I write now to update everyone on a significant time in our lives. In short: we’re moving to Portland, Maine!
Of course the back story is much longer than that, so allow me to give you a few details. About a year ago I (Bob) began to wonder if I should pursue another line of work (I’m a computer programmer), perhaps in Christian ministry. For the past couple years God has grown in our hearts a desire to serve him more and more, specifically in outreach and evangelism through the local church. If you know me well, you know that this is not something I am prone to do, but as we prayed, God used us in small and big ways and grew our desire to serve him more.
So we started to pray and seek wisdom from others. I was then given opportunities to participate in more ministry at our church, specifically preaching Sunday morning sermons. The Lord blessed that time and much to our amazement we felt a stronger call to such work, and perhaps toward pastoral work. God so orchestrated various events that it became clearer and clearer, so we were thinking about attending seminary. We set our sights toward New England, where there’s a good seminary, and where I visited every summer growing up. We also learned that by percentage, there are very few Christians in that part of the country.
Then an unusual opportunity came up, where I could take part in a new “seminary alternative” at a church in our denomination up north. I would keep my “day job” and transfer to our office in Portland, Maine, while taking part in practical and theological training for the next 8 years or so. This would be at Christ the Redeemer church in Portland, where they are establishing a church planting and pastoral training center. So at the end of our time there, if the Lord wills I will be ordained as a church planter in northern New England. What an exciting opportunity, and the Lord has provided all along the way.
We are now on the doorstep of the biggest part of the plan so far: our house is under contract to sell at the end of April, and we are shopping for a new home near Portland. We are sad to leave the only home we’ve known together, and overwhelmed at times with all the details ahead. But we know the Lord is with us and His promises are good.
So will you pray for us? We are gathering a prayer-supporter team. We send out regular updates with prayer requests and praises, and ask you to pray for us regularly. If you’re interested, please sign up here: http://bit.ly/fafsWM
