The Eagle Has Landed (or) It's Official!

As most of you know, Mike has had the privilege of being the part-time worship leader for First Baptist Church in the DOXA service since Jan 1, 2008. With great excitement and humility, we want to share how the Lord has now opened the door for him to serve in this capacity full-time. With the Lord's blessing and favor, Mike will continue this God-directed journey as the newest staff member of FBC beginning in April 2009! Read what Mike had to say concerning our coming to FBC in September 2007 and what his heart holds for the people of DOXA:

At age 17, I accepted Jesus Christ as my Savior followed by a call to music ministry. The next several years consisted of many opportunities to reach out with the Gospel through music - in mostly youth oriented settings. God chose these opportunities to shape and refine not only my calling, but my life. In 2004, while leading a monthly youth service at Gum Springs Baptist Church, I met Chris Beck and realized a call to co-lead worship at First Baptist Church St. Bethlehem. It was during my three years there that I met Steve Moore and began to play several youth camps and retreats along side him. In the Fall of 2007, my wife and I began to sense a leading to join FBC. This move was a difficult decision for us in that I felt the Lord was successfully using me in the worship ministry at FBCSB. My family and I loved and respected Pastor Jeff Burris (and still do) and had deeply invested in the people there. However, after much prayer and godly counsel we decided to heed the urgent call to FBC and stepped out in faith. Soon after this, Steve Moore accepted a call to FBC Paducah and recommended me as Interim Worship Leader, the position in which I am now serving. I strongly believe this was the beginning of a faith building journey ordained by God partnering myself and FBC, specifically DOXA to reach the city of Clarksville for Christ.

Given this incredible opportunity, below is the vision Mike has committed to uphold for the DOXA service.

The people of DOXA, a unique expression of FBC, has a passion to reach our city for Christ. It would be my goal in DOXA to engage the congregation in authentic worship, bringing glory to God through the music. As a leader in DOXA, it is my desire to do what it takes to create an environment conducive to DOXA’s unique gathering of people. I will prayerfully seek out new and creative ways to reach out to our city, drawing the people of Clarksville to DOXA and ultimately to CHRIST.

I could not be more proud of my husband. He was made for this. God has brought us to this place and in it our prayer remains Isaiah 26:8… Yes, Lord, walking in the way of your laws, we wait for you; your name and renown are the desire of our hearts.

Thank you, every one of you, who went before the throne on our behalf. Your prayers and words of encouragement throughout this process have kept us on the victorious side of the fine line between perseverance and insanity! :)

I've said it before and I will say it again...God is SO good. We could never have imagined where He would bring us when we took that first shaky step toward this journey. FBC has truly become our home over the past year and we are humbled to be counted among those, whose privilege it is, to serve the people of DOXA and Christ!