GBC Community Update: God chose us before we chose him

​Good morning! It was a great congregational meeting Sunday. I was happy with the positive spirit and sense of optimism at our special meeting to call Dan Andrade as a pastor here at GBC.  What a joy to see how God is moving here.
 
 
Pastoral Transition
So, the vote is done, the search is completed and now the new process of transition to the start of Pastor Dan’s ministry with us begins. Let’s be in prayer for him and his family as they get ready for this. It’s been great to have the Andrade kid’s already participating regularly in our Oasis@Midweek kid’s ministry. You’ll learn to love them as much as I already do!
As was mentioned in the meeting Sunday, we have a part to play in this beyond our prayers.  We have an opportunity here to expand our ministry with both Dan and I serving in a pastoral role.  For a while now we’ve really been maxed out in terms of our capacity as a leadership team so adding him with his unique skills will allow us to do some things we’ve not been able to.
But we need your help to make this happen.
This is going to have an impact on our budget for the next couple of years and we need your financial support in order for it to be accomplished. The attached letter gives us all the details so please read it. I will add that this is a request above and beyond what has already been given. I don’t want to see people shift from giving to the work of the church to this. That doesn’t help. We need people to give more or start giving if they haven’t. May we let our lights shine through this!
 
 
Thought for the day: God chose us before we chose him.
We are to be a people of hope as followers of Jesus.  No matter what’s going on we should be the most hopeful of people.  Not sure that you’re hopeful? Okay, fair question!  Why else should we be hopeful despite everything going on?
How about this?  Even with everything happening and even with all the mistakes we sometimes make, God chose us before we chose him. AND he even knew how we’d turn out!
Peter tells us, “You were chosen according to the purpose of God the Father and were made a holy people by his Spirit, to obey Jesus Christ and be purified by his blood.”. Long before you chose God, he chose you. Your salvation was his idea. God took the initiative. And you were chosen for his purpose—to make you holy and get you ready for heaven and what you’d do in his name until that time comes.
We all know what it’s like to feel chosen—whether you’re chosen for a team, a job, or as a spouse. But the highest honor you will ever receive is this: God has chosen you to spend eternity with him. That’s a big deal and that gives us hope on a cold, overcast day!
 
In His grip,
Pastor Chris