Pastor's Perspective - A Kind & Encouraging Letter

The following is a letter I recently received from an out-of-state guest who came our way a few weeks ago. It is a kind, encouraging and beautiful description of God's presence in our weekly gatherings, and the ministry excellence of those who serve with me. Thank you Gerald!


Pastor Steve,

I was recently working in Birds Landing, California and had a Sunday to explore the region. It was a grand day, full of sun and just cool enough for a jacket. I took the drive to San Francisco, went straight thru the beautiful downtown area and proceeded to the Golden Gate Bridge. There, I walked out on to that magnificent structure with thousands of other people and spent an hour or so just taking in the view, snapping several shots and even grabbed a sandwich to enjoy while I gazed. It is almost unbelievable what people were able to build so many years ago (1930’s) and is still awesome today. I then drove across the bridge and headed north to a State Park to see the California Redwoods that I had heard about all my life back in Illinois. The Parson Jones tree stood 310’ tall and was 1300 years old. It was so large that I had difficulty trying to take good pictures of it. The entire forest was filled with these giants, each one 3-4 times larger than any tree I had ever seen. Such a wonderful walk among nature, so quiet and the majestic trees were an unforgetable experience. It’s no wonder the native Americans thought they were of a holy design. I then drove by the Infineon Racetrack, such an exciting “road race” for us Nascar fans. I just couldn’t leave the area until I had seen this track that we in mid-America only hear about on Race-day.

The day had been absolutely fantastic, I really enjoyed all the sights and sounds of California but, the best part of the day happened earlier that morning in Suisun City at the First Christian Church (your church). I gathered with 100 strangers (brothers and sisters in Christ), as we worshipped the Lord through inspirational songs, we heard testimony from the song-leader about a trial in his life that was just too hard for most people to talk about, yet he and his family got through it with strength that only the Lord could provide. I watched the congregation pour out their hearts to Jesus in worship, praising Him, honoring God and allowing the Holy Spirit to work in their lives. God’s Spirit did “witness to our spirit” just as the Bible says. I saw people from many races and creeds come together under one roof, one house, one accord. We sang, we worshipped, we listened, we were taught, we were strengthened, we were glad. This time in my day meant more than all the rest combined. We surely serve an awesome God.

Gerald Brown

White Construction, Inc. - Indiana