Praying For You

I just returned from Camp Wyoming, our church’s camp up in Jones County. This trip was for an overnight retreat with other pastors and elders in our presbytery. Our group is called RTA4. RTA stands for Reversing the Arrow. 4 means that this is the 4th such group that has formed in the last 5 years under the guidance of our General Presbyter Harry Olthoff. So the goal of the group is to support leaders within the presbytery in our efforts to reverse the trends of decline that so many churches have experienced over the last several decades. But reversing the arrow is not just about getting more people on the church rolls. It is about something far more important. It is about helping churches be faithful in the way that we go deeper in our experience of Christ AND in the way we reach out in new ways. It’s about helping all of us be more faithful individuals who live out our faith each and every day—outside the church walls. RTA is important to me because it is a place to share ideas and learn from others and receive support so that I can be a better leader and more faithful pastor. It also helps me to grow as an individual, a husband, and a father. We are all a work in progress. Like an old singer from Texas puts it: “I’m just an old lump of coal, but I’ll be a diamond someday.” There are people around who pray for me and for you. Please know that you are loved and supported in many ways—even by people you may never meet. Getting Reversed, David