Moving

On March 1, 2012, I will assume a new role, that of Pastor of Parker Road Baptist Church in Florissant, MO. This move comes after serving the Lord AT FBC in Mayview, MO. Sharon and I moved here in the summer of 2001 and I began working on a Master of Divinity degree at Midwestern Baptist Theological Seminary in January, 2002. After cramming a three year program into five years, I graduated in May, 2007. I will always cherish the the opportunity and blessing it was to attend Midwestern Baptist Theological Seminary. From the classes to the good friends I made, Seminary was the height of my educational experience. May God bless Midwestern and all those I’ve met there.

I will also cherish the time I’ve spent in Mayview as Pastor of the First Baptist Church. For those who have served small churches as a bi-vocational Pastor, you know of both the blessings and the heartaches that come with pastoring any church. Having spent almost eleven years in Mayview, living there longer than any place I’ve ever lived with the exception of the home in Ashland, MO, where I grew up, Mayview has become home and will always hold a place in my heart. We have come to love not only the people of FBC, but those of the Mayview community.  The agricultural based lifestyles have the people bonded to the land with a strong work ethic. As Greg said the first time I met him when he brought a stock trailer to Ashland to help us move, “let’s get moving, it’s going to get dark soon.”  It was 9:00 a.m.  When you have work to do, don’t dally, do it.

Even though we will miss Mayview, at the same time we are excited about our move to Florissant. I will be serving as Pastor full-time, something I’ve often thought about for years. The church is quite a bit larger than our church in Mayview and with that comes its own challenges and opportunities to serve the Lord (may He be glorified). They have gone through a re-vitalization process led by the Association’s Executive Director, Jim Breeden, and are now waiting for the Pastor to continue the process. Much work has been done, but much has yet to be done. May the Lord give me the wisdom to do my part for Him.

The double blessing comes as we will be closer to our children and grand-children. Our youngest daughter will move in with us as she has two years left at Misssour Baptist University. Now that she will not have to worry about rent, etc., we are hoping she will take full advantage of her under-graduate opportunities. Our oldest daughter and her husband and their two children are only forty-five minutes away. Ten years ago we would have complained about that; after living in Mayview where it takes thirty to forty minutes to go anywhere other than two small towns, forty-five minutes is nothing. Not to mention my driving an hour one way to school and now to work, 45 minutes to see our little ones is a breeze.

If I said I wasn’t somewhat apprehensive I would be lying. However, it is exciting and Sharon and I are both looking forward to this change. We pray that God will bless FBC Mayview with a godly man to serve as Pastor and they would bring glory to God’s name.  We also pray that God will bless our efforts to serve Him. I go to Parker Road, not with my own agenda to mold the church into my vision, but looking to God to see what He would have me do to bring glory to Him. To that end, my prayers are, “God, show me what you would have me do and may You receive all the glory, honor, and praise through Jesus’ name.”

Jesse