School ( since 2013 ) and the Savannah Classical Academy ( a public charter school started in 2013 ) are confirmation of the vision of Veritas ’ founders , who were almost entirely members of our church .
* facilities – We opened the current Administration Building in 1994 and have renovated it twice ; we built the Whitaker Street Building in 2011 ; and we ’ ve renovated and reconfigured the Education Building , Telfair Hall , and the Courtyard several times in order to meet the changing needs of our congregation . We also built the current Point Pleasant facility in 1990 and its reconstruction is on the drawing board .
This year This year I made some slight adjustments , anticipating the need to slow down , at least a bit . After 19 years , I taught my last Chatham Bible Study in May . It has been a great run , and I resigned with considerable reluctance . Yet I have found my weekly pace is far less hectic without the need to have a Bible Study ready on Wednesday noon after spending all day Monday on Sunday ’ s sermons and all day Tuesday in the church office taking care of business . Life is a marathon , as is ministry . There will be other things that I ’ ll need to surrender in the coming years . Still , opportunities to minister have opened in other directions even as I ’ ve stepped back .
Seminaries and others I was privileged to teach on my favorite subject ( worship , of course ) first at Westminster Theological Seminary California in January , team-teaching with David Hall ; then at Chinese Theological in Taipei , Taiwan in June ; finally at Reformed Theological Seminary in Charlotte in July , this for D . Min . students . I was honored in May to address the graduates of Greenville Theological Seminary at their Commencement exercises , in April to preach for the building dedication of the Sovereign Grace PCA in Charlotte .
Men Your church staff has been discussing the need to focus on the men of the church . The women of the church have their weekly Bible studies and circles . The men have nothing targeting them . So for the fourth year we aggressively solicited participation in what we now call the Dead Theologians ’ Society , which met monthly either on Wednesday night , Thursday for breakfast , or Thursday for lunch . An average of 22 men met for the 12 months of 2016 for rich conversation and fellowship stimulated by classic Christian books . December we followed up with a Sunday School class for men focusing on marriage and family . We ’ ve averaged 60 studying in what appears to be matters of vital concern for our men .
Publishing A book published per year has been the pace for the past several years . This year it was a Mentor Commentary on 1-3 John , consisting of my sermons on John ’ s epistles . I have wondered , however , as part of my 30-year reflections , if I have spent too much time writing , writing at the expense of other important activities . Writing borders on the compulsive for me . Writing helps me to think through ideas and helps organize and clarify my thoughts . Still , has writing robbed time away from other pastoral duties , or , in the end , will writing prove to have done as much good as preaching or teaching ? Only judgment day will tell .
Civic I was called on twice in 2016 to take part in civil ceremonies . The first was in January at the inauguration of our Deacon Eddie DeLoach as Mayor of Savannah . It was a happy moment for me , as I couldn ’ t be prouder of Eddie ’ s desire to make a difference in Savannah ’ s political life . Then in February I was asked to be Chaplain of the Day , which means preach and pray for the Georgia State House of Representatives
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