Welcome to the Shaws
Dear Hope Church Family,
What a joy it was to announce during the services last Sunday this good news: After a long time of searching and praying, waiting and trusting, we are able to welcome the Reverend Ben Shaw and his family to Hope Church to serve as our Pastor of Congregational Life and Discipleship.
The Pastoral Search Team was skillfully and faithfully anchored by Brett Anderson, Eric Hein, Jenny Hobbs, Jenny Linton, Katie Moretz, and Phil Nichols. They served sacrificially, graciously, and with great endurance and discernment. We cannot thank them enough for the investment of time and heart that they gave for the good of our church. Please give them a hearty thanks the next time you see them.
While there will be much more information and detail to come, I do want to briefly let you know a bit about Ben and his family. Ben is married to Marianna, and they have three children: Benji (rising 8th grade), Henry (rising 7th grade), and Missye Rhee (rising 2nd grade). They have successfully planted and grown a PCA church in St. Francisville, LA for the past 7 years. Prior to that call, Ben and Marianna worked with Reformed University Fellowship overseeing the work at Southern Miss for 10 years.
Please join me in praying for the Shaw’s successful transition to life in North Carolina and settling in at Hope. Ben’s first official day is July 1st, and as you can imagine the process to uproot from one part of the country and get re-rooted in another is, indeed, a process. But we are eager to welcome the Shaws and help them become part of the Hope family as quickly as possible.
One of the verses that the Search Team and I reflected upon in the protracted process was Isaiah 59:1, “Behold, the Lord’s hand is not shortened, that it cannot save, or his ear dull, that it cannot hear.” It was a touchstone to us that God’s arm is always extended into the trials and waiting periods of our lives and that his gracious ear hears our cries for help and mercy – even when we cannot see it and struggle to trust. He always shows up right on time for what his children need!
We rejoice that we can now affirm another of God’s promises more confidently!
Grace and peace,
David