One of our four core values at ABC is authenticity. 1 John 1:7 tells us, “if we walk in the light as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another.” I have found it is not uncommon for someone to come to church and look like they are walking in the light, but the reality is they are walking through a very dark season. Some have marriage issues and their home lives are broken. Others are grieving the loss of a loved one. Many are struggling with work and searching for purpose in their lives. People walk through our doors carrying deep anxiety, depression, or fighting intrusive thoughts.
In my pastoral experience, I have found that healing comes by stepping into the light and allowing God to shine into those dark spaces. This is why we value authenticity at ABC, and it is why we are now launching the ABC Counseling Ministry. I have been praying for a few years on how we could offer on-site professional counseling to meet the growing emotional, mental, and spiritual needs of our community. I believe God has provided the right new member to help us launch this important ministry initiative.
Linsey Werner and her family are newer members to ABC. She and her husband, Alex, serve faithfully on the worship team in our 11:15am series. Lindsey is a highly qualified LPC-S and has extensive experience in professional counseling. She formerly worked at Hill Country Bible Church, where she launched their counseling ministry and led a team of professional counselors at their church. She is also a great writer and teacher and has led seminars for ABC in our Women’s Ministry.
Starting February 1st, Lindsey will begin taking counseling appointments right here at ABC during the week. If you or any of your loved ones have counseling needs, I would encourage you to set up an appointment. It’s always OK to not be OK, however, it is not OK to stay there. I believe God wants to bring healing to your life, and I pray the ABC Counseling Ministry will help you in that process. I’ll invite Lindsey on stage with me this weekend to introduce her and this new partnership to our church family.
One final note: I know we are all watching closely the weather forecast for this weekend. There is a strong chance for iced roads and hazardous driving conditions. We are closely monitoring the situation and will make a final decision on Saturday regarding our weekend in-person gatherings. Our preference is always to open the doors to our church. However, if the weather makes that unsafe for this coming Sunday, we will provide an online-only church service that day. I am planning to pre-record my sermon later this week, and we will broadcast an online worship service during our regularly scheduled worship times, if necessary. For now, we are full steam ahead with our regular schedule, but we will communicate on Saturday if we need to call that audible.
Onward and Upward,
Dr. Jonathan Spencer
www.jonathanspencer.org 