Farewell to Yonkers Church

As I cleaned out my office at Yonkers Church, I nostalgically looked through the church photo album. There I saw a picture of me when I was a child standing on the stage of Yonkers Church holding a microphone. It’s amazing that years later as an adult I would come back to my childhood church to stand in that same spot as their pastor. It was a true privilege.

But I was a bit apprehensive in 2016 when my supervisor asked me if I would like to become the pastor at Yonkers Church. ​

His thoughts were that the church could benefit from a young pastor and a local pastor. At that time, I was the youngest pastor in the conference. I also lived 3 blocks from the church. That’s as local as it gets. However, I thought about how Jesus wasn’t welcomed in Nazareth and said “A prophet is not without honor except in his hometown". I wondered if the people of the church knowing me as a baby would pose as a problem. Praise God their familiarity of me didn’t get in the way. If anything, it helped. Those who knew me as a child were very kind. Some of those who didn’t know me were optimistic.
 
However, the next Sabbath that I was there I was faced with some challenges, but I was determined to follow God’s will regardless of the consequences. I had to make tough choices which led to an onslaught of opposition. In other areas I continued to make unpopular decisions that I believed would be beneficial to the church. Each of those decisions created challenges, but it’s important to please God rather than man. Eventually good came out of those challenges.
 
But my time at Yonkers Church isn’t defined by the challenges, but the victories. I am glad to see lives changed, people baptized, leaders developed, and a growing focus on reaching people over tradition.
 
The focus of ministry over ritual is what I hope will be the lasting legacy I can leave Yonkers Church.
 
So, I thank the Yonkers Seventh-day Adventist Church and all of it's wonderful members. I appreciate our years of memories and experiences that we shared together.
 
As I looked at that photo album as I was cleaning out my office, I saw many pictures of my dad when he was young around the age of when I started pastoring Yonkers Church. He use to be a member and elder at this church. In fact, when I first moved into this office I found his old Bible still there. It was pretty amazing.

Things have come full circle for him. Today, he is being installed as the new pastor of Yonkers Church. Now he can finally pastor the church that he has lived next to for so long. God has amazing plans and it’s beautiful how He goes about fulfilling those plans. I believe God is in control of the journey of Yonkers Church. There is no one better that I can entrust this church to than God who will use my dad in this role. May God guide this church in this new chapter of it journey. ​