THE PRESBYTERY OF THE SOUTH
David Chilton has been in the Presbytery of the South for a number of years as a tentmaking associate pastor of a church plant in Orlando, Florida. He assumed duties as the new RHM on July 1.
Pastor Chilton shares: “One of the first and most urgent orders of business was helping to provide oversight of a new potential mission work in Tampa, Florida—long an area of interest for the presbytery that had yet to bear fruit. I had already been helping fill the pulpit for the group, which was meeting in the yard of one of its members and calling itself the Side Yard Fellowship.
Among its members was the family of a USAF chaplain, Daniel Halley, who is ordained in the OPC. At the spring meeting of the presbytery, the group was approved as a mission work of the presbytery. Shortly after that, it was discovered that Daniel Halley could leave the USAF before his contract ended, and he was unanimously voted to be the church planter for the group once he is freed from his Air Force responsibilities, which will likely be at the beginning of 2022. Now called Bay Haven Presbyterian Church, this group is excited for what lies ahead, and I continue to help lead the group as moderator of the oversight session. My hope is to find and develop groups who are interested in planting new churches, so that many of the areas lacking a Reformed witness within the presbytery will become homes to new OPC congregations.”
THE PRESBYTERY OF THE MIDWEST & OF WISCONSIN AND MINNESOTA
Pastor Bruce Hollister writes, “There are countless thousands in our presbyteries who have never heard a clear presentation of the gospel, or have languished under weak preaching in misguided or dying churches. The fields are truly white for harvest.”
He continues, “We at New Covenant in Joliet, Illinois, were slowly proceeding with our pastoral transition plan, which envisioned my retirement from twenty-five years as senior pastor to then take up a role as minister of pastoral care and visitation in the congregation. However, the Lord initiated a “redirection,” as the presbytery’s committee approached me about considering the regional home missionary (RHM) labors. My wife, Sue, and I prayed about this opportunity, increasingly seeing it as a wonderful fit for my gifts and experience and a great way to serve the presbytery. The rest is history, as they say! I began provisional labors as the RHM in January 2020, and my call was approved by the presbytery at its March stated meeting.”
Click here for a PDF copy of CHMCE’s latest Newsletter
