Church Family,

Please take a moment and thank the Lord for his grace to all of us. Sixteen years ago, October 3, 2009, you set me apart to serve as Crestview's lead pastor. You took a risk on a young, yet-to-be proven pastor to lead the church out of a difficult season of division, decline, and debt. Tricia and I, desiring to obey the Lord, took the risk of stepping away from a construction career and moving our young family to Georgia. The Lord has been gracious to unite shepherd and sheep.

I am thankful for your love and encouragement to me, Tricia, and our family. Though our kids are older now and out of the house, you have make an indelible imprint on Mikayla, Josh, and J.T. Thank you for loving them well and providing for our family.

The Lord has been so good to our church. Together we persevered through struggles to emerge into a joyful season of steady, growing discipleship. Let's rejoice in the unity we have around the gospel of our Savior, loving one another, expositional preaching, sound doctrine, disciple-making, evangelism, and missions. Let's rejoice because we are consistently seeing visitors, baptisms, births, kids, teenagers, marriages, and home-goings. The Lord is blessing his church. Thank you for encouraging me to mature and develop as a pastor.

Today's blessings are not guaranteed tomorrow. As we give thanks for the Lord's grace among us, let us remain resolved to walk daily worthy of the calling we have received in Jesus Christ. As Tricia and I press forward with you into year seventeen, let's continue to do so as worship to our Lord: "By the mercies of God, present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship" (Romans 12:1).

I love you … for His Glory,

Pastor Thomas