The changing of seasons brings excitement. We have been blessed with rain and cooler weather. Fall is officially here; change is coming. We anticipate with excitement the future and at the same time we look back over the summer and reminisce about the past. We relish the memories, yet look with anticipation what the next season will bring.
Tuesday afternoon, the staff (along with the help of Bethany and Lydia Cloer), helped Justin and Natalie Vandaveer unpack a truck of their belongings. It is time for us to look toward to the future and new changes and seasons. It is the spring for Justin and Natalie as they are starting new and different roles in their lives. Please make them feel welcome so that they can bask in the love and warmth of their new Southside family. With moving into a new house, a new baby girl on the way, and a new job doing the work for which God has called them, they will need all the nurturing and encouragement their Southside family can give. Kathy and I are confident that God has his hand in the sending and the calling of Justin to become the new recovery minister serving the Southside family. We believe, like Paul, when he wrote in Philippians 1:6, “And I am certain that God, who began the good work within you, will continue his work until it is finally finished on the day when Christ Jesus returns.”
As we were unloading, I experienced the changing of the seasons of life. For Kathy and myself, it is the fall season as we have served Southside for over twenty years. It is an exciting time for us as we look toward the future, take on different roles, and make many transitions in our lives as we get ready for the next phase. I will be making our plans more public at a later date, but now is the time to welcome the Vandaveers and make them feel part of the Southside family as we give them the shepherd’s blessing – Romans 15:13 – “I pray that God, the source of hope, will fill you completely with joy and peace because you trust in him. Then you will overflow with confident hope through the power of the Holy Spirit.”
