With God all things are possible!

After Jesus' difficult conversation with the rich young ruler in Matthew chapter 19, where the young man walked away sad, the disciples asked Jesus this question:

“Who then can be saved?” Jesus replied with a hope-filled answer: “With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.”

Matthew 19:25-26

I feel like I am living proof that “with God, all things are possible.” I first gave my heart to Jesus a year after my father's death, when I was just ten years old, at a Vacation Bible School put on by an AG church down the street from my home in Wisconsin.

After a difficult move to Southern California when I was 13, I strayed far away from the Lord.

But at age 17, a new friend led me back to Him and connected me to a small AG church. In that small church, I was baptized in water, and the Holy Spirit called me to be a pastor. prepared for ministry, mentored in ministry, married my wife, received my AG Christian Workers Papers (Certified Minister) at age 20, and started in ministry.

The Lord led us to Oregon in 1999, where we joined the Oregon Ministry Network; even though we didn't know anyone, this network family welcomed us with open arms.

In 2008, Pastor Bill and Joy Wilson gave us the opportunity to help restructure the OMN, aligning kids, youth, boys, and girls’ ministries together and creating what is now referred to as the GenNow Ministries. In 2020, the Lord led us back to the local church and gave us a new assignment to serve Hope Church in Albany alongside Pastor Mark and Anita Robinson as their Lead Executive Pastor. What a privilege those years were.

Then, last July, the Lord appointed us to serve as the next Lead Pastor of Administration through the leading of His Holy Spirit and our new Network Lead Pastors, Lee and Cindy McCloud, along with the presbytery. My wife Barbara and I are honored to follow Pastor Boyd and Sally Powers, who have faithfully served in this assignment for the past 27 years. As we step into this new assignment, I assure you that we will do our very best and never forget that all things are possible with God.

I am here to serve you! As Lead Pastor of Administration, one of my desires is to provide relevant resources to help you be a more effective leader. In this update, I’m providing you with a timely article on Charitable Contribution Receipts by Rollie Dimos. This is something your church and ministry will need to address in the coming months. If you need help or have questions, please contact my office.

Leadership Truth: Leadership is an honor, not a burden.