Greetings to all my brothers and sisters in Christ! As I look back on the two years I spent at Willowdale, I cannot help but give thanks and praise to God for the joyful experiences I shared with the church family. These two years have flown by like an arrow. When I was first assigned to Willowdale, my predecessor, Pastor Kwon, told me that he did not want to leave this church. Two years later, I now share the same feelings. However, I believe that God has plans for Willowdale and me. And I am willing to accept His plans for me with a heart of obedience. I pray His will be done at Willowdale and in my life as it is in heaven.
The Adventist Church has an organizational structure and its dedicated personnel system. Pastors are assigned to local churches through this system, and the churches welcome and accept them. Therefore, the Adventist Church is not led or grown by the charismatic leadership of a single pastor. It grows through the relay of pastors with different personalities and spiritual gifts and the cooperation of church members. We believe that the Holy Spirit is actively at work in this process. The Apostle Paul makes this clear, saying, “I planted the seed, Apollos watered it, but God has been making it grow” (1 Cor 3:6, NIV). Yes, it is God who makes the church grow, not pastors or church leaders. Therefore, His church will continue to move forward. As a servant of God, I am grateful to have been part of this process at Willowdale for the last two years, especially engaging in ministries for the children, youth, young adults, and Adventurer and Pathfinder Club ministries. My time is up, and the next pastor will replace me soon and continue this work of God. So, I can shout, “Hallelujah, praise the Lord!”
At this time of pastoral transition, I would like to ask you for one thing. I have a colleague from Korea, and he is pastoring in the USA now. While both of us were in Korea, one day he said to me, “I feel like I am fighting against a giant entity that does not exist in this world. It is as if the people of the church have created a fictional entity that combines all the strengths of the pastors who have pastored the church and constantly compare me to that entity.” No more words were needed for me to understand exactly what he was feeling. I believe you will also easily grasp the meaning of his words. At that time, his church members made things difficult for him by comparing his weaknesses to the strengths of other pastors they remembered. This was ruining my colleague’s ministry and destroying his soul as well. Of course, he was a pastor with strong faith and a convicted sense of calling, so he overcame this well and is still doing good in his ministry, but we must realize that Satan can destroy a church and a pastor through such wrong comparisons. I hope and pray that none of you will become Satan’s collaborators in this matter.
I told you already about King Saul. He was one of the victims of such a wrong comparison. David was successful in many military campaigns, won many battles, and became a high-ranking commander. When the men of Israel and David were returning home after the war, “the women came out from all the towns of Israel to meet King Saul with singing and dancing, with joyful songs and with timbrels and lyres.” Then the women sang, “Saul has slain his thousands, and David his tens of thousands” (1 Sam 18:6-7). We know that this inappropriate comparison was the beginning of Saul’s misfortune. Since this moment, Saul continually compared himself to David, and this made him insane. This is a warning for us today. We should not compare ourselves to others. And I tell you once again, in particular, “Please do not compare pastors.” Do not compare Willowdale pastors with one another. Do not compare me to my replacement, please. He and I have both been called by God to serve Him and His church through different spiritual gifts and personalities. I am doing the best to be faithful to that call, and I believe he is doing so as well. He is young, passionate, and motivated. I am sure that he will be a great blessing to you all. I want to tell you more about him, but I think it would be better for me to keep it until this Sabbath. Please join our Sabbath worship service this weekend, and then you will meet him and listen to his first sermon at Willowdale.
Dear Willowdale family, I have three more Sabbath days at Willowdale, including this Sabbath. I know you have been praying for me and my family. But I need more prayers from you in this time of pastoral transition. Please pray for me, my family, and the new assistant pastor in a special way. I will pray for you too. For the remaining time, I hope to share more loving fellowship with you. Like the words of the apostle, we “have sincere love for each other.” Let us “love one another deeply from the heart” (1 Pet 1:22, NIV). I love you, my brothers and sisters in Christ. I will see you at church this Sabbath. May God bless you!
Pastor Dae-Eun Kim