The stories coming out of East Africa are heartbreaking, as parents are forced to leave children behind, too emaciated to continue with other siblings to receive the food and water that are part of the current relief from the devastating famine. We have an unprecedented opportunity to join with a broad cross-section of people of Muslim, Jewish, and Christian faith working side-by-side to pack meals destined for the hardest hit areas of Ethiopia, Kenya, Somalia, and South Sudan.
Click here to make a difference.
Please sign up to invest a few hours June 2-5 to show up, join in, and reach out with kindness and the love of God to vulnerable people here at home and in East Africa. As I have gathered with leaders from diverse faith communities in recent weeks, I have assured them of the willingness of an army of people of peace to mobilize together from our Free Church association of churches, and Lord willing, all backgrounds to work together to feed the famished.
As I prepare to bid ‘farewell’ to the NCD after 27 years of service, I am convinced there has never been an opportunity comparable to this to demonstrate the compassion of Christ to other members of our community by responding to a crisis of this scope and magnitude. And in so doing, we can get outside the four walls, build bridges with hundreds of foreign-born friends and neighbors, and make a gospel impact.
I conclude my service to the district on May 31. I want to acknowledge the overwhelming number of notes, the gracious remarks, and generosity from so many. Thank you so very much. If, by God’s grace, I was ‘there’ for you and your leadership team in your hour of need, give God the glory. Where I fell short and disappointed you, I pray you will find it in your heart to forgive me for falling short of your expectations. Please continue to uphold the new superintendent and our district ministry team in your prayers as they seek to serve the Church.
God calls each of us. And, in due time, God releases us from a particular ministry assignment… only to call us into another equally challenging assignment. That ‘call’ is a divine transaction, simply attested to by human observers, including ourselves. It’s His invitation to join the work of the Spirit with a particular people, in a particular place, and at a particular time. In my release from longtime stewardship of the district, I covet your prayers as I accept His call to fully immerse myself in Article 8 initiatives, originating in my own community and beyond.
All for the King and His Kingdom!
Tom