Hello Grace Church Family,

It’s hard to believe, but 23 years ago during July Caron and I were making plans to move to Charlottesville to become the organizing pastor for the core group planting Grace Community Church. I still had some hoops to jump through for it all to be final, but we had already resigned from our last assignment. We met with Presbytery in August, 1997, and started work September 1, 1997. As I write, Jon and Rachel Anderson (and some of their children) are moving from Texas to come provide pastoral leadership for Grace Community Church. It feels like déjà vu all over again. Everybody is going through some real change right now. That would be true even if there were no COVID virus.

Caron and I often pray for the Andersons, and in fact prayed for them before we knew their names. We are committed to their great effectiveness at Grace. Part of that commitment means that the Andersons need a good season to settle in and get to know everybody. As mentioned at my last sermon as pastor of Grace in January, 2018, Caron and I won’t be at Grace during worship for at least the next six months. We are in some small groups that we will still enjoy during this season. Sometime after that six months we will discuss with Grace’s session our status going forward.

Grace is one of the leading churches in the financial support of Equipping Leaders International in Malawi. That means that you will see us back from time to time when I am there to report on the work that we are doing. Many of you are monthly supporters of ELI as well, so we will be in touch with one another for sure. You are dear to us and we look forward to seeing you in the community.

It was such a delight to preach from Psalm 23 two Sundays ago to the church that has been our home and our family for these 23 years. It’s been a privilege and blessing to serve the Lord together. We are praying for a wonderful future in Christ for Grace Church and the Andersons.

Your brother in Christ,

Don Ward