Six Years of Joy

It's been six years today.

I have pastored Scottsville Baptist Church for six years.  

As I type those words, I can hardly believe them.

I knew I loved 'em when I met 'em, and happily God has grown that love with each passing year.  They see me—my flaws and gifts—and I see them.  This is no longer honeymoon-stage love:  Six years is a long time.  A long-term pastorate is a gift.  I am grateful.

To celebrate, I wanted to share a few moments of captured joy:

Dorothy was the Co-Chair of the Pastor Search Committee.  As I transitioned to Scottsville, Dorothy said she would look for ways to support me.  
Here's what she's done:
Every Monday for six years (that's 312 Mondays) Dorothy has sent me a note of encouragement.  She often reflects on the sermon or good things going on in the church.  She'll ask how I'm doing or insist I take a day off.  
You can't imagine what these 312 plus emails have meant to me.

This is Easter 2013.  I had been at the church for about four months. 
It was a dreary day, but I'm glad we snapped a photo. 
We were just getting started on our journey together.  

Here we are at my Installation Service.  The Lord called me to Scottsville, and Bill Smith was a big part of the Lord's work.  Bill bent over backwards to help make it happen.  I am grateful for such a wise mentor and friend. 

This is also from my Installation Service.  These pastors have been a source of encouragement, hope, understanding, and friendship.

I don't remember much about our first Deacons' Retreat, but this photo brings me inordinate amounts of joy.  

In late 2013 God called Hallie and Matthew to our church.  I could see Hallie's gifts for ministry right away, and the church called her to serve. 
We designed her ministry to focus on families, and at first we didn't have many but we stepped out on faith. 

And I'm glad we did because God called most of these folks to the church in 2014-2015.  It was an incredible season of growth—thanks be to God. 
We started a Sunday School Class, and a lot of joy was born of this season.

Sometimes we played kickball after business meetings.  That was fun.

In the summer of 2014 we took a trip to Washington, D.C. 
Since that trip I've had the privilege of baptizing both
Robbie Via Sr. and Robbie Via Jr. and officiating two Via weddings. 
The gift of a long pastorate is being welcomed into wonderfully holy moments
in people's lives.

Speaking of holy moments:  I love when seniors and young people bond. 
30-year olds sitting with 90-year olds is our jam.
Our seniors are among the best. 
Some pictured in this post have gone on to glory.  We love and miss them.

Here we are in October 2015 celebrating 175 years
of Scottsville Baptist Church. 

We have had fun with Baptist Men's Day and Baptist Women's Day. 
Here are both our men and women belting out praise to God.
I love that all ages and stages are represented.

Baptist Women's Choir

We've enjoyed leading different genres of music in our worship. 
Pictured above is our Handbellz Group. 
Simply seeing these matching t-shirts reaffirms my love for Scottsville.

I love that the church is open to experiencing various elements of worship.

On December 24th we'll host a Christmas Eve Service. 
It is a meaningful evening. 
We'll share communion, sing carols, listen to scripture, and proclaim Jesus' birth.

As the home church of Lottie Moon, we hope to carry on the tradition of sharing the good news of Jesus Christ with the world.  This year we partnered with Virginia Baptists in helping with flood relief in both Texas and North Carolina. 

In September we braved the rain for a Nats game.  Because there were only 10 people total at the game, ushers invited us down from the nosebleeds to sit in the best seats!  Victoria said she could smell Bryce's shampoo. 
Yes it poured cats and dogs shortly after this picture was taken,
but what a glorious 20 minutes it was.

This is a picture from the 2018 Deacons' Retreat. 
I am inspired by their humility and leadership, and I can't tell you how many times I've relied on their wisdom. 
Their listening ears have been a gift to this verbally-processing pastor. 
I am grateful for all those God has called to serve as a deacon.  

These are just a few snapshots.  There are hundreds more.  Thanks be to God for calling me to this place and these people.