healing, our forgiveness, our abundant life and an even clearer vision of our mission. It is in this hope and in this strength that we begin.

My vision for you will develop as we pray and as I get to know you. As I hear your hopes and dreams, I am confident God will show us the way. In the meantime, keep doing what you're doing - stay faithful in your work because it is important to our spiritual health and that of our community.

I want to get to know you, an' so when I run out of invitations, you will probably be getting a telephone call from me. I am a hugger by nature, but will make every effort not to invade your personal space. I really look forward to our time together.

Let us pray.

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