wenty five years of pastoral ministry went by more quickly than I would have imagined when Dawn and I came to Skyway with our six month old daughter Sarrah, our son Philip would be born three years later. When we arrived we did not have a 25 year plan in mind. We simply came following the call of the Holy Spirit. I was impressed by the Spirit that “They were like sheep without a shepherd.” Following that inner conviction was the first steps in a life shaping journey that has now lasted all these years. During this span I have been privileged to see God do many miracles in lives and bodies. I have traveled the world preaching the gospel and building the Church. I have been touched time and time again by the presence of God through someone else and I still live in awe of God’s grace and mercy for me, a man in need of a Savior. By looking back and learning I pray that the life lessons will help me be a better leader for the years to come. Here are a few things I have learned that have shaped me as a person and fellow citizen of the Kingdom of God. The first priority is family. I never wanted my children to grow up with the stigma of being a PK. AKA the Preacher’s Kid! Dawn and I have always tried to live the gospel at home and to provide an environment for our children to love Jesus and pursue him rather than resent the Church for robbing them of their childhood. We never wanted them to behave in a way to impress others. We simply wanted them to really know God. It is our greatest joy that our adult children now walk in truth. The second priority is family; my congregational family. I have learned how precious and fragile the life of a congregation really is. During these years of leading I have seen many congregations, pastors and members alike suffer from within. The apostle John had one message, little children love one another. The local church should be the safest place for finding forgiveness, comfort and restoration. When we lose this sense of security and feel we must wear Christian masks to appease others around us we cut ourselves off from the true purpose of being a part of the local church. It is in our transparency with each other that we find the grace of God through healing prayers and acceptance. No matter how important a person may seem to have become, we are all only one bad decision away from needing forgiveness, grace and mercy. I pray that our congregation will always have this atmosphere of unconditional love so we can continue to grow in Christ together as we all face the trials of life around us. Finally, the third priority is family; the family of God universal. When are we ever going to be too big as a church? Every day someone is leaving this earth without knowing the saving knowledge of Jesus Christ as their Lord. Who can stand idly by and say they were not our responsibility to reach? God sent His Son to create a way for a huge family gathering in heaven. It is my greatest desire to continually raise up individuals who bring more people into the kingdom and leaders who will accomplish greater acts of faith than me. If God allows, I pray that in the next twenty five years I would live to see our fruitfulness multiplied one hundred fold. If Dawn and I could prayerfully continue to see these three priorities manifest in our future years we would be eternally grateful to Jesus. We know that all of you are a part of Skyway because you have made a choice. We want to honor that choice with our conduct, prayers and service. Thank you for being a special part of our lives all these years.

-Pastor Greg