Dear Church Family,

Matt and Carrie in Edinburg, Scotland (Edinburg Castle in background).

With great joy and anticipation, I got up this morning. With hope, I return to serve.

Still, I wish I was farther along in my spiritual journey, wish I had a purer heart, and o how I long to be free of the weight of lingering sin. That I’ve made any progress in Christ is all to His glory and the sovereign grace of God to break through my willfulness. It is in these realizations that I’m humbled you called me 12 years ago to serve as a pastor here, and that you’ve been ever gracious and supportive up to this very moment. Thank you again for this summer sabbatical. Thank you for your labors of love and prayers of faith.

I’m excited to follow our Great Shepherd together in the year ahead!

Speaking of the year ahead…

#1: Fall Conference: Please block out Saturday September 17th for our Multiplication Conference (9-3:30PM). We’ll praise the LORD, be exhorted unto good works, and treasure the gospel together.

#2: Sabbatical Reflections: My intention is to share bits and pieces of my sabbatical in sermons and in three short summaries reflecting on each month away. Click this to read my first reflection:

#3: Upcoming Sermons: My preaching plan for the next several months is to spend 3 weeks in the early chapters of Genesis, and then I want to spend the Fall looking at Jesus’ Beatitudes in the Sermon on the Mount. May we treasure the King, seek His kingdom, and reflect His character.

I’d love to hear from you, reconnect, and make time for anyone who needs a pastoral ear. I’m hanging around the church office a lot this week, so feel free to call 319.447.1688. If you want to meet, I have open office hours available on Wednesdays. I’m also willing to meet for early coffees or evening chats.

Please don’t hesitate to reach out.

Humbled to serve,

Pastor Matt

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