A Letter from Pastor Derek - June



Hello, Southport UMC!
I am writing to you from San Antonio, Texas, where I am attending the Festival of Homiletics.  This event has been my all time favorite continuing education event for about fifteen years.  At the Festival we hear from preachers and teachers of preaching morning, noon, and night for four full days.  On this, the evening before the last day, I have heard nine sermons and nine  lectures about preaching, and there’s more tomorrow!  I tell you all this to let you know I am a geek about this preaching thing.  It defines me, shapes me, excites me, and inspires me.  But best of all, it’s not just me and my job, it is our job.  The job of the body of Christ.  All of us.  All the time.
OK, I’m getting ahead of myself.  My name is Derek.  I am coming to be the pastor at  Southport UMC very soon.  I’ve met your staff and I am thrilled to be working with them.  They strike me as people who care, not just people who do a job.  And more than that, they tell me you are the same, that this is a congregation who cares.  I can’t think of a better description of the church than that.  And you’ve taken it even further to claim that you’re all preachers.  Or rather, you’re all in this business of making disciples for Jesus Christ for the transformation of the world.  Heavy stuff, don’t you think?  Yet, what could be more needed in this increasingly crazy world in which we live?  What could better show that we care than the desire to share Jesus?  There are some communities who think that Jesus is a secret to be kept only for the   insiders, the approved members.  How does that show caring to the world, keeping our greatest treasure only for ourselves?

We have been blessed by so much.  It feels good to share who we are with one another.  I am coming to learn from you, who you are and what drives you, to hear your stories and walk with you for a time.  I am honored to follow in the strong footprints of your retiring pastor, Mark Fisher.  I will gladly stand on his shoulders as we continue to realize the vision he helped to cast. But I’ll need to hear it from you as well.  Tell me what drives you, what drives Southport UMC.  I really want to know.
In the meantime, we are getting ready to come and be a part of the wider community.  We have almost closed on a house in the area and will be making it our home in the next few weeks.  Coming with me, is my wife, La Donna, the reason I have gotten as far as I have.  Also, joining us is my son Rhys (pronounced Reese).  He will be attending IUPUI for a Master’s in Library Science, so he will live at home saving him buckets of money.  My daughter, Maddie, graduated from college this month and is already in Boston starting her new life as a fund-raiser.  But I hope we’ll see her sometime before too long.  Maybe we’ll use her new skills, when she has them.
I am honored and humbled to come and work among you.  I’ve been praying for you and your staff daily since the appointment was made.  I look forward to getting past the awkward getting to know you stage and into real ministry with you.  It’ll be before you know it, I’m sure.

Shalom,
Derek


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