Saturday, May 17, 2008

The Ministry To Which We Have Been Called

If you have not heard the good news yet, I have accepted an offer to become the preaching minister at the Littleton Church of Christ in Littleton, Colorado (a suburb of Denver)!! We have such great peace and excitement about this decision. Though our search process has been long and uncertain at times, I could not imagine a better place to begin my ministry.

Though we will certainly enjoy this beautiful location, the most attractive part of my new job is the incredible people of LCC. During the entire interview process with the elders at Littleton, Holly and I could not have felt more loved and supported. The ministerial staff has an incredible reputation among churches in our tradition and I have heard nothing but good things about the administrative staff as well. In the coming weeks, Holly and I cannot wait to meet more of the congregation.

In the past week, my own discernment of my calling to ministry has been affirmed twice. A week ago, the professors of ACU acknowledged my call to ministry and blessed my future as a leader in God's kingdom. And just a few days ago, I got the call I had been waiting on for six years now. All of my education means very little without the calling of a church that discerns my gifts of leadership and preaching. With the call from Littleton, I feel completely sure of the ministry to which I have been called. Praise God for the work he has done in my life and for the ways he has called me into a position of impact in his kingdom!

To those who have mentored, befriended, taught, and prayed for Holly and me in our preparation for ministry, I want to thank you for all you have done for us! We will continue to covet your prayers, advice, and friendship in the future. God has placed you in our paths for a reason and we will never take for granted the blessings you have given us.

And to those at the Littleton Church of Christ, Holly and I want you to know how excited we are to minister alongside you. We have prayed for God to lead us in the direction of his choosing. We feel confident that he has done just that! We are excited to meet every one of you. We have been praying for each of you for the past few years now. May God bless you with his grace, passion, and peace.

To those who will be come to know Christ through God's ministry of grace spread through this weak vessel, I pray that God will open your hearts to his message. I know the Holy Spirit is already at work in your lives. God, help me in my role as a missionary among lost people.

God, may your kingdom come and your will be done on earth as it is in heaven. And may we join you as your reign increases on the earth. Use us as your hands and feet among the hurting. Use us as your salt and light to infect a world of darkness with your light!

21 comments:

Anonymous said...

Collin and Holly,

Candy and I could not be more thrilled with your decision to work with us at Littleton! I know God has made this arrangement and he will bless it. We are praying for a smooth transition in your life and an uneventful move to Littleton. Our home is open should you need a place to stay any time in the proccess ... just let us know.

With your coming here, we have been transported in time remembering the beginning of our ministry ... I was 22, Candy was 20! Forty two years later we are in constant awe of how God has blessed our lives in ministry. You have so much to look forward to, and the kingdom of God will be blessed by your work.

Welcome to Littleton!

Gus and Candy White

Anonymous said...

Collin & Holly,
Welcome to Littleton. We are so proud and so please to have you as part of our family. We look forward to working with you to further the Lord's work here in the Denver metro area as well as around the world. We are blessed with your decision to come here and we know that you and Holly will be blessed by the family of the Littleton church.
Welcome!

Amy said...

We are thrilled and can't wait for y'all to arrive!

Amy & Kent Wiley

Anonymous said...

Collin & Holly,
WOW, we are so excited that God has called you to Littleton. This is a wonderful place to live and serve God. We want you both to know we are, and will continue to pray God's spirit upon you as you make plans to move. God has a great vision for you and this body here. Let us know what we can do to help in your transition. We look forward to serving with you.
In His Hands,
Johnny & Susie

Anonymous said...

Collin & Holly,
We are delighted and honored to have both of you come and serve with all of us at Littleton. We truly believe God's hand and providence has been guiding all our paths which has brought you to our family here. We are looking forward to many years of service with you and if there is anything Jennifer and I can do to help in your transition, please let us know.

Soli Deo Gloria!

Rick & Jennifer Mastalka

Anonymous said...

