Dear members and friends of Valley Park,
It is a month for saying thank you to two faithful servants of Jesus who have served us, at Valley Park, for over a decade. September 1st is the last Sunday for leading worship at VP for both Peter Verdell and Casey Whitlock. Peter has led worship with vocals, guitar and drums for 11 years at VP. Casey has led with vocals, rhythm and bass guitar for close to the same period of time.
Peter responded to advertisements for a worship leader I had posted in various places 11 years ago. At the time, he impressed me because of his sincerity in having recently renewed his devotion to loving and serving Jesus Christ. Peter has, during his entire tenure at VP, maintained a passion for integrating Christian beliefs and practices with his witness in life as a non-judgmental Christ-follower. He has a heart for being honest, real, loving and sincerely devoted to making a difference in this world. Peter, at this point in his life, believes he needs to explore something new and is seeking direction as he makes himself available to doing something new in life for Jesus Christ.
Casey has been involved at Valley Park since he was in his teens. He has been a good friend of past youth leaders and a good friend of mine since he entered the military and returned to begin processing life as a veteran. Casey completed education and is now employed full-time with the Social Security Administration. Casey has served faithfully as a Worship leader at VP. He has always been willing to play, sing and fill in when Peter has been out of town. Casey, soon to be married, has decided it is his responsibility to support his future family by involvement in a church closer to the home of his soon to be wife and her son. He retains a devotion to VP but believes he needs to better undergird the needs of his future family.
When I think of both Peter and Casey, words that come to mind are faithful, reliable, servant’s hearts, love of Jesus and the body of Christ, honest, and honorable. While I will miss them both in worship on Sundays, I sincerely pray that God will bless them, lead them and continue to use them in the ministry of the saints in Jesus Christ. Thank you, Peter and Casey, for blessing us with your love for worshiping Jesus and commitment to serving VP so faithfully.
There is no question we will miss Peter and Casey and that our Worship Team will experience re-direction. Those who lead us in worship impact us in many ways. They inspire is to use our voices to express love of God and our Lord Jesus Christ. They prepare our hearts for receiving the Word of God through preaching and teaching. They shepherd and encourage us through their personal reflections on the Word of God and prayers that engages us in the details of our personal life and involvement in this world.
We are grateful for our present worship leaders as they will guide us as we move forward. They will welcome and encourage new leaders who might be willing to join our Worship Team. We need to pray for God’s leading in the involvement of anyone new in our worship leadership. We need to anticipate that God can and will do something new and potentially beyond what we can presently imagine. Valley Park is Christ’s body and Jesus Christ will lead us. Let us look forward to what God can and will do among us in the months to come. Let us pray for something new and exciting.
Also, we are planning another 10 weeks of “Home Groups” at Valley Park that will start in October and finish after Christmas. Last year, over 50 of our members and friends participated in home groups for a study of The Most Important Teachings of Jesus. These groups helped build relationships between members of our church family and established a better foundation for Valley Park’s family life. This year we will offer a study called “Rooted: Connect With God, the Church, Your Purpose.” In the next weeks we will have sign-up sheets and dates for participation in these Home Groups. I want to encourage everyone to begin thinking about what night of the week is your best available night for participation in these small groups.
To God be the glory!!!