Update from the Pastor Search Committee

Search Committee Update

The Pastor Search Committee has called for a Church Communications Meeting on Sunday, November 1, following the worship service to present a candidate for Senior Pastor. A Church Conference will then be held on Sunday, November 8 to vote on the candidate for Senior Pastor.

Announcements & Upcoming Events

If you have never kept a Thankful Journal begin one today for November. It can be as simple as a piece of paper or a list on your computer. Each day list one thing for which you are thankful. It can be just one or two words (sunshine, a good night’s rest, music). Then during Thanksgiving week read your list and note the many blessings you have for which to be thankful.

Gratitude transforms what we have into enough, and it is the quiet heartbeat of Thanksgiving.

The Longest Table

The old farmhouse kitchen was silent at four in the morning, save for the low hum of the refrigerator. Elena tied her apron strings in the dark, then switched on the overhead light. The counter was already crowded with bags of cranberries, bundles of fresh rosemary, and a massive ceramic bowl waiting for the bread stuffing.

For the last three years, Elena had hosted Thanksgiving alone. At first, it felt like an obligation—a heavy checklist of roasting times, clean linens, and perfectly timed side dishes. But this morning, as she watched the first gray light of dawn touch the frosted windowpane, her shoulders dropped. She looked at the mismatched chairs she had dragged from every room in the house to make sure there was a seat for everyone.

Her brother had lost his job over the summer; he would be there, resting his tired eyes. Her elderly neighbor, Mr. Henderson, whose wife had passed in the spring, would be sitting at the corner of the table. Her daughter was coming home from college, bringing a roommate who couldn’t afford the flight back west.

Elena realized she wasn’t preparing a performance; she was building a sanctuary.

When the afternoon arrived, the house was a chaos of laughter, clinking silverware, and the rich scent of toasted pecans. As the noise swelled around her, Elena paused with a water pitcher in her hand. She looked at the faces lit by candlelight. Her heart swelled with a sharp, ache-like gratitude—not for a perfect life, but for a resilient one. She was thankful for the roof that held the warmth in, the food that filled the plates, and the fragile, beautiful gathering of people who chose to love each other through another year.

As I mentioned previously, I was one of 7 CBF ministers selected to participate in the Fellows Cohort. The goal of this cohort is to shepherd and nurture new ministers by helping them to blossom and grow through connection and community. The Cohort is a two-year commitment and includes in-person gatherings and bi-monthly Zoom connections. In addition to this, the Cohort pays for each minister to have one-on-one professional coaching sessions with a ministry coach. A ministry coach is designed to help each minister set professional goals and offers guidance and suggestions on how to reach those goals. I have already had four sessions and after each one, I have come away encouraged and challenged.

At the end of September, the Cohort held its first in-person retreat in Decatur, GA, where the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship (CBF) headquarters is located. The retreat offered a nice balance of learning sessions, individual downtime, and opportunities to connect and build relationships with our cohort. In my Cohort, some are senior pastors, while others are children, youth, and associate pastors. Before the retreat, each member of the cohort was asked to share topics that they would like to explore during our in-person gatherings. The goal is for our individual journeys, needs, and strengths to shape the overall experience as the ministry team plans the gatherings. What we found was that even though our journeys might look different, we all experience the same joys and challenges of being in ministry.

I am so grateful for the experiences I had on this retreat. Between the learning sessions, making new friendships with people my age, the feeling of a renewed sense of purpose and calling, and most importantly, just being myself, it was an incredible experience! I was reminded that even though I love being a minister and sharing my gifts, it’s easy to lose your sense of individual identity. This week reminded me that BJ is a pretty neat guy, and it’s okay to be myself and take some downtime once in a while. I would argue that ministers who take time to care for themselves are healthier and better pastors in the long run.

As a bonus, on my way to and from the cohort, I had the opportunity to connect with some long-time Central members who live in Georgia as well as visit and play an organ in North Carolina that was responsible for me becoming an organist. All in all, it was a wonderful, life-giving experience.

It’s a common pattern you can find scattered throughout scripture. People give thanks for God’s goodness and provision, then look forward to God’s goodness in the future.

We see it in Psalm 85, which begins with remembrance: “Lord, you were favorable to your land; you restored the fortunes of Jacob.” Six verses later, the Psalmist leads the people in a prayer of hope: “Will you not revive us again, so that your people may rejoice in you?”

Psalm 107 has a similar shape, first remembering how “they cried to the Lord in their trouble, and he delivered them from their distress,” before ending in a posture of hopeful discernment: “let those who are wise give heed to these things, and consider the steadfast love of the Lord.”

This time of year, our calendar takes the same shape. The remembrance of Thanksgiving leads to the hope of Advent and the beginning of a new year in the Christian worship calendar. Because we remember and consider the steadfast love of the Lord – in the story of scripture and in our own lives – we anticipate what God will still do. As one of the oldest refrains in Christian worship puts it: Christ has died. Christ is risen. Christ will come again!

Sometimes, remembering “glory days” moves in the opposite direction. People can get trapped into thinking that the best is behind them. Which unfortunately becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy. If you think things are going to get worse, then you’re much more likely to focus on things that may be getting worse and apt to overlook anything good.

Yet there is still power in remembering good things past. Psychology calls it “nostalgia” and studies of it are far from finished. Do fond memories and longing for what is past give us good feelings or sadness? Both, oftentimes. Is the result positive or negative? That all depends, too! Recent studies show that when we intentionally recall nostalgic experiences, people generally feel better and more socially connected. It’s when anxious thoughts take the lead and bittersweet memories seem to just pop up that we feel worse off.

I invite you, then, to make the most of this season and try what the Psalms say: “Give heed to these things, and consider the steadfast love of the Lord.” “Give thanks to the Lord, for He is good, His steadfast love endures forever.” Take time to recall God’s goodness and the precious memories of your life. Sit with them, embrace them, and give thanks for them.

Then consider that the promises of God still stand. Though given in the past, they are still being fulfilled. “The one who began a good work in you will continue to complete it until the day of Jesus Christ,” as Paul says in Philippians 1:6. In other words, the real glory days are ahead of us.

A church shaped by deep thanksgiving and genuine expectation of good through God’s steadfast love… that church truly has something to offer its community and the world!

Grace in All Corners,
Kevin

Thank You

Pastor Kevin and Pastor BJ wish to thank everyone for the wonderful luncheon on October 11 and for the outpouring of love and support for their ministry. They also wish to thank everyone for the gifts, cards, notes and words of encouragement they each received.

This Month’s Events