Exhortation

Trinity is in the middle of a shake-up, and shake-ups always open opportunities for people to step up into new roles. Pastors Sumpter and Appel will be stretched in all kinds of painful, healthy ways that would be impossible if I stuck around. Prune the tree, clear out the dead wood, and new things can grow.

This doesn’t just apply to the pastors, elders, and deacons. The shakeup at Trinity is an opportunity for everyone to step into new roles.

Moscow is an easy place to be a Christian, sometimes too easy. The large, vibrant Christian community is a great blessing, but makes it easy to go with the flow.

If my departure sends any message, I hope it is this: Don’t coast. God didn’t create you to hang out. There are dozens of ways to use your gifts – choir, help with the building, serve through Sabbath House. If you can’t find anything that fits, start something that does or go somewhere where you won’t drift in the current.

Find a place to serve, and when you find it, do it heartily, as for the Lord not for men.