Happy Anniversary, Forestgate!

This article will appear in the June edition of Forestgate Presbyterian Church’s “Equipper,” our monthly newsletter. 

Thanks to our organizing pastor Dr. Dominic Aquila – who graciously took some time to share some reminiscences on a video that we showed before worship on Sunday, May 20 – many of you are now aware that Forestgate was blessed to celebrate her 30^th anniversary as a particular church[1] on May 22.

How should we respond to such news? Should we puff our chests and thank the Lord that we are not like other churches who aren’t as good as us (Luke 18:11-14)?  Probably not. Should we celebrate our achievements? Maybe. When I reached out to Dr. Aquila (and a few others with a good grasp of Forestgate’s history, from whom I hope to get some reminisces on the record), I asked him two questions: What are you favorite memories of your time at Forestgate? Where have you seen God’s faithfulness most clearly in Forestgate’s history?

I hope that the first question wasn’t too self-centered, and I tried to make the second question intentionally God-centered. After all, it is Christ who builds His church (Matthew 16:18). We plant; we water, but God gives the increase (I Cor. 3:5-7). We rejoice in any part we are allowed to play in the expansion of God’s Kingdom. (Note: There are some who would argue that are role in Kingdom Expansion is a largely passive one. For all our efforts and obedience to God’s commands, most of the verbs regarding the Kingdom in the New Testament are passive verbs.[2]) Yet we must never lose sight of God’s grace in all of that.

So, in that vein, I would like to cut my words short this month and solicit some of yours. Lord willing, I might borrow them in the coming months to continue our celebration of God’s faithfulness to Forestgate over the past 30 years. Over a year ago, our session clerk informed us that over 50% of Forestgate’s membership had joined this church within the past 5 years. We’re a growing church, full of many new faces who would benefit greatly from hearing the stories of God’s faithfulness to Forestgate over the past 30 years.

So here is my request to you, whether you joined last month, or whether you’re a charter member. Answer the following questions (either one or both) and email me your response to matthew.giesman@forestgate.org with the subject line “30^th Anniversary.” If you click send, I’ll assume you’re giving me permission to share your words (in this space or in some other venue) unless you indicate otherwise.

The questions (for everyone to reflect on; for anyone to send to me to share with others):

1. What’s your favorite memory of your time at Forestgate?
2. Where have you seen God’s faithfulness most clearly in Forestgate’s history?

Here’s to 30 more years, Lord willing (James 4:15), of God’s faithfulness to Forestgate.

 

Postscript: If you missed the video from Dr. Aquila, visit our Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/plugins/video.php?href=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.facebook.com%2Fforestgateoffice%2Fvideos%2F1347339258700863%2F&show_text=1&width=560

 

Footnotes:

[1] In the PCA, we refer to particular churches and mission churches, the latter being church plants or churches in their infancy stages. When a church is able to ordain its own elders she moves from mission church status to particular church status.

[2] For more on this, see the great book by Kevin DeYoung and Greg Gilbert: What is the Mission of the Church? See especially pp. 132-134, which quote extensively from George Eldon Ladd’s The Presence of the Future and A Theology of the New Testament. Sample from DeYoung/Gilbert, p.134: “Biblically speaking, we as human beings may proclaim, enter, reject, inherit, and possess the kingdom, but it is God and God alone who establishes and ushers it in.”