God's Relocation Program

We recently made a quick trip back to our former church where in Tennessee.  As I traveled I recalled our initial move to Tennessee.  We knew God had called us there to serve, but we left behind family, our family pet, friends, and a wonderful ministry in the state convention.  I personally hate God moving us to new locations of ministry and will fight with all my being to stay where I am.  However, I have learned God has his reasons for implementing the “ministry relocation program.”

 Over the years that we were at this specific church we developed some rich friendships that continue even though we are in a new ministry place.  As a matter of fact, our quick trip back resulted in a “gathering of the old gang” for pizza supper.  The laughter was plentiful and the fellowship sweet.  Isn’t it wonderful that even though God moves you on in his work that true friendships can still remain intact? These friendships are all made possible by God’s relocation program.

Our time in Tennessee resulted in lasting memories.  I recalled the fun mission trip to Iowa and Nebraska and how our team of volunteers bonded in God’s work.  Every person learned to sacrifice personally from taking ice cold showers to scrubbing nasty restrooms in an old youth center.  Through these trips, God called out some of our youth to go in to full time ministry, become Christian camp counselors, and to become Sunday School teachers to preschoolers.  What a sweet memory that never would have been made without God’s relocation program.

This trip also brought back the sweet memory of the special bond the staff wives had.  We might not talk to each other during the week but we had each other’s back.  On Sundays, we might be able to chat for a couple of minutes and plan a “girl lunch.”  Other times we simply would pass in the hallway and mutter our code word “LULU,” which meant “I need to talk!”  Even today with all three of us in different churches and separate by hundreds of miles, the three “LULU” sisters (that is what we call ourselves) text almost on a weekly basis.  I love these girlfriends and I would never have met them had it not been for God’s relocation program.

I am sure some of you are in the process of God beginning the implementation of a ministry relocation program.  It can be a difficult and emotional time.  You want to be in His will but at the same time, you may love where you are now and are comfortable. (A word to the wise:  never get too comfortable because God will probably move you to a new place of ministry).  I want to encourage you to be open minded to what God may be getting ready to do in your ministry.  There are new opportunities for ministry, new and rich friendships, and so much more that will only happen with God’s relocation program.