Blessings to you and “Merry Christmas!”
Several of you have contacted me requesting a copy of the poem I shared on the phone in our district office Christmas message. Therefore, I would like to share it with everyone again in this email.
God Sent Us a Savior
If our greatest need had been information,
God would have sent us an educator.
If our greatest need had been technology,
God would have sent us a scientist.
If our greatest need had been money,
God would have sent us an economist.
If our greatest need had been pleasure,
God would have sent us an entertainer.
But our greatest need was forgiveness,
So God sent us a Savior.
- Roy Lessin
Thank God for his wonderful gift! My prayer for all of us is that amid the festivities of this week we will remember the real reason we celebrate. Let’s be sure to take time to express our gratitude to our Heavenly Father for His goodness and the matchless gift of Jesus, our Savior, our Healer, our Spirit Baptizer, and our soon coming King!
I mentioned in the District Update (e-Newsletter) that was sent out earlier this week that Church Planting & Church Development will be divided into two separate ministries and the Superintendent’s office will no longer serve as the departmental director for either. Church Planting and Church Development are different in nature and each requires a unique focus. In addition, each deserves more time and attention than I am able to provide while serving as your District Superintendent. After much prayer, I have asked the following men to lead these two ministries.
Kenny McNatt, District Church Planting Director
Kenny was born and raised in Middle Tennessee and has deep roots in the Tennessee District. His father served as an Assemblies of God evangelist and pastor for 50 years, with 48 years of ministry in Tennessee. His wife, Amy, also grew up in a Pastor’s home. Her Father has been in ministry for 40 years.
Kenny is a graduate of Southeastern University and during his ministry, he served 8 years as a Youth Pastor, 3 years as Youth/Associate Pastor, 5 ½ years as Sr. Associate Pastor and, most recently, as a Church Planter and the Lead Pastor for Canvas Community Church in Manchester, TN. Canvas Community Church was planted in August, 2009. Since that time, the church has grown from a group of 6 people in attendance (including Kenny, Amy & Bryant) to an average in 2011 of over 150. The 2 year anniversary of the church in August saw a record attendance of 230.
Kenny has a genuine heart for reaching the people of Tennessee who are far from Christ. In addition to his desire to reach the people of Tennessee, Kenny also has a love for pastors. He understands the battles that they struggle through as well as the effect that the stress of ministry has on their families.
He is looking forward to serving the church planters of Tennessee and helping them through the unique challenges that they face as we move toward our goal of 300 healthy churches.
David Jenkins, District Church Development Director
David has served as the Sr. Pastor of First Assembly of God in Hendersonville, Tennessee for the past 10 years. Prior to accepting the pastorate of First Assembly, he was the Tennessee District Youth Director from 1990 to 2001. He is a graduate of Evangel Bible College in Springfield, Missouri and holds a Master’s Degree from Memphis University.
In addition to serving as a District Youth Director and Sr. Pastor, over the course of his ministry, he has also served as a Youth Pastor, an Associate Pastor, and a District Sectional Presbyter. In March of this year, he was elected to serve as the District Executive Presbyter for Middle Tennessee.
Pastor David has a vision to see “faith meet the marketplace” and he is very active in the Hendersonville community. He strongly believes that it is important for the church to be involved in community events.
I know God will bless the Tennessee District through their leadership and I have complete faith in their ability to direct these ministries.
Lastly, as you prepare for the new year, I wanted to share an update with you regarding some of our Tennessee missionaries. The missionaries that will be itinerating during 2012 are Keith Jones, Mike Lutes, Lloyd Marsh, Byron Salmon, Tom Wheeler, and James Wiseman. Please schedule them for a service, window, or missions convention!
Also, Matt and Blair Roelandts are home on medical leave for three months and missionary “R” (in a sensitive country) needs prayer about an special need and has also been sick for 4 days, having picked up a bug/parasite. Please keep these men and women of God in your prayers.
Have a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!
