10 Years! Wow. It is hard for me to believe that it has already been 10 years in our new church building. As we prepare for our celebration on Sunday, it's been interesting to look back at the photos from our first Sunday in this new building. Seeing many familiar faces who are still with us and many more who are home with the Lord. A lot can change in a decade!
I just want to reflect a bit on what this last 10 years has meant to me personally. I remember my first Sunday, we were still in the "old" church building on Bennetts Corners Road. My first official Sunday as the Youth Pastor at the church, was also my birthday. For being a brand new kid, fresh out of college, who no one at the church really knew - I received one of the friendliest receptions anyone could hope for. The church family was instantly so kind and loving. Even though I had been there for just 1 day, it felt like I had known these people for years already!
Moving to the new church building in November of that same year was very exciting! Everything was bigger, cleaner, newer, and there was so much anticipation for what the Lord would do. I remember sitting down with Pastor George and discussing what that first Sunday would look like. We had no idea what God was going to do. That first Sunday we had nearly 300 people in attendance! The choir loft was full, the auditorium was full, there was standing room only in the back! What a whirlwind that day was. At some point that week Pastor George, Pam & I went out to eat and we discussed how amazed we were at the response to that first Sunday. We knew it was a special Sunday and figured the "novelty" would wear off soon. But the Lord kept blessing, and many of the visitors who came that first week, kept coming back! Over these last 10 years one thing has been abundantly clear, that no matter who has come or gone, God placed us at this location at the right place and the right time. What a privilege it is to serve God's people in various seasons of life and ministry, and this new building offered us the opportunity to do that in abundance!
In 10 years so much has changed in my own life. I'm older, grayer, fatter, and hopefully just a tad bit wiser than I was 10 years ago! I came to this church as a single guy out of Bible College and now I'm married to my best friend and expecting child #2 in 8 weeks. In these last 10 years I lived in Pastor George's basement, an apartment, and now a house. 10 years ago I started here as the youth pastor, was eventually ordained, and now am serving as the Lead Pastor. A lot changes in a decade.
However, in the last 10 years, there's one thing in particular that hasn't changed: Christ's Bride - His Church. Regardless of all the changes in life and even certain aspects of church life, the reality of Christ's Church remains the same. Christ is our cornerstone. He is the foundation which the church is built on. The teaching and preaching of God's Word is the authority on which it stands. The gathering of God's people, saved believers in Jesus Christ, fosters a continual fellowship that stands the test of time. Praise God for the continual working of His Church and its immutable purpose established in His Word.
Seasons, ministries, titles, people, designs, and so much more has changed in the last 10 years. But thanks be to God that His plan, purpose, and program of the Church hasn't. May we be united by His unfailing Word, faithful fellowship, and sacrificial love. And to whoever reads this, thank you for your part in these last 10 years, may it continue for many more.
In Christ,
Pastor Johnson
