After a year working with Pastor Bill and New York Gospel Mission on 26th Street, Manhattan—as of tomorrow I will be leaving New York to move to North Carolina and begin working a tuition-providing church-internship there. I have already started a class through the Christian university I will be attending and to which I believe God has called me to study at this point in my life. Only He knows the exact formulation and outcome of what He is doing right now. He knows the future as well, and He knows what is best according to His eternal and sovereign will, and I trust that I am making a right decision in His will in accepting this offer and its course of graduate-level study for which I had no palate a year ago. As of now, I am ready and willing to work toward a post-graduate degree in Old Testament interpretation. I am looking forward to working with the church with which I will be in fellowship in Cary, North Carolina and to working a secular job on the side to pay my living expenses.
Ministry goes as usual here at the mission. We have plenty of opportunity to minister the Word of God through preaching and to help others through our four-times weekly food pantry. Our regular church which meets Sunday afternoons seems to be growing in number, in sanctification, and in knowledge. Galen Balinski was recently received formally by the church into a more established role than that of mere “intern” after being here a cumulative total of nine months over the past two years. Andy Woodard (the intern taking my place) has been here for three weeks now. He is quite a musician, and between him, Brad, and Galen we have quite a good set of conservative live musicians for church and chapel. Andy will be replacing me as the Tuesday chapel preacher next week.
Pastor Bill preached a good sermon last Sunday on the theme: what makes a disciple. He and the staff are trying to lead our regular church members and attendees to think in terms of true discipleship to Jesus Christ in knowledge, holiness, and actions. The mission’s discipleship course is slated to start the end of September.
You will soon see, this blog post is so long I have had to split it into two posts. Please continue reading at this same website, one post down.