An Update from our Senior Pastor Designate

Hello, Beloved:

Grace to you and peace from God the Creator, our Lord Jesus Christ, and the Holy Spirit. The apostle Paul usually gave a similar greeting in his letters to first-century churches. Though the content of Paul’s letters is specific to each church, readers cannot miss Paul’s joy and love for these communities of faith. Often, Paul wrote these congregations telling them of an upcoming visit! With a similar passion, I write you, the Washington Avenue Christian Church, to say that I am eager to be with you next month and to serve with and alongside you as your next senior pastor. As you can imagine, transitioning jobs is no small feat, and neither is a cross-country move; however, with God all things are possible, and I trust that we know this claim to be true.

Paul always told of his commissioning in his epistles. You know this part of my story, but here is a brief update on the last month: I signed a contract with a moving company, and I have an apartment in Elyria to call home. My address will be 430 Frances Blvd. Aside from the move, there is other news to share: @WACCElyria now has its own Twitter and Instagram accounts. Please follow, like, and retweet the church. Finally, a new church website is in the works. Together, we can share the good work of Washington Avenue with the world.

In Ephesians, the author writes, “I pray that you may be filled with all the fullness of God.” We cannot fill ourselves, at least not with the fullness of God. We are vessels to be filled with all the fullness of God so much so that our cup will overflow its brim. This grace—and it’s all grace!—empowers human beings and the church. God’s extravagant gift creates and restores humanity, strengthens the church to respond to God’s grace, and activates us to be agents in service to God’s reign on earth.

This prayer from Ephesians is my hope for you and for us. As we prepare to begin our journey together, will you pray for me as I pray for thee? I am confident that the God of grace and glory will hear the desire of our hearts and respond with gifts of grace that defy our wildest imagination.

With abundant love for you,

Pastor Nathan