November 7, 2024
This coming Sunday evening, we will host a fourth installation service of the Presbytery of the Mississippi Valley. Over the last couple months we've been able to celebrate as the Presbytery ordained Josh Beck as a Chaplain, installed Nathan Stevenson as a Church Planter, and installed Charles Marchman as our own Associate Pastor. This Lord's Day we will rejoice with the Rev. Dr. Josh Malone and Reformed Theological Seminary as the Presbytery installs him as Associate Pastor of Theology. Josh has been a minister of the gospel in the Gulfstream Presbytery in South Florida, and he passed his transfer exam this week at our Presbytery meeting. His wife Emily, and children Rebekah (18), Luke (16), and Lizzie (13), are members of our congregation, so it is our pleasure and privilege to host this wonderful event in the life of their family and for the RTS community.
One of the joys of being a church in a seminary town means that we get to benefit from the resources of the seminary, whether its library, its bookstore, its students, or its professors. Because the Malone family is here at our church, we have the blessing of Josh's public ministry among us from time to time - many of you have already sat under his ministry of the word from the pulpit or the Sunday School/Bible study lectern. Let's come out this Sunday evening to give thanks and pray for the ministry of RTS in general, and Josh Malone specifically!
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Next week I will be away on my annual study week. In the past, it's been the week where I put together our annual preaching calendar and begin to prepare for the next year's sermon series. But I've moved that work to the summer, so my plan for this upcoming week is to do more reading for my soul and for ministry reset, as well as spend time in prayer. As I prepare for the week, Mark 6:31 comes to mind: "And Jesus said to His disciples, 'Come away by yourselves to a desolate place and rest a while.' For many were coming and going, and they had no leisure even to eat." Don't worry, I'm eating :-). But I'm looking forward to resting a while. Please pray that the Lord will richly bless the week, for my good and for your good as the sheep whom I have the privilege of feeding and leading along with our other teaching and ruling elders.