December 9, 2011

Dear Christ Fellowship Family,

Thank you so much for the wonderful candidating weekend. Gerrene and I were humbled and encouraged by your warm hospitality, delicious meals, gracious words, and thoughtful gifts. We feel so blessed to be welcomed into such an incredible family of believers!

We eagerly anticipate a move to Everson, which should occur near the end of January. We look forward to standing together in the trenches for the sake of the gospel and developing disciples whose consuming passion is centered around the mandate and mission of our Lord Jesus Christ.

Serving as your next Senior Pastor is a sobering responsibility. The call to lead, feed, love, and protect the people of God is a high honor. I believe the best days are yet to come for Christ Fellowship as we joyfully submit to the authority of God's Word and live the Christian life by faith alone. What a delight to know that God will faithfully conform his people to the image of his Son (Rom. 8:29).

May God bless you this Christmas season as you celebrate the incarnation of Jesus, the One who came to "save his people from their sins" (Matt. 1:21). Oh, that we might be a people who daily commit to celebrating his goodness, sharing his love, resting in his sovereignty, serving him with passion, and worshipping him in all his glory. "For from him and through him and to him are all things. To him be glory forever. Amen" (Rom. 11:36).

For the Christ-saturated joy of the nations,

Dr. David S. Steele