The Next Chapter: Major Transitions in Our Lives

In mid-January, I announced to the congregation of South Dayton Presbyterian Church that I would resign as of February 28. Last night the members who called me 2 years ago granted my request. Over this past year, God has been directing me towards a refocus. There have been painful moments in the process, but I have yielded to God’s leading, and now that I will soon be free from current responsibilities, we will be in high gear. Celeste is also choosing change, leaving her work as a University of Dayton adjunct faculty member in the Intensive English Program to come along and do what she does in another place.

Celeste and I are talking about our future together and possibilities for ministry after 42+ years of marriage, and for me, 37 years of ordained ministry in three churches and over two decades of Air Force ministry.

We will put our Dayton home of eight years on the market in March and move to Royston, Georgia to a fixer-upper of a home and outreach project. That property in Royston, which is near our middle daughter, will become our new ministry base.

Our prayer and plan is to go to Georgia in April and begin to fix up the home, be available for weekend preaching opportunities, and continue to apply to PCA churches that will consider pastors my age. We hope to create a conference/retreat ministry with content based in reaching people in the cyber culture with the gospel leading to their discipleship and spiritual formation. We want to bring the gospel to our generation, Boomers. Our ministry will focus on the gospel of grace and the power of the Holy Spirit. I envision old fashioned one-on-one personal relationship-building, evangelism, and discipleship. I want to pray and work with others who have a passion for revival, a movement of the Holy Spirit—not a replay of some Christian memory of past, seemingly better days.

Our plan is to form a non-profit ministry to develop the Royston property’s solidly-constructed barn. Upstairs we want to create a safe, hospitable space for those wounded in ministry and their families—one that we can offer for free. Downstairs we want to create an open space that can be used for group retreats/meetings. The location is convenient. If we draw a two-hour travel circle around Royston, we can be north to Ashville, NC and south to the other side of Atlanta. We are also are a short drive from many colleges and universities. There are two Christian colleges within a 20-minute drive. The location is less than 20 minutes from I-85.

How to pray for us:

Pray that each day we would find our joy and rest in our heavenly Father.

Pray that each day we would confess our brokenness and sins and receive forgiveness, assurance of pardon and peace because of the shed blood of the Lamb of God.

Pray that each day we live in the power of the Holy Spirit in union with Christ as we seek both the presence and will of our Triune God.

Pray for the sale of our Dayton home.

Pray for the move to Royston and the renovation of our new home. It is a foreclosure and has been stripped and vacant for a year.

Pray for weekend ministry/preaching opportunities.

Pray for my ministry at Covenant Presbyterian Church in Auburn, AL this weekend at their Missions Conference as I speak 3 times. I will look at the book of Acts and use Paul’s church plant in Ephesus to consider the context of the gospel, confronting idols, and the local church as community in Christ.