A Special Day for Kevin Salyer

This coming Sunday, March 30, is a very special day in the life of our very own Kevin Salyer. At 3pm on that day, at the high school where we meet, we will ordain Kevin into the ministry.

Ordination is a process by which a person is 'set apart' for vocational ministry. I choose these words carefully because we believe that every person is called into ministry, whether they are a machinist, a lawyer, a teacher, a salesperson or a homemaker. God calls every Christ follower into ministry.

But some are called to vocational ministry. That is, God wants some to give their lives to the work of the church. This doesn't make them better than everyone else. It certainly doesn't mean that they are more holy than everyone else. But there is a special Biblical teaching about this. Luke tells us that the church leaders were together one day and..."While they were worshiping the Lord and fasting, the Holy Spirit said, "Set apart for me Barnabas and Saul for the work to which I have called them." So after they had fasted and prayed, they placed their hands on them and sent them off." (Acts 13:2-3, NIV). And from that point forward, Barnabas and Saul (who would later be known as Paul) made the work of the church the focus of their lives.

God still speaks today, calling some to be 'set apart...for the work to which I have called them.' The process we go through to confirm that God speaks is like this: First, the person senses a call. Kevin did that, and came to me. In this case, after some time in prayer, I also believed that God was calling Kevin in this way, so I went to the Steering Team. They also prayed and confirmed that God was speaking and authorized a council to meet with Kevin, pray, and talk further. Kevin was asked to complete a series of questions, in writing, prior to this meeting. We met with him for a few hours and then, after a time of prayer, also felt that God was calling him to ministry.

Now it is your part. The last link in the confirmation of God's will is when you come and, as a church, participate in this service of 'setting apart'. It will be a really special time and I encourage you to come. You will honor Kevin, our church, and God by being there, if you are able.

If you cannot come, you can still be a part of that day by writing Kevin a special note of affirmation. Write the note to him, but send it in an envelope addressed to me. We'll present all of the notes to Kevin at the same time. Our address is P.O. Box 834 Powhatan, Va 23139.

Thanks for being a part of this special day!

Brian Hughes