Pastor's Blog

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Thankful to be serving the God of all the earth

Emma, Samuel, and I returned yesterday from our visit with Emma’s parents, who live in Northern Ireland. The joy of being there combined with the somewhat painful experience of actually getting there (a red-eye flight with a one-and-a-half-year-old boy — don’t try it) is perhaps a parable of sorts for the Christian’s sometimes arduous journey through life toward a perfect destination!

Although we missed you all at PCF, we had a great time. We were showered with kindness from first to last by Emma’s family and our friends over there. Certainly for us one of the great highlights was seeing how quickly Samuel took to his grandparents and the rest of Emma’s family.

Another highlight for me was preaching morning and evening this past Sunday at Ballycrochan Baptist Church (http://www.ballycrochanbaptist.org), the church where Emma’s dad is the pastor. It was enormously encouraging for me to pray with a group of church members before the morning and evening services, because I felt right at home right away. These people love Jesus and they know how to pray! I was so encouraged to hear them speaking to Jesus, treasuring God’s Word, asking God for help in all kinds of matters. As I listened to their prayers, I was reminded again that God is the God of all the earth. He is known and loved and served in Northern Ireland just as he is in Massachusetts. We all know this intellectually, but it is another thing to experience it through fellowship with Christians in another land.

I’m thankful God has called us here to Pepperell, this corner of his earth. Emma and I look forward to plunging back into ministry among you, and we are enormously thankful for PCF and the work God is doing among us. It is great for me to have this perspective as we return to ministry here — God is the God of all the earth.

Posted by Stephen Witmer on Feb 2, 09:12 AM

2 Comments

Stephen,

It was great to shake your hand and get to meet young Samuel on your visit to Ballycrochan. Your preaching was inspiring and fitting that we should be always thankful for everything in our lives.

What a privilege it is to be counted as a child of God, the fantastic love He drives into our spirit. There is a huge need locally and throughout the rest of the world to reach out in communities. Our responsibility in committing to this with all our might and with God’s Blessing. Stick to it Stephen, may our Father take care of you, Emma and Samuel (and those to come)as you grasp the skill of professing His Gospel wherever opportunities arise.

Keep kneeling down and looking up!

Your Brother In Christ,

Peter

Posted by Peter Hewitt Feb 2, 10:44 AM

Thanks, Peter. We felt so warmly welcomed by you all. I feel deeply privileged to have met you and the others at Ballycrochan, and to know that even though separated by an ocean, we are partners in the gospel.

Posted by Stephen Witmer Feb 6, 06:02 PM

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