October 9, 2011
My Dear Family of New Covenant Baptist Church,
On September 9th I received a letter from Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary, in Wake Forest, North Carolina stating that I have been accepted to the Doctor of Philosophy program in Applied Theology.
This means Melissa and the girls and I will be moving. This move is something God has put on our hearts and confirmed in many ways over the past few months. We also believe that God has called me to pastor one of His churches. Currently we are waiting on His leadership and trusting that he will bring us to a church that we can love and that will love us as we work together to make disciples.
I would not move my family if God was not leading us. It is no easy thing for me to leave this church family. You have loved me. You have loved Melissa. You have loved our family. 12 years ago, it was through the ministry of New Covenant that I came to know the Lord Jesus as my savior. It was by members and ministers here at New Covenant that immediately I began to be discipled. On December 31, 2000 I was baptized at New Covenant. It was here, as a senior in high school, after preaching my first sermon (which was to the youth group), that I met the woman of my dreams.
It was you who helped counsel Melissa and me as we moved into marriage. You have celebrated with us as each of our four beautiful daughters was born. You have watched them grow with us and helped us understand what biblical parenting and a godly home looks like. It is here at New Covenant that I was trained for ministry, and ordained.
The summers of 2000 and 2001 I served here as an intern, as did Melissa in 2001 (we were not allowed to date then, so we weren’t technically, we just got married the following summer). In 2003 I started serving part time as high school youth pastor while in college. In 2004 I joined the pastoral staff officially. We have shared our lives with you, but we want you to know that you have shared SO much more with us. You are our family and you always will be.
I can remember so clearly when over 7 years ago, I had graduated college and had been serving as the part-time youth pastor here at New Covenant Baptist Church. It was time for me to take the job I had been preparing for as a Software Engineer. I went to the office for one day and knew in my heart that I was not free to take the job. I knew I would serve the Lord wherever he placed me, but I was reluctant to say that I was “called to ministry.” There was no clarity of a calling, just a burden to serve.
I came to the elders and they were gracious and gave me the opportunity to serve as the youth pastor and an associate to Bro. Keith. As I have served over the years along side you all, I have had the opportunity by God’s grace to make a difference in many of your lives while you have greatly impacted mine. Some of you have heard from the Lord as I have shared his Word with you. Some of you have spent many hours working through Bible studies with me in my home, here in my study, and around town. I have counseled with some of you and tried to help by seeking God’s will and God’s presence with you through tough circumstances. We have been to many camps, retreats, conferences and mission trips together. We have partied together, we have prayed together, we have worked together, we have grown together.
I hope, by God’s grace, this season has been a blessing to you church family. It has been to Melissa and me. Because of all that we have been through over the years we have learned and grown a great deal. We want to express our deepest and most sincere Thank You to you. Thank you for bringing us in. Thank you for investing in us. Thank you for praying for us. Thank you for giving us the opportunity to serve here. Thank you for supporting us. Some of you gave sacrificially to help us financially over the years for different needs—not the least of which was to get through Seminary in New Orleans. Because of your help, I know with certainty that God has called me to make disciples of all nations (Matthew 28:19), to preach the Word (2 Timothy 4:2), and to mobilize the members of the church for the work of ministry (Ephesians 4:12).
Now, I hope that you will send us out. We are still co-laborers with you in the Kingdom. In this new direction that God has given us what weighs heavily on my heart is that we will glorify the Lord Jesus Christ and honor you New Covenant. We want your investment in us over these past 12 years to matter and to multiply.
So, in a couple of weeks we begin a new journey. We will not be here but you will be with us in our hearts and in our work. We are sad and we are happy. Please pray for us. There are things for us to finish up here and doors that still need opening in North Carolina. We will always look forward to the opportunities that God gives us to come home and enjoy the sweet fellowship of our family at New Covenant. And we are excited to see the great things that God has ahead for New Covenant as you serve Denham Springs the gospel.
In Christ, For Christ,
Michael, Melissa, Laney, Allie, Kierstyn, and Sophia Wilkes
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