35 Years

Ron Writes

We’ve been blessed by another year together! I’m so thankful to be your preacher. Not many preachers can say they’ve been in the same pulpit for 35 years. 

I’m thankful that I have been able to work with a church that loves and respects me. 

I’m thankful for a church that wants me to preach God’s Word. You don’t want pat answers. You don’t want me to reinvent the wheel week after week with fundamentals. You don’t want a commentary on politics, the environment or anything other than God’s Word. You just want me to speak where the Bible speaks. I’m thankful for a church that expects me to grow in God’s Word.

I’m thankful for a church that treats me like family. I have found fathers and mothers, brothers and sisters, sons and daughters. And I’m thankful for a church that has loved my family. 

I’m thankful for leaders who have seen the benefits of long-term commitments. Right after I had graduated and began to work with a church, I had lunch with a well-known preacher in southern California. He had preached for more years then than I have preached now and he had a great reputation. I asked him and his wife if they got to do it all over again, what would they do differently. They both agreed and without hesitation said that they would have found one church and stayed with it. They told me that just like most preachers they had moved every few years. They advised me to try to stay put. They assured me that the church would be blessed and so would I. They warned me to be careful about seeing how green the grass always looks somewhere else. I’m thankful for a church that has stayed committed to me.

I’m thankful for a church that has gotten along with one another. I’m thankful for a church that is known for their love for one another. I’m thankful for a church that demonstrates the joy of serving God. 

I’m thankful for a church, that even after 35 years makes me want to give thanks to God.