Dear Members and Friends of First Church,
The winter season at First Church and in Southwest Florida has begun, albeit with some differences from 12 months earlier. There are fewer people here, and fewer are attending church events. Nevertheless, I sense a positive attitude of hopefulness as more people are being vaccinated daily and more normalcy may be returning soon.
One of the most fulfilling parts of my pastoral ministry has been the sacred task of mentoring younger men and women in various aspects of Christian service. I was blessed, from the earliest days of my faith in the Lord, to have several excellent mentors. Professors and pastors guided me by wisdom and example. And in each of my three pastoral calls I have sought out and been privileged to serve as a mentor to others.
It was a particular pleasure to have mentored Dan Oedy during his years with us as part of the First Church staff as he completed seminary and was ordained as a pastor; Dan is now the Senior Pastor of Southminster Presbyterian Church in Gastonia, NC. I have also had the privilege of working side by side with Pastor Brad Rogers for the past four years. Brad has completed the third year of his Doctor of Ministry program in Pastoral Leadership at Fuller Theological Seminary; he will be writing his dissertation this year with a goal of completion by the end of 2021 or early 2022. As his doctoral work is accomplished, Brad will be taking on more leadership responsibilities at First Church. He has a natural aptitude for being a pastor. His integrity and temperament, combined with the outstanding coursework and studies now equipping him further, will no doubt continue to benefit our congregation.
A pandemic-related disruption that was a major personal disappointment for me was the cancellation of our usual January seminary mentorship program. For each of the past five years, we have welcomed four students from Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary to spend most of the month experiencing and learning how a large church operates. This year we have decided to hold shorter one-week mentorship exposures for students from Gordon-Conwell (in February) and Westminster Seminary (in March), during academic breaks in the calendars of those schools. While these experiences will not be as deep and comprehensive as what we have offered in the past, they will at least provide some practical input for the students. (The most common problem for recent seminary graduates is that they complete their degrees with little practical experience or real-world skills to lead a church.) I hope you will be able to meet these students when they are with us. We are encouraged by the gifted and dedicated young men and women who are being called by God to prepare for future leadership of the church.
Last month I celebrated my 69th birthday. When I was in my 20’s I never thought I would feel this good and be this active as my seventh decade of life comes to an end. I believe that our generation is re-writing all the assumptions and expectations about what the life cycle is like. Some of our most gifted and effective leaders at First Church are in their 70’s and 80’s and have far more energy than I do! It is indeed a great time to be alive.
I want to remind you of our congregational challenge to read through the entire New Testament in 2021. I have already been richly blessed by my reading so far. Our February focus is the Gospel of Mark, and in March we will concentrate on Luke. There are so many things that I have read in the past that I now see differently, and with fresh understanding, as I read God’s Word again. Whatever else this year may bring, putting Scripture into our minds and hearts will certainly make us stronger and better followers of Christ.
Yours in His Service,
Pastor Doug Pratt
