Friday, October 8, 2021
18 And I tell you, you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it. – Matthew 16:18
Hey Family,
I am writing to update you on the incredible Sunday we experienced this past weekend at the Myerstown Campus. It was a “Vision Sunday” and from the beginning of the service, it was obvious the Lord was stirring our hearts with anticipation of the news to come. The morning was packed full of worship and reflection as we celebrated the incredible work the Lord has done these past seven years. Tears flowed as a video montage drew pivotal memories to the surface of our hearts and minds. All of it helped to remind us that the building of the church is a work of God and it filled us with hope of what He could do next.
The morning was not merely a casting of vision for Myerstown, but all the more a refining of vision for our entire church. I will speak more about this in the days and weeks to come. But for now, it’s suffice to say we long to plant churches. When you couple this with the fact that Myerstown first came to us with the desire to be a church and has matured to the place to be launched as one, the vision starts to become obvious. We feel like the Lord has matured us and strengthened our leadership team to move out ahead in faith. For example, the addition of Pastor Nate Newell has given us margin to strategize and step out in faith. These advancements along with the growth and maturity in Myerstown leads us to believe the time has come to set a course for Myerstown to be launched as an autonomous church. To be clear, while the goal is set, the time frame moving forward is flexible and will be paced in accordance with shepherding, leadership, and resource goals.
While we remain open to the Lord’s timing, we anticipate a 12-18 month process lies ahead. In that time, we need your prayers and support as we look to situate Elders and determine who the Sr. Pastor will be. At this time, Elders Jeff Davis and John Segnor both attend Myerstown and have agreed to serve as Resident Elders. Additionally, we have been working with three Elder Interns from Myerstown who may also join them at the launch. As for the Sr. Pastor role, you may be asking why not Pastor Nate Lott? Here it is important to note that Pastor Nate Lott was hired to be the campus pastor and the step to a Sr. role is a significant one. From my vantage point, he is a gifted leader who could fill the role, but it’s important for all involved that such a transition is not casually assumed. As it stands currently, Pastor Nate does not believe the timing is right for him to fill the role after prayerfully seeking the Lord. He is committed to seeing the transition through in Myerstown after which he will direct his attention to ministry in Lancaster. Thus, the filling of this role becomes among the most pressing matters for prayer. The priority is to first look internally at our current pastors, elders, and ministry leaders at both campuses to discern if God is calling any of them to the Role of Sr. Leader. And honestly, nothing would give me greater joy.
Church, God is at work! I am incredibly fired up for the journey that lies ahead. This is just the beginning. Our prayer is that the eventual launch of Myerstown will lead to the multiplication of other churches who can work and serve in Network together to reach our region for Christ. As you can imagine, there is so much more I could write, but may I encourage you to come to the Night of Worship this Sunday Night? There, in addition to the worship and baptisms, I will give a more detailed update of all the Lord is doing to move Mission Church forward in advancing the Mission of Christ!
See you Sunday Church. I can’t wait.
P. Jerry