Dear FCCH Family and Friends,
We don’t know each other very well YET, but we soon will! Lindsay and I are delighted to be here—finally! And, we are very eager to get to know you.
Even in this strange season, I am committed to do what I can to connect with you as we begin this journey together. Be certain that just as soon as this 14 day “out-of-state quarantine” ends, you’ll be seeing a lot more of me—for better or worse! :-). Although the Covid-19 restrictions present significant challenges to the work of a new pastor, we know that God is faithful! We trust in the promise, “The one who called you is faithful, and he will do it.”
Christ has preserved and prospered this church over the past few years as you have fervently prayed and patiently waited for a new Senior Pastor. I do not take your difficult interval, your diligent search, and your overwhelming support of my candidacy lightly. Thank you for trusting me with this most sacred honor and office. I want you to know how humbled and enthusiastic I am to be serving in this role at such a time as this. I will strive to care for your souls, to nourish you with God’s Word, to model the love and leadership of Jesus, and to pray for you regularly. I wish I could meet all of your expectations. I hate to share this “Spoiler Alert,” but I’m only human. As hard as I will try, I know there will be times when I disappoint you. I wish I could say, “I won’t let you down,” but we already know that I will make mistakes. However, my goal is to transparently learn and grow with you as individuals and as a congregation as we continually confess, “I need the grace of Jesus!”
We are recipients of God’s amazing grace, and we are commissioned to model and share this grace with our world. Perhaps now more than ever before, people are hurting, reeling, and trying to track down authentic community and hopeful answers. And I believe our church is well-positioned to provide both of these in abundance and to make an even greater impact in this region for Christ in the coming months and years. I believe with all my heart that God has BIG things in store for us! May it be said, “And the disciples were filled with joy and the Holy Spirit…and the Word of God continued to spread and prevail mightily.”
But it’s going to take all of us working together with an “others-focused” spirit to see God’s kingdom radically extend and expand on the North Shore…as it is in Heaven. We have an urgent call and opportunity to reach and equip people of all ages, backgrounds, and races. I am especially excited to connect with the student population in our church and area. And not to them alone, but also to the young professionals and business leaders in our community, that they might be attracted to the beauty of the gospel and the spiritual maturity of our church and then use their influence to defend the rationality and life-shaping power of our Christian faith.
Finally, I want to thank everyone who has played a part in welcoming our family of four (Lindsay, Hannah, Ezra, and myself), as well as my parents (Bob and Esther), to our new home in South Hamilton, to FCCH, and into this new season of life and ministry. I don’t believe a family could be more warmly welcomed than we have been. Thank you! We already feel so loved by you and the feelings are mutual. Indeed, God is faithful!
All my love in Christ,
Pastor Jeremy
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