Category: Central Church Family (Page 54 of 54)

My family and I will always listen for God’s voice. We will always follow his way. We will always answer his call. Through prayer and study and meditation and reflection and conversation, we will always be receptive to our Father’s leading.

Over the past several months it has become very clear to me that I cannot remain as the preaching minister at the Legacy Church of Christ. God has made it evident in some very surprising ways and in some ways that have been building for quite some time. So, again, after many weeks and months of difficult discernment, we have made the hard decision to leave our family at Legacy.

At the same time, our faithful Father has opened a door of tremendous opportunity for us in Amarillo. I have accepted the role of preaching minister at the Central Church of Christ and will begin my work there in September. Central is a downtown church with a downtown mindset, determined to reach its downtown community with the love of our Savior. They are driven by the mission to take Jesus to all peoples, all cultures, all languages, all tax brackets. That church seems to be defined by sacrificial service to others in the name of Jesus. They are committed to the arduous task of making their congregation reflect the Gospel nature of the all-inclusive table of our Lord. And most of you reading this blog know how attractive that is to me.

Of course, we leave Legacy with a great deal of sadness. My heart is heavy. I’ll forever be indebted to Legacy for showing such a tremendous faith in our God in bringing me here in the first place. Five years ago, you had absolutely no reason to have any faith in me. Your faith was obviously in our Father. And I thank you. You have nurtured me. You have supported me, encouraged me, and walked with me. You’ve shown great patience with me. And understanding. You’ve helped me.  Since day one, you’ve lovingly embraced my whole family. There are hundreds of you who have touched Carrie-Anne and me and our girls in profound and eternal ways. I have never felt for one minute that I was not loved at Legacy. We love you, too. A bunch.

Now, this is not the end of the world for me or for Legacy. It’s not like I’m leaving ministry. I’m not going back into radio. We are all still involved together in the great work of the Kingdom of our God. We still belong to the same Church of God. We’re still on the same board, working for the same mission and goals; I’m just moving to a different square.

As for Legacy, I’m convinced that this is the right move. I did not establish this church. And neither did you. This church was cruising along for almost fifty years before I got here and it’ll be just fine for fifty or five-hundred years after I’m gone. God established this congregation and he put it right here on Mid-Cities Boulevard for his specific purposes. He placed Legacy right where it is to be a light to this community. He placed it here so people in Northeast Tarrant County will find forgiveness and mercy and grace and love. He put Legacy right here in order to reach the lost, in order to comfort and bless and save. I firmly believe that our Father already knows the next Legacy preacher. This guy is a devoted man of God. And he will, by God’s grace and the power of the Holy Spirit, take Legacy to places I wouldn’t be able to. My prayer is that, with this man, my brothers and sisters here will embrace God’s vision and identify God’s holy mission for Legacy and jump into it with everything you’ve got. And turn everything rightside up for Christ.

I’m leaving Saturday for a four-day speaking engagement at the Northside Church in Benton, Arkansas where my great friend Jim Gardner preaches. So I won’t be here this Sunday. My shepherds here at Legacy have graciously allowed me a last opportunity to preach here at Legacy on July 24. I wanted the final chance to encourage you, to bless you, to affirm my great love for you, and to remind you of God’s marvelous plans for you.

You and each of your families and the entire Legacy family are in my constant prayers. Please keep us in yours.

May our God’s will be done at Legacy just as it is in heaven.

I love you,

Allan