A Long Way From Scotland

It's over fourteen years since we left Scotland and one thing's for sure, Long Island is a lot different from Inverallochy, the remote village in the northeast corner of the country that had been our home. We lived on the street in this picture - our house is not visible, but stands to the left side of the photo.

The move to the U.S. was a big one, and it took a while to adjust to life on this side of the Atlantic, but this last seven years have been the happiest of the 35 I've spent in ministry. We have some amazing people at Grace Church and as we celebrate our seventh anniversary tomorrow, I'm grateful to God for everyone who has joined us on this journey.

Above all I appreciate the leadership team that God has given us, so as we approach our birthday, let me say this -

Lesaya Kelly is a gift from God to our church. Her heart for God's kingdom and for others is obvious. She maintains an amazing workload and her organizational, pastoral and preaching skills add a tremendous amount to our effectiveness.

Frank Summers is like gold. He is the calibre of man that any church would be thrilled to have on their staff, but we are the church that is privileged to have him as part of our pastoral team. Frank juggles a hundred different things too, but always finds time for others. He's the man I want beside me if we ever go to war.

Charlotte Engel is the unsung hero of Grace Church. Through most of our short history she has been the person working behind the scenes to make everything happen. Her life is not just spent in administrative matters, she's actually as pastoral as any of us. Her interest in people and concern for them surpasses even her commitment to keeping the paperwork in order. It would be difficult to imagine functioning without Charlotte. Thankfully we do not need to.