Weekly Email

Dear Church Family,

Just this week we lost another highly respected national Christian leader, Voddie Baucham. Voddie was a gifted preacher, author, and apologist. Like Charlie Kirk, Voddie was bold enough to take the Gospel to places that most of us would never consider. I am grateful to have had the chance to learn from Voddie’s preaching and I am confident his ministry will continue even after his death.

As much as I am grateful to have learned from Voddie Baucham, a man I’ve never met, I am so much more grateful for my Oakwood pastors that have shared their lives and invested in us. God has put us under their pastoral care, and they do not take their charge lightly. I asked Pastor Don if the elders could take his Weekly Email while he was in Africa. This is convenient timing, as we are on the eve of October, which is Pastor Appreciation Month.

James writes in chapter 3 that “not many of you should become teachers, my fellow believers, because you know that we who teach will be judged more strictly.” It is a weighty responsibility to be in the care of souls. God has uniquely gifted our pastors to lead His church. They have recognized their giftedness and used it to serve Him. In doing so, they bear all the Oakwood burdens. Consider what Paul, in 2 Corinthians 11, says. After rattling through five verses of all the hardships he has endured (23-27), he says this in verse 28: “Besides everything else, I face daily the pressure of my concern for all the churches.”

How do we show honor to our pastors for leading our church family? Paul has the answer in 1 Thessalonians 5: “Now we ask you, brothers and sisters, to acknowledge those who work hard among you, who care for you in the Lord and who admonish you. Hold them in the highest regard in love because of their work. Live in peace with each other.”

This is how we demonstrate our love for our pastors. We hold them in the highest regard because of their work. An extra portion of grace is due to them. Holding in the highest regard implies more than just treating the pastors kindly or giving them peanut butter cups. We revere them in our hearts. We think of them as precious gifts that God has given to us for a season. We routinely pray for God’s provision and protection over them and their families.

Pastor Appreciation Month brings an opportunity to reflect on how each of us can give something back to our pastors to encourage them. The elders will have a gift for them later in the month on behalf of the church. I encourage each of you to consider how you can express your appreciation to those that “care for you in the Lord and who admonish you”.

I’ll see you Sunday.
Jeff Moore
Elder