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Dear Church,
The story of American expansion, from the Lewis and Clark expedition to the settling of our Sweet Home Alabama in the 19th century, was written by two distinct groups of people: Pioneers and Settlers. While both played a role in building new communities, there was a fundamental difference in their perspective and purpose.
Pioneers forged paths through the unknown and unseen dangers, sacrificing to open land for future generations. Settlers followed later, benefiting from the water, timber, and safety cleared by those before them. Settlers focused on getting comfortable and settling in; pioneers focused on discovering and making room for others.
If you are part of the Church at Ross Bridge today, you are a Pioneer.
You are part of a congregation that has met for 14 years in a small storefront. You covenanted to pray, serve, give, and witness through a church that many might have driven right past in search of a more established church home. Your sacrifice, loyalty, and faith helped bring God’s vision to life, and, most importantly, led people to faith and hope in Jesus Christ.
Now, as we prepare to cross the threshold into our new church home, I have a request of us: Please let us not lose our pioneer spirit!
Moving into a beautiful, permanent facility makes it easy to adopt a Settler’s (or consumer) mindset that asks, "How will this building serve me?" But a Pioneer asks, "How can this building facilitate new ministry to more effectively enable us to serve others?" Even in a finished building, pioneers keep forging paths for those who haven't arrived yet.
Consider a simple example of how this mindset shows up on Sunday morning:
A settler/consumer spirit approaches the turn into the property and says: “I hope I find a great parking spot right near the front door today.”
A pioneer spirit says: “I’m going to park farther out so that visitors, young families, and those with physical needs get the closest, safest spots. In fact, I’ll park on the perimeter so families with toddlers don't have to navigate a busy parking lot. And the extra steps are good for me!”
1 Peter 4:10-11 instructs us, “Each of you should use whatever gift you have received to serve others, as faithful stewards of God’s grace in its various forms.”
Moving into our new building is not the finish line; it is the launching pad for the next chapter of our 123-year old story. I pray our congregation never loses the bold, selfless pioneer spirit that got us here, I believe it is woven into the very DNA of the Church at Ross Bridge.
I am so very thankful to serve a congregation of pioneers who love Jesus and love their neighbors so well. Let’s keep praying, serving, and paving the way for everyone God will bring through our doors on Opening Sunday and BEYOND!
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