When I was in Seminary, one of my favorite professors told me that inevitably I will leave a church that I have been ministering, and when that happens, remember to say goodbye and say goodbye well. I have often remembered his advice in the years since then. I have used it with my family when leaving the house to go to work and I have used it when leaving the churches I have been so blessed to minister.
And so, that is where we find ourselves now. It is time to say goodbye.
The 5th of June will be my last day as Pastor to Children and their Families at Eagle Church of the Nazarene. We have been truly blessed with our time here at ENC.
Some of you have already asked us why we are going and where. And we have already had the joy of telling some of you about the journey God has already begun with Alissa and me. But for those that we have not been able to share with, here is a little of what God is doing.
First, the why. Simply put, God has been moving. God has been redefining the call that is on my life. I came here as a Pastor to Children and Families in my heart. I am leaving here with a changed call that centers even more around family ministry. God has been working on me. God has given me opportunity after opportunity to grow while I have been here. That growth has led to a more immediate need in my heart to reach out to families and to help them be equipped to minister to their kids, teens and even themselves. Essentially, this could take two forms: one would be a family pastor and the other would be a lead pastor of a church with a focus on family ministry.
Second, the where. We don’t really know. We have applied to districts around some places that we have felt that God might be leading us, but we have not received any interviews so far. We are busy getting ready to have a garage sale and to pack up our house and move out by June 1st. God has told us to be prepared and we are preparing.
We do know that God has promised to use us in a way that He has never used us before. More completely. More effectively. More for His Kingdom. And we are SO excited for what that means. We know that no matter what happens or where we go that God is with us and for us. To God be the glory!
What do you take away from our story? We hope that you see in our story, as it is in most of our stories with God, that God deserves the glory. It is as Jude 1:24-25 says, “To him who is able to keep you from falling and to present you before his glorious presence without fault and with great joy- to the only God our Savior be glory, majesty, power and authority, through Jesus Christ our Lord, before all ages, now and forevermore! Amen.”
God’s best,
Dave Foshee and Family
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