Even more churches I don’t want to be

I love the churches in our city. I pray for them often to be filled to overflowing with people giving their lives back to God. When I drive past them, I bless them. When I hear of what God is doing in them, I celebrate. When someone tries to put down a local church, I am quick to point out what I know is true, noble, reputable, authentic, compelling and gracious about them.

Today, I want to tell you about two more amazing churches in our city.

Pastor Clay Ritter leads Calvary Chapel of Wilmington. I have had a few opportunities to experience their church. Last year, Jennifer and I were able to attend a Passover Seder with their congregation. The first Seder Pastor Clay ever attended was the one he led that night and he did an incredible job.

One of the best ways you can know a church from a distance is through it’s people. We know several members at Calvary. If they are an example of their church, then Calvary is an amazing place. I want God to bless Pastor Clay and Calvary with God-sized dreams. Then I want to see them live out those dreams.

Pastor Clay, keep listening to God’s voice and then leading in that direction. You are doing a great work and The ROCK loves you and your church.

Scotts Hill Baptist Church is at the other end of Sidbury Road (our address). Pastor Phil Ortego is a visionary leader who is blazing new trails with his church. Growth is not all about how many people are coming each week. Although Scotts Hill continues to grow numerically, their greatest growth is by helping their people grow in their relationship with Christ.

Today, I’ve been watching Pastor Phil’s message, “Growing Up In Jesus: The Carnal Christian“. He had some very good things to say.

Scotts Hill has a phenomenal youth ministry called Detour that is reaching hundreds of teens every week. They revere and respect their senior adults, they minister to the poor and they are actively involved in overseas missions. Wilmington would not be the same if Scotts Hill Baptist was not in our city. They are doing an amazing work. Pastor Phil, The ROCK loves your church.

Pastor Clay and Pastor Phil are great leaders. Even though I am not called to be either of these men, there is a lot that I could learn from them. Calvary Chapel of Wilmington and Scotts Hill Baptist Church are strong churches making a difference in our city. The ROCK was not called to be them. Instead, we are all parts of the body of Christ. Without them in our city, we would be incomplete.

God thank you for these amazing churches.