Happy New Year!: A Note From David Horita
Happy New Year to Fellowship Pacific!
Every year-end, I expend a fair amount of time writing two-page, individual, personal letters to each of our Fellowship Pacific staff. I am unsure if it is a valuable use of time from their perspective, since the letters have a fairly unfiltered “stream-of-consciousness” style to them. On the other hand, I want each of them to end the year hearing how important they are to me and to the work we are striving to do together. The truth is that they are awesome people who are passionately committed to our churches and to the mission God has given us. More importantly, they are my coworkers with Jesus.
However, there is another truth I should mention. Perhaps this is never true for you, but sometimes, in the midst of the day-to-day of leadership, tasks, outcomes, and deadlines, I can get frustrated with people. The letters to each of the staff are a perspective adjusting mechanism for myself, in that I try to detail exact things that they each have done that are impressive, admirable, and humbling to me. So, whether it is good for them or not, it is good for me. Yes, I know. This is vaguely narcissistic and possibly manipulative. At least I am overtly self-aware as I do so. And they are gracious enough to accept them.
As we begin a new year together in service of Jesus, please allow me to write a note stating that I am fully aware of the legitimate privilege it is to work on your behalf as churches and individuals. As I look back over the time I have served, I can see an extensive list of amazing things that God has done through you. In a stream-of-consciousness way and with no attempt to cover all of the ground, let me mention a few current realities:
In partnership with Northwest Seminary, we continue to be on the forefront of competency-based education in North America (and beyond). This past year saw our largest intake of new students into the Immerse program, which means the largest number of churches involved in this partnership. As well, our partnership with the staff and faculty of Northwest has deeply bridged the gap of professional to personal. We feel like friends as well as partners.
Our connections with most of our Agency partners and friends has also continued to deepen. I have had the privilege of meeting regularly with Marc Kinna, CEO of Baptist Housing, as we talk through a number of different ways we can work more closely for the furtherance of God’s Kingdom. The CEO of W.I.N.G.S (Women in Need Gaining Strength), Lorrie Wasyliw, has been instrumental in helping us develop a new, critically-needed training program entitled Safe Sanctuaries, dealing with the issues of clergy power abuse and domestic violence. Our camps are part of a larger and growing leadership pipeline that is developing our leaders of the future in conjunction with churches and our schools.
We continue to connect with churches and individuals who want to plant new churches as satellites or stand-alone ministries. These are innovative, difficult, and usually feel risky. Whether it be Emmanuel Baptist in Vernon planting a satellite in Falkland, on-line churches for our Korean partners, partnering with Fellowship International with First Nations, micro-churches in Nanaimo, or start-ups in Kelowna, we enjoy the luxury of committed people stretching their faith for the gospel.
It is very healthy for me to write about these things. I could and probably should say a lot more. I confess, it is less for you and more for me. I acknowledge there are times when it would be easy to become cynical. Sure, you could point your finger at me for that or you could join me in admitting that life in evangelical North America has quite a few challenges. As 2024 begins to roll out, we can be consumed by the hurdles if we allow ourselves to be.
Alternatively, you can join me and write your own letter. Write about a God who gathers amazing people to Himself, gifts them, inspires them, empowers them, and releases them to use their gifts for His own glory. Write not just about the excellence of what God has done in the past year or years, but about what our victorious Lord will do in the short-term and eternal futures. Write about your church family and the service they sacrificially give. Write passionately about the gifts people have been given and the creative and inspiring ways they will use them.
If you look around your church and ministry and begin to detail the people-gifts and gifts-of-people that you see in action, you will be encouraged. If you take the time to even write it down, you might find that you encourage others. And in the process, you will find that the long-expected Saviour of Christmas becomes the persistent and expectant hope of our future.
God is doing great things. God will do them this year, through you and your church. If you need a letter to remind you now and then, now might be a good time to start.