Collin & Holly,
It is an answer to many prayers to know that you will soon be joining us here at Littleton! We look forward to how God will use each of us in His work. He must have many exciting plans ahead! Mike & I offer our help in your move, however you may need it. I know you have the necessary phone numbers, so call anytime - or e-mail. We hope to spend some time with you, one on one, very soon and we will continue to pray about all the changes ahead.

Blessings and love,
Carol & Mike Myers

Anonymous said...

This is great, great news indeed my friend. Blessings to you as the journey continues in Colorado.

Anonymous said...

Welcome to Colorful Colorado! We are so excited to have you and to get to know you better! We will pray for a wonderful journey here at Littleton.

Jim and Kim Santaniello

Anonymous said...

Collin and Holly,

Mike and are will be praying for an easy move and a smooth transition for you as you prepare to come to colorful Colorado! How exciting and scary! We look forward to meeting you.

Mike and Mary Harlow

Tamika said...

Collin and Holly!

All Gods best to you as you start your work in ministry at Littleton! I grew up there and worked as an intern there with the youth for 4 years. You will be surrounded with love and encouragement. I pray that your transition will be great and I know you are an answered prayer. Good Luck! Hope to have an opportunity to meet you at some point. My family lives in Vienna, Austria, but we will no doubt be back to visit in the future!

Anonymous said...

Dear Holly and Collin,

For months we prayed that God would either choose a pulpit man for us or grant wisdom to those making the decision. We are thrilled that he chose to do both. We see His hand in the selection and are grateful that you accepted His call. We can't wait to see what He has in mind for us and we eagerly await you coming to minister with us.

"With this in mind, we constantly pray for you, that our God may count you worthy of his calling, and that by his power he may fulfill every good purpose of yours and every act prompted by your faith."

Anonymous said...

Collin & Holly
We are very excited for the two of you to join our church family here at Littleton. We look forward to getting to know you! If there is anything we can do to help you get settled in, please let us know. See you soon!
Daniel and Jennifer Cox

Anonymous said...

Collin and Holly,
We are so glad that you will be joining the ministry in Littleton. We pray for a fruitful transition. We are looking forward to meeting you. Albert and Jennifer Grady

Anonymous said...

Hoping and praying that all goes well with your move. We look forward to knowing you better.

Karmen and Steve Davis
(Harrison and Hanna, too!)

Anonymous said...

Collin and Holly,

We don't know you but we moved from the Littleton Church of Christ about 3 years ago. The people there have been a blessing to us, even since we've been in Oklahoma, through email and letters. May God bless you in your work there.

Dennis and Karen Graham

Anonymous said...

Collin and Holly,
You are in our prayers for a smooth transition to the Littleton Church. We are confident that we will be blessed by your work. We look forward to getting to know you. Colorado is a wonderful place to plant roots!
May God bless you,
Maegan and Jeremy Cave

Nicole said...

Collin & Holly,
We are so excited for you two to come to Colorado! We feel as though God as answered many many prayers! We hope your transition will be smooth. Looking forward to spending time with you!
Mike & Nicole Fuhrmann

Anonymous said...

Holly & Collin,
We are delighted that God has led you to Littleton! This has been a great experience to see God's will in this process. You know where we live and are welcome to stay here any time you want to look for housing, etc. You can also drive Mark's fun car (won't have to drive Archie's Toyota!). Enjoy your cruise and time with your families. We can't wait for you to get here.
Susan & Mark Wallis

TwinLawyerMommy said...

Hi Collin and Holly,

We are very excited about your coming to work with us. May God bless you with a smooth (and fun!) transition. We look forward to meeting you!

Bill, C.Jaye, Annie, and Parker Mills

Anonymous said...

Colin & Holly,
We were very happy to hear on Sunday that you will soon be joining us at Littleton. We pray that the transition will go smoothly for you. We look forward to what God has in store for all of us at Littleton. We've been in this congregation just a few years and have found it to be a wonderful loving family. We look forward to meeting you soon.
With love in Christ,
Dave & Barbara Dean

Anonymous said...

Collin and Holly,

We are very much looking forward to meeting you and are praying for you as you move to this community and this spiritual body. We would love to help you get settled in any way we can!

Brian and Ann Harrington