CCC Gainesville | Blog
Hello dear CCC family,
I hope that most of you were in worship yesterday. Those of you who were not, I announced that God is calling me to Montgomery, Alabama. About 10 days ago I accepted a position on the staff of Trinity Presbyterian Church. Here is the gist of what I announced.
Ecclesiastes 3 says there is a time for everything; seasons of life; The Pendleys’ season of calling Gainesville home is over and the time for me to be your pastor will end the last day of August. The recognition of God calling us to a new place of living and serving, Trinity Presbyterian in Montgomery Alabama, has been very clear from the Lord. I’ll be serving along with 4 other ministers as the Director of Discipleship.
During the process of deciding I was absolutely excited about the future of Christ Community. We were making plans that will still happen, and I’m going to miss seeing them executed and that is a sincere loss to me. I believe this Fall you are headed for a different, hard, and wonderful time.
Leaving your session, and the fellowship we share, is one of the things that made this call so difficult Thankfully, all along the way the past 6 weeks there have been confirmation after confirmation from God that this is the move he is calling us to make. But the clarity does not remove the pain. I love you guys. I love Gainesville. #gogators
The recognition of God calling us to a new place of living and serving has been very clear from the Lord. The elders here, with heavy hearts, understand this. And that is important to me. I’ve enjoyed serving with your session. They are godly men who love Christ and love you. Hear me clearly: My leaving is unrelated to anything happening here. That is what makes the leaving sweeter, but also harder.
This is home, and you guys have been largely responsible for this. I’m so “proud” of you. As Paul said to a church he loved:
My brothers and sisters, you whom I love and long for, my joy and crown, stand firm in the Lord in this way, dear friends!
You will forever have a place in my heart. Christ Community is a wonderful congregation. This will be a desired destination for a good and gifted man. I think there will be guys clawing their way to apply for this position. You are going to be just fine. The session will tell you more about next steps during the service on July 27.
I’ll be joining 4 other ministers on the staff at Trinity church, charged with overseeing the Discipleship of the 600 adults in the congregation. The opportunity to step out of the lead position and work alongside fellow ministers that I have known for more than 20 years, and get closer to our families, are the main factors God used to draw us there. For the first time since we were in college, Kim and I will live less than 8 hours from our parents.
I know this is a shock, and hard to hear. It is hard to say! You have a great group of guys serving you as elders. The session (Nate, Mike, Charlie) and elders who support them (Larry, Richard).
Dates:
July 27: last day at CCC for Kim, Olivia, and John Reid (school starts Aug 7 in Montgomery)
August 31: My last Sunday. Kim and kids will return for us to say goodbye and y’all to pray for us. (This is labor day weekend.)
Prayer is so important right now. Pray that we’ll be able to say goodbye to each other well. Pray for my friend Chris Hiatt, there will be alot on his shoulders. I hope you know what a special, gifted, and godly man you have as a staff member. His friendship through the years, and impeccable work for the good and advancement of this church have been constantly energizing for me.
As we study 1st Peter together, we will see Jesus referred to as our Chief Shepherd. And he is. And faithful he remains.
Though you have not seen him, you love him. Though you do not now see him, you believe in him and rejoice with joy that is inexpressible and filled with glory, obtaining the outcome of your faith, the salvation of your souls.
Grace and peace,
Rob
Spread the word!
