“I thank my God every time I remember you. In all my prayers for all of you, I always pray with joy because of your partnership in the gospel from the first day until now, being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.” (Philippians 1:3-6)
We echo these words of Paul on this Thanksgiving weekend and want you to know: you are remembered, you are prayed for, and you are not serving alone – God is near! Please listen, reflect and “soak in” these truths about God’s nearness.
God Is Near: Lord, we praise you today because you are near to us. We have the holy privilege, just as Enoch did, of walking with you (Genesis 5:24). Noah was a righteous man, blameless among the people of his time, and he walked with you (Genesis 6:9). Teach us how to walk with you as well. It is good to be near you (Psalm 73:28). You are close to those who are brokenhearted (Psalm 34:18). You are near to everyone who calls on you with a heart seeking truth (Psalm 145:18). You have a desire that people would seek you and find out that you are not far from every one of us (Acts 17:27). You have promised that if we come near to you, that you will come near to us (James 4:8).
Please know you are remembered often as you lead the great work we are all engaged in. Every week in our staff gathering we think about and talk about our pastors and their spouses. As we lead pastoral reviews, we are SO thankful for our church boards. We are reminded often to pray for you and the great Kingdom work you are doing. When we pray, we do so with thankful hearts because of the incredible work you are leading.
Thank you for helping to mobilize people in unity, for blessing your community in creative ways, for your steadfast commitment to bring people to Jesus and for the way you are helping people to become Christ-like disciples. You are moving the mission of the church and the Kingdom forward. We are so thankful to have you as part of the great Chicago Central District team.
We hope you had a wonderful Thanksgiving, filled with great times of fellowship with family and friends, and we join you in anticipation of a great Advent season. We have wonderful days ahead on the CCD. You are loved.
Larry McKain, Superintendent
Chicago Central District
Church of the Nazarene