FROM THE DESK OF PASTOR BEN:
Greetings Fairview Church! I hope you had a blessed Christmas and I want to wish everyone a Happy New Year! I can’t tell you how excited I am for the year 2023. As I look back on this past year there has been tremendous blessing. However, this year didn’t start out that way. In the beginning of the year I was in a depressed state. I was burnt out at my job and longing for change. It seemed like that change would never come and I was constantly praying for the Lord to move and bring the answer I was looking for. I wanted to transition into pastoral ministry but the door just wasn’t opening. It was in February that I took a leap of faith and felt the Lord leading me to leave my job despite not having something lined up afterward. We were however in a good financial position for me to do this for a period of time. So that was it I left my job and found my days being spent at home with my kids and helping my wife with her furniture business. This is when the real battle started. Time went on with no new opportunities on the horizon and I started feeling a bit stressed. I was frustrated with God that nothing was happening but He kept reminding me to trust Him and be patient. I did the best I could with that but honestly started feeling pretty hopeless and wondering if God had truly called me to be a pastor. I gave it one last effort reaching out to a mentor figure of mine Jim Jessup seeing if he had any potential opportunities on the rise. That's when he told me about this church, Fairview. I was skeptical at first but made a commitment to go with my wife and kids for Easter Sunday. This is when everything started to turn around and hope was ignited.
My wife and I really enjoyed being able to come to the service and see what the church was like. After some considerable prayer my wife and I felt that the Lord was leading us to see what might be behind this door. It took some time but about the middle of May is when things really started seeming like a possibility that we could serve at this church. June finally comes along and the board makes the decision that they want to work with me and Pastor Mark. I was so excited and couldn’t believe how the Lord was finally answering prayer. It only continued to get better. In August I was brought on as an associate pastor and was invited to come live in the parsonage. My wife and I couldn’ believe it. We have been so blessed to live in this community and to call this church our home. We are so excited to see what the new year holds!
So what is the point of sharing all this? Well, I shared all of this to be able to tell you what the Lord taught me throughout this year and I pray that it would be an encouragement for you in the new year. What the Lord taught me is that everything is in His timing. As humans we use time to regulate all of our business but God doesn't. He is outside of time. God works according to His plans and not ours. But if we are willing to trust Him and be patient He will bless us. I mean God LOVES to bless his children. So for the New Year I encourage you to trust in the Lord’s timing with whatever new resolutions you have or whatever He has placed on your heart. Don’t give up, keep trusting in His plans and He will work everything out in due time.
God bless you Fairview Family! May God richly bless this next year!
-Pastor Ben