To the Precious Saints of God at Hope,

By now you have probably heard that on Sunday, September 21^st the congregation held a call service and voted to call Pastor Tab Cosgrove as Hope’s Senior Pastor. After more than a year of going without a Senior Pastor, and due to the many months of the exceptional work of the call team, we have finally arrived at this important juncture where we have issued a call to serve in this important role.  This is a crucial time of deliberation, prayer, and careful consideration by Pastor Cosgrove and his family as he weighs two calls, his current calling and the call to come serve here at Hope. Your prayers for him and his family are most needed and welcomed.

The calling of a Senior Pastor is a confluence of many gifts, experiences, training, and preparation coming together in one person to serve as a congregation’s lead preacher, teacher, administrator of the sacraments, absolver, communicator, visioner, and numerous other areas of general and specific work according to the calling of the congregation. By God’s will and mercy, a Senior Pastor brings healthy consistency and longevity that aids a congregation in walking through various trials, transition, and change. A Senior Pastor is “Christ’s man,” that is to say, a shepherd who must bear in his body and heart the welfare of the congregation in a unique way.     

It is essential at this time to recognize that a call to serve is a corporate act by the congregation made together by all. The commitment we share as the people of God is to honor the outcome that we all decided. Let us say together with one voice, as the early church often did, “…it has seemed good to the Holy Spirit and to us... (Acts 15:28a)” The best way to honor that is to take up a position and attitude of hopefulness, positive expectation, and open heartedness. It is the Lord who calls through the congregation; it is the Lord who sets apart, approves, and qualifies.

As we wait with joyful and grateful expectation, it is appropriate to thank God for the work of the call team. They have put countless hours, great passion and dedication, and incredible love into the work of bringing us to this point. Please pray for their welfare and peace as they look forward to the conclusion of the process.

God is at work in our midst. Frail, imperfect people though we be, the Holy Spirit has worked through this spiritual process to bring us to this important and good moment. We need now only wait to see where God is leading Pastor Cosgrove to serve, knowing that Jesus will care for his church, whatever the outcome.

Waiting at Hope in hope with you,

Associate Pastor, Devin Murphy