Dear Family and Friends,
It was once said, "The ultimate measure of a man is not where he stands in moments of comfort and convenience, but where he stands at times of challenge and controversy" (Martin Luther King Jr.). This quote speaks volumes into my life. Martin Luther King Jr. is one of my personal heroes, as his words and life helped shaped the vast amounts of people he encountered. My prayers as a pastor and preacher of the Gospel of Jesus Christ, have been to have a similar or greater affect on those I have spoken to through the years.
At the age of nineteen God opened a door for me to preach my first sermon; now at twenty six, the same fire and vigor that rested inside a wide-eyed kid with nothing to lose is still alive and well. The years have molded me into a different person, and seeing the hand of God working in the lives of all the youth that have been through our church, has made me a strong believer. The old phrase is true, "Only time will tell...". We are constantly changing and transforming into the people God has planned for us to be. Our youth ministry has been through many changes and hardships, but in all we have weathered the storms and God has been faithful to us as we to him.
For the scripture speaks, "Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall trouble or hardship or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword?" (Romans 8:35 NIV). Nothing should ever separate us, especially now at a crucial time when the world and the local community of Kissimmee needs a place of refuge. Recently, one of our youth group members found a young lady on the street and invited her to a Wednesday service. He told her of a great church near by and once he mentioned the name she said, "Juan is the youth pastor there". He was surprised she knew me, so they both made their way to church. At the end of our gathering he brought her to me and when I saw her I gave her a big hug. We shared our life progress and reminisced of the past. Before they left she told me "Juan, you have done so much for me and a lot of people. Thank you".
Those simple words have come to serve a purpose. God promised that no prayer shall go unanswered. For the last few months me and my wife Jennifer have been in prayer seeking the direction of God. As a married couple with our first son on the way we know that God has unique plans for our lives. As believers we also know that when God calls us, we must heed the request. It is now that we have come to the conclusion that we must proceed to the next stage in our spiritual and personal lives. With this being said, as of December 31, 2008, my wife and I will no longer be serving as youth pastors of Hands of Faith youth ministry. This is not the end of a journey, but the beginning of a new adventure for both the ministry and us.
The leadership and myself have dedicated our time and focus towards equipping our youth for the relationship and work of God. I believe this is a great opportunity for our youth to come together and as one, be a part of building this community and ministry. Although the pastoral position will eventually pass on to someone else, I will nonetheless continue to be available to each and everyone of you. Knowing that God is in control, it is with trust in Him that I take my next step of faith in answering the call.
And now, dear children, continue in him, so that when he appears we may be confident and unashamed before him at his coming. (1 John 2: 28)
In Christ,
Juan Manuel Ortiz
|
|
|
The following replies are comments of the letter above. If you would like to leave your comments, please fill the web-form above. All the comments below are anonymous.
What do you think about the departure of Youth Pastor Juan Ortiz?: well at times we have to decide in wether we are following man or christ ...we should not stop coming, but show our leader that what he or she has taught us is put to good and use the time they spent in prepareing us was not in vien ..so i say to all the youth if its one thing your leader always says is dont give up and allways look at whats ahead and not behind ...we are going to miss both our leaders, but god has always taught us threw them follow were your heart tells you and never give up the fight because i am allways there for you ...so with this said lets make sure to say to our church we are there for god and only God, and that we will always love our teachers and never forget there teachings ...we love you juan and jennifer ...security ...
What do you think about the departure of Youth Pastor Juan Ortiz?: We love Juan and Jennifer dearly and we will always be here for them as they have been for us. May Gods blessing pour over their lives and over the new baby!!!
What do you think about the departure of Youth Pastor Juan Ortiz?: I think that Juan is being obedient to what God has planned for his life. He's taking a new path and he has God's blessing. Personally i will miss him, he's a great preacher and even though i don't know him that well, i see God working through him. His words have helped me a lot, specially in this moment.
What do you think about the departure of Youth Pastor Juan Ortiz?: I think that juan leaving is going to be a test and a new beginning to show God's glory in his and our lives.
|
|
|
