Dear Edgeboro Members and Friends,

It is my joy to bring you greetings for the first time in The Envoy! My wife, Beth, and I are thrilled to begin a new chapter of our lives here at Edgeboro. Our first Sunday here was on June 26^th and we were welcomed with open arms. We would like to extend our gratitude to all who have supported us during that time and for those who had a hand in organizing the reception following worship that day. My hand was tired from shaking so many hands that day, but it was good to see some of the faces that I would be doing ministry with in the future.

One of the first events that I had the privilege of representing Edgeboro was at Eastern District Synod. The theme of this synod was “To Us, To Us, This Task is Given,” which focused our attention on the service that we do in our communities. We heard from those churches that are engaging in new ministries in our district, spent an entire day out in the community going to new places to serve others, and came together to talk about our experiences to talk about the ways we can impact our respective communities. Everyone will have an opportunity to hear more about Synod and the results of it from the Edgeboro delegates themselves during worship on July 10^th.

A theme that I notice emerging in my writing is that there are “new” things happening around us – new ideas, new conversations, new ministries, a new pastor, etc. “New” can be exciting and it can be unsettling, but with the promise of Jesus to us, his disciples, we can know that he will be with us always (Matt. 28:20). We can look at the present and past with gratitude and look to the future with hope knowing that Jesus has, is, and will guide us. (Speaking of gratitude, I invite you to read the note of a past student pastor that is included in this newsletter and she looks to encounter new things in her ministry.)

I look forward to meeting you all as we all follow Christ together.

Grace & Peace,
Pastor Dan