Faithfulness At All Cost

I just returned from a very snowy trip to Flagstaff. I went up this morning to attend a reunion of the current students as well as former students who participated in the Baptist Student Ministry at Northern Arizona University. This is a ministry that is supported through the Arizona Southern Baptist Convention. I had a thirty-five year relationship with this ministry and saw many changes that happened through the years based primarily on the leadership. Which leads me to the point of this blog.

The present leader of the program came to his responsibility twenty years ago.
While directing the state student ministry program for the Arizona Southern Baptist Convention, I enlisted Mark Hill, a recent graduate of Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary, to come to Flagstaff to take the directorship of the program at NAU. Mark and his wife Lisa came to this ministry on a part-time salary, worked at a local church as a part-time staff member and Lisa took a job in order for this young family to have enough money to live on. Only God's grace and their commitment enabled them to stay with the ministry in the first few years. God honored their commitment with fruitfulness, took care of their needs and now, Mark, who is fully funded through our ASBC cooperative program, is in his twentieth year as ministry director.

Twenty years of snow storms, mission trips, discipling generations of students, adding a tremendous staff person, supporting local churches and seeing many students come to a personal relationship with Jesus Christ. How? Faithfulness!

It should not surprise anyone when I say that Mark Hill is one of my heroes. I know that what I have observed in his leadership is the same that is needed in the life of every Christian. My prayer is that every church member sees that God blesses faithfulness. My desire for myself is that faithfulness characterizes my own life and ministry. Mark, stay 20 more years!!
PB