Dear brothers and sisters in Christ,

Grace to you and peace from God our heavenly Father and His son Jesus Christ.

This is my first newsletter article as Bethlehem’s Pastor Elect. I thank God for Bethlehem Lutheran Church, and for being called by Him through the church to shepherd and lead. Paul writes in Ephesians 4, “And he gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the shepherds and teachers, to equip the saints for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ, until we all attain to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to mature manhood, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ.” This is how God wants me to serve Bethlehem: to equip the saints of Bethlehem for the work of ministry, for the building up the body of Christ which is the people of Bethlehem. As we worship together, eat the Lord’s supper together, study together and fellowship together, we grow in the grace and knowledge of Jesus. These are the activities that build us up to make disciples of all nations.

If it were I to script my life, I would have never written that I would become your pastor. King David writes in Psalm 37 verse four, “Delight yourself in the Lord, and He will give you the desires of your heart.” God is so good to me! I truly have desired to be your pastor ever since I began as the vacancy pastor. I love this congregation. God is going to do something great here! As we stay close to Him, worship Him, listen to His word, partake in His supper, and follow His lead, He will give the growth. Let us together follow Jesus, building His kingdom right here where He has planted us. I can wait to see what God is going to do!