This past Sunday, we shared in a wonderful experience:  the installation of Mt. Haley’s new pastor, yours truly.  I’ve never been “installed” before, since this is the first church I’ve pastored.  From my perspective, it was a exciting, humbling, and beautiful time.  But now the question that begs to be asked is this:  Now what?

Now, we keep doing what we’ve been doing.  I will keep learning about you, your family relationships, your histories, and so forth.  There’s still so much I have to learn!  But all the while, I will be thinking and praying about how the ministries of Mt. Haley Church of God can be strengthened and improved, both inside and outside the church building.

But that’s not all.  Now, we get up and go.  Now, we start moving forward together.  Now, the pulpit committee’s work is complete, and the entire congregation should come together to do the work that God has called us to do.

I think this might be like getting a new kitchen appliance or workshop tool:  you do your research, make your selection, bring it home, take it out of its packaging, and test it out for a few minutes.  But once you install that appliance or tool, then you start using it all the time; it becomes part of your everyday activities.  Now that I’ve been installed as your pastor, it’s time for this relationship to become something that is beneficial to you and the congregation’s work on a regular basis.  But that requires just as much input and work from you as it does from me – no appliance or tool can operate by itself!

In Acts 9, we read the story of Saul’s call from God and how he was struck blind on the road to Damascus.  When that blinding light appeared, Saul’s first thought was, “Who are you, Lord?”  The Lord answered him, but then he immediately challenged Saul to “get up and go,” so that the Lord could use him fully for the work of the kingdom.  May the Lord give us all the same challenge now that the installation of Mt. Haley’s new pastor is complete.

–Pastor David

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