The tree in the photo above is an orange tree that Calvary gave us shortly after we moved to McAllen (about three years ago). The tree is growing slowly and staying very green in spite of the drought. Every morning when I drink my coffee I look at the tree with gratitude. The tree is a reminder to me of God's faithfulness and providence. It's a reminder to me of the love that the people of Calvary have shown to me and my family since we arrived. It is a reminder of God's ability to keep things alive and growing. During these three years that I have had the privilege of serving as lead pastor of Calvary I have grown much. I also have seen God doing His work in this wonderful congregation.
I simply want to pause and thank you for the opportunity you have given me to serve Calvary. I thank each of you for your love and prayerful support. I thank you for encouraging words. I also thank you for frank and open communication when there is disagreement. I thank you for your patience and for your trust. I am extremely blessed and grateful for these three years and I trust God that he will continue to grow this relationship in the same way he is growing the little orange tree.
Calvary is a rich church in many ways:
Calvary is rich in diversity. Our church possesses ethnic diversity as has been noted before. We also have a broad range of ages: babies, children, students, college students, young adults, median adults, senior adults. (We're not a niche church but a cross-generational community). We also have diversity of faith backgrounds. Our people come from Baptist, Methodist, Presbyterian, Roman Catholic, Evangelical Free, Assemblies of God, Bible, Plymouth Brethren and other backgrounds. We have a diversity of socio-economic levels, including working class, retirees, students, middle class, professionals, and well-to-do individuals. The professions of our people vary from educators to business owners, from law-enforcement to real estate, from finance and banking to labor, from sales to public service, from contractors to office personnel, from engineers to medical professionals, from lawyers to house-cleaning personnel, from farmers to stay-at-home wives/moms, etc., etc. We have folks from different countries and also from various states of the U.S. We have various styles of worship expressed each Sunday. We also have diversity in theological positions from ultra-conservative to moderate. What a richness is ours as all of us meet at the foot of the cross! What a fitting name for our church: Calvary! That's what brings us together: the work of Christ on Calvary. Only He can do that! Anyone can get a homogeneous group together. Only the Holy Spirit can bring this kind of diversity into one body (1 Cor. 12:12-13).
Calvary is also rich in tradition. It is not the kind of tradition that stifles spiritual vitality. It is not the kind of tradition that hinders positive change and progress. It is the healthy kind of tradition that gives identity and continuity to the work of God. Calvary has a long tradition of supporting church starts in the Valley. Our church also has a long tradition of supporting missionary work, whether it is through the Cooperative Program, through seasonal mission offerings, or through direct missions involvement. Calvary has a long-time tradition of commitment to sound biblical teaching and preaching. Our congregation has a strong tradition of unapologetically cooperating within the Baptist denomination while being open to working cross-denominationally with para-church organizations, educational institutions and other groupings. Calvary has a tradition of being more committed to reaching people and to obeying Christ than to simply doing what all other Baptist churches do. Calvary has kept "Baptist" in its name but has always been open to all the people that want to worship here or join the congregation. Calvary has a strong tradition of operating with high accountability, including financial reporting to the entire congregation, committee decision-making, church in conference more than once a year, etc. (This is a disappearing thing in many of the churches this size and bigger). Calvary has a tradition of being progressive from its inception. Our church has had a tradition of relating significantly to the community. Calvary has had a tradition of caring for the lost: from old-fashioned revivals to the FAITH evangelism program to EE to the supporting of missions and to the praying for the unreached people groups of the world. In its 56 years of history, Calvary has seen many changes. Yet certain core-values have remained the same. The methods and strategies may change but the spirit and the mission of this church have not.
I am grateful to be part of this congregation. I am thankful for the rich history and heritage of this church. I thank God for the changes He has allowed over the last several years. I am blessed to have been the lead pastor for these last three years. I am optimistic about the future of this great church. God will continue to show His faithfulness as we move forward in His name, by His Spirit and for His glory.
P.S.: I'm extremely grateful to the church, the deacons, the personnel committee and the staff for your support during my doctoral dissertation writing. I have recently submitted introductory and bibliographical material. I have been asked to do additional revisions on multiple chapters. I still need to submit my conclusions chapter, which is briefer than the previous one. But I have made significant progress and I am very close to having it all in. I'm still hopeful about getting it all submitted by the end of August. I'm looking forward to being back in the pulpit this month (with the exception of one vacation Sunday). I so appreciate the staff pastors who have blessed us with their preaching. I am indebted to God and to all of you for the great kindness shown to me.
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