these folks who dedicate so much of their time and effort to their respec- tive ministries, it has just been so humbling to see these things. It’s been so wonderful to see your love for Jesus Christ and your desire to do what is best for your agency and for the ARP Church, and it has been a such a great blessing to me. To that end, let me encourage you to pick up the phone and talk to one another. If you are wondering about the work of a board or agency, pick up the phone and talk to one another, not just about one another.


I’ve seen the best of the ARP in what was perhaps the most valuable experience I had during my time as Moderator, when my family and I traveled to Europe to be with World Witness missionaries. Again, I was so ignorant as to what they do, but you all gave me the opportunity to see the glory of the Gospel at work. You gave me the op- portunity to see our missionaries and their love for the gospel of Jesus Christ, their efforts for growing the Kingdom of God, their priorities on display, and the circumstances under which they work, and all of this was sobering and humbling.


In my time as Moderator I saw the best of the ARP, both here and


abroad. And it’s for this reason that I have much hope for the future of the ARP.


But, over the last year I have also seen that we have some work to do. Fathers and Brothers, we have many churches that are struggling. We have presbyteries that are struggling. There are some who hold far too much responsibilities in their presbyteries and who struggle because they don’t have brothers who will share the burden with them. What a shameful thing it is that we are concerned over things like quorums and         vows? Are we not Presbyterians? Are we not a connectional church? Some of my perspective comes from the fact that I’m the chairman of our Nominations Committee in Virginia presbytery, and the chairman of Nominations on the General Synod’s committee, but we have to snap out of our apathy over the work of the presbytery and the general synod. And beyond that, we have to get real about the world we’re living in. We have to get real about sharing the gospel of Jesus Christ and the fact that our children are threatened to be swallowed up by the world around them. We have to get real about the target that is on our back. In a world where more and more denominations and churches slide into liberalism and apostacy, don’t think for one moment that Satan desires any better for us. We must be on guard as the evil one attacks, and therefore we must come together. We have to get excited about our salvation in Jesus Christ and share our excitement with the next generation. There is only one way to move forward as a denomination, only one way to be built up and it is on the Word of God, with a desire to see the lost come to know Jesus Christ. I know that you know this, and I am excited to see how the Lord will implement these things through us because I believe the Lord is working in the ARP.


Thank you for this wonderful opportunity to serve. To God alone be the glory.


July/August 2022 5


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