A Decade

On Sunday May 11th, 2014, I stepped into the pulpit of what was at that time called Sabine Creek Fellowship as their lead pastor and preached a sermon from 1 Corinthians 3:5-9. 

5 What then is Apollos? What is Paul? Servants through whom you believed, as the Lord assigned to each. 6 I planted, Apollos watered, but God gave the growth. 7 So neither he who plants nor he who waters is anything, but only God who gives the growth. 8 He who plants and he who waters are one, and each will receive his wages according to his labor. 9 For we are God’s fellow workers. You are God’s field, God’s building.

In that sermon I told our church that I am merely a servant, not a savior. I told them that it is God who gives growth and that the One who gives the growth gets the glory. I told them not to put their trust in me but in God who gives the growth. 

Much has changed over the last decade. We changed our name to Redeemer Church, relocated to Highview Learning Center in Fate, and have only a handful of faithful families left from the group that was gathered on that Mother’s Day in 2014. Over the last decade people have come and gone, but this church continues to be God’s field and God’s building. He has been and is still at work.    

We have baptized dozens, taken on new mission partners, participated in supporting a local & international church plant, sent members overseas to serve the global church, been involved in countless community projects and events, launched new ministries, appointed new elders, installed deacons, launched our first capital initiative in which we raised nearly $500,000 of cash & non-cash contributions, and purchased property for a permeant home. Our giving has grown by nearly 100% since 2016, our membership continues to increase as new families find us and find a church home with us, and we are currently working to develop a site plan for our property with hopes to start development on the property in 2025. When challenged and encouraged to consider how they could serve, members of our church are owning and building ministry in our church, in our community, and across the globe! God has done some pruning in me and among us so that healthy branches would have space to grow and bear fruit.  He has indeed given slow incremental growth, but growth nonetheless.

“All the saints and angels
They fall before your throne
All the elders cast their crowns
Before the Lamb of God and sing

You are worthy of it all
You are worthy of it all
For from you are all things
And to you are all things
You deserve the glory”

Last Sunday, May 12th, 2024, Mother’s Day, was my 10th anniversary of service at what is now Redeemer Church. Our existing elders recognized me before the congregation with very kind words, grace, and generosity. Following that recognition, many in the church stood and expressed their appreciation with extended applause. As I stood before them, the vision of the apostle John from Revelation 4 came to mind.

In Revelation 4, the apostle John has a vision of what it is taking place in heaven. He sees living creatures [angelic beings] surrounding the throne upon which is seated the rightful King of all creation and they are giving glory and honor and thanks to Jesus. As this is happens, he sees 24 elders, who represent the redeemed of both the old and new covenants, falling before Jesus and casting their crowns at His feet. When the elders do this, they say in verse 11, “Worthy are you, our Lord and God, to receive glory and honor and power, for you created all things, and by your will they existed and were created.” 

In a beautiful expression of this passage, the song Worthy of It All by David Brymer and Onething says,

All the saints and angels

They fall before your throne

All the elders cast their crowns

Before the Lamb of God and sing

You are worthy of it all

You are worthy of it all

For from you are all things

And to you are all things

You deserve the glory

As the applause wrang out for what seemed like an inordinate amount of time, as it always seems when you are in the spotlight, the words of that song began to play in my heart.   

The One who has given the growth gets the glory. He is worthy of it all because from and to Him are all things; therefore, He deserves the glory. I am just a servant who looks forward to being along for the ride over the next decade of God’s work in this place among these people.

• Shannon Collins, Lead Pastor