Eighteen and a half years and counting . . .

The other day someone asked me how long I have been pastor here at Grace. When I responded with 18 1/2 years, their eyebrows raised in surprise as they said, "That's a long time!" Yes, it is a long time. According to the Barna Group, the average tenure of a senior pastor is about five years. So as you can see, it is no wonder the person with whom I was talking was surprised. This person then went on to ask me how much longer I was planning to stay. My answer, of course, was to say I will stay as long as God leads me to stay - which I might add, I hope is a number of years longer!

Grace has been a truly wonderful place to serve Christ. The people here are loving and growing in their faith walk. God has blessed us in many ministry endeavors over the years (to cite just one example - we have a unique partnership with Willow Valley Resort and Conference Center which allows us to demonstrate the love of Jesus to many people). The church staff consists of a gifted group of Christ-followers who love what they do. Our elders are godly men who desire to see us as a church fulfill our mission of developing our love for God, nurturing our love for others and addressing our world's need for Jesus Christ.

I could go on and on and on about how the Grace family is a great family. But let me wrap it up by saying this: There is no other place that I can think of where I would rather be serving Jesus Christ than right here! I love the people of Grace!

Thanks for stopping by . . .

pj