Dear FAC family,
Three years ago this week, we had a vision Sunday. We had spent almost a year seeking the Lord together, and out of that came our mission, vision, strategies, and movements. It was there that we heard for the first time the statement that would become so familiar to us: We move UP towards God in worship, IN towards each other in discipleship and OUT towards the world in mission.
At that time we also embarked on the journey of finding the right pastors to fill those key roles to lead UP, IN, and OUT. God led us to a man in our church family who He had been preparing to lead up that new concerted movement of IN, and in September of 2019, Dr. T Wright became the Pastor of IN.
Today I am letting you know that T has decided to transition from our staff on May 31, 2022 in order to pursue a new call that God has placed on his heart, a calling that involves leading in the business world, a desire that has run deep within him for many years.
I am very thankful for T’s leadership at FAC with our IN ministries. He has led and worked alongside several of our staff in their roles with Life Groups, Women’s Ministry, College, and Care as well as our Next Gen team. He has worked closely with volunteer leaders in Men’s, Boomers, and Young Professionals Ministries. He has strengthened our Sunday morning adult education by adding core classes such as Old Testament and New Testament Survey and other electives. Additionally, he worked alongside me and Deb as we navigated leading FAC through the many complexities of Covid. We are grateful for all he has done to better the ministry and work of IN at First Alliance!
We love T, Melinda, and their three boys, and we are thrilled they will be staying in Lexington and continuing to be a part of our First Alliance family. Here is a brief message from Pastor T:
Friends, it is with mixed emotions that my family and I move on from this role to take on what we believe God has in store for us next. It is difficult to put into words how much this role has blessed my family and me, and how grateful we are to Paul for entrusting us with this ministry for the last three years. We plan on remaining a part of this congregation, as this was our church home long before it was my professional one. We believe God is doing something incredibly special here at FAC and will join Him (and all of you) in that work, only in a different capacity. Thank you from the bottom of my heart for allowing me to lead you during my time here, and I’m excited for what God has in store for FAC in the years to come. Please continue to pray for my family and me as we seek to follow God in all that he has for us.
On Sunday morning, May 29, I will be interviewing T during all three services about his decision and what is next for him, and I will be giving a brief message on calling clarification as well. I believe it will be a meaningful time for all of us. T will lead us in communion together as he closes out his time of formal ministry here.
The value of IN will continue to be a significant priority in our praying, planning, programming, and personnel decisions. There is a unique work that God has for FAC, and we desire to be found faithful in this calling! A search for a new Pastor of IN will begin in the coming weeks. Please cover this in prayer.
Please join me in thanking T for his leadership and investment at First Alliance.
On mission together,