Beloved Community,
It’s Kyle here. As Emily would say, “I serve as one of the pastors here at First Baptist on Fifth.”
That simple phrasing each Sunday at the beginning of worship says a lot about our staff and our church as a whole. It reminds each of us each week that ministry is not a solo endeavor. Jesus didn’t go it alone, so why should we?
In my new work here as “one of the pastors,” I am working with youth, missions, and adults. If you are interested in talking about one or all of these ministry areas, please see my contact information below. I’d love to hear from you or grab coffee or a meal.
As part of the pastoral team, I am glad to be working with friends like Emily, David, and Amy again. I also join new friends in ministry like Mary, Lena, Ryan, and Mallory. In my first week on the job, we’ve already begun collaborating and dreaming about what God is up to here at First Baptist. In the coming weeks you’ll hear more from each of us in this newsletter column as well other places like videos on our Facebook page. There’s definitely a sense of joy and excitement around the church house about this next season of church life where we are fully staffed for the first time in the past few years, where each ministry area is represented, and where we are going together as a community.
The scripture for this Sunday finds us in the gospel of Mark where Jesus tells a couple stories about what God’s kingdom or dream looks like. In the first story Jesus compares God’s kingdom or dream to a gardener who scatters seeds and then waits expectantly, almost anxiously, night and day to see if anything is happening. If you’ve ever had a dream or a hope or looked forward to something, you know the feeling of expectation. Will this work out? What’s next? Will the work actually pay off?
The gardener did their job—but the work of growth did not depend on the gardener alone. The growth came in participation with the soil in which the seeds were planted. Too often we church folk—pastors and congregations alike—fall into thinking it all depends on us (and we burnout) or that it all depends on God (and we stagnate). The miracle is that God invites us to participate with God. It is with great hope that I begin this work with God and with you.
Serving together,
Kyle
P.S. – If you would like to reach out or find me:
my email is kyle@firstonfifth.org
my phone extension at the church is 1005
my office in the music suite beside David Williamson’s office
my off days are Friday