SUNDAY, AUGUST 23, 2015 JOHN KNOX PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH PASTOR NOMINATING COMMITTEE INTRODUCING GORDON A. TURNBULL

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1 SUNDAY, AUGUST 23, 2015 JOHN KNOX PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH PASTOR NOMINATING COMMITTEE INTRODUCING GORDON A. TURNBULL

2 Journey of Faith Gordon A. Turnbull I am grateful to be starting a new season of service to God in the ministry of the Church. I am delighted and amazed that God has called me into this ministry, and I pray to be useful for his purposes. God has been calling me throughout my life. I grew up in a context of family faithfulness and loving church fellowship, and my home congregation in Mobile, Alabama evangelized me through steadfast faith and generous care. My growth in college presented a sense of God s claim upon me, one graciously clarified through the gift of marriage to Betsy after our graduations. Five years of teaching high-school English in Nashville and serving in our church s youth ministry brought steadily into focus that my gifts and personality could serve God s purpose through the Ministry of Word and Sacrament. God has called me to pastoral leadership in congregations: almost eight years in Shelbyville, Tennessee, and the last sixteen years in Bristol, Tennessee. These priceless opportunities have shown me how our Lord sustains and strengthens those who seek his rule and serve his will. A wealth of pastoral experience has provided me the privilege of walking with people through great trials and celebrating deep joys. Through these two rich pastorates, God has forged within me a deepening desire for his glory and a hunger for meaningful ministry that engages and transforms us. I continue to learn each day about the boundless grace of our loving God, and I hope to show others that grace in my daily living. God has graciously called me to serve not only as a pastor, but first as a husband and father. I am blessed with the love of

3 my faithful and beautiful wife, Betsy, whose own life with Christ inspires and enriches me. We have three grown sons: Alec, a Navy helicopter pilot stationed in San Diego; Thomas, a forester in Magnolia, Arkansas, and his wife, Caroline; and John, the Director of Middle School Ministry at Myers Park Presbyterian Church in Charlotte. We gratefully claim the gift of a fourth son, Miles Hite, who lives with his wife, Morgan, in Knoxville. I believe the Good News of God s loving rule in the world through Jesus Christ, our Lord. I love the Church of Jesus Christ, and I remain astounded and grateful to have been called not only to follow Jesus myself, but also to lead others toward him. Our invitation to join Christ s mission in the world thrills me, and I am thankful for my own ongoing transformation through engaging and preaching God s Word. I am eager to see God work in this new season of ministry as I join the congregation of John Knox Presbyterian Church in joyful, demanding, life-giving service.

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5 FROM THE DESK OF GORDON A. TURNBULL Dear Friends, I am humbled and grateful to be writing to you. Thank you for the honor of considering me to serve as your pastor at John Knox Presbyterian Church. Some years ago I was honored to preach at John Knox for Joseph Gaston s installation service. What I remember most from that day is your vitality and warm hospitality. There was a sense of great possibility and momentum. I remember being grateful for a church with such a rich heritage and abundant potential for glorifying and serving God. Today my picture of John Knox is further informed by a long, deliberate, and searching conversation with your Pastor Nominating Committee. Through mutual discernment and authentic sharing from our hearts, we have learned about each other. Their faithful representation of the fullness of life at John Knox leads me to sense God s call to serve with you. The more that Betsy and I have prayerfully sought God s will, the more clearly we have heard his voice. I am convinced that the hope of the world is in Jesus Christ, through whom God loves, rules, and redeems us. There is no higher calling and no more exciting adventure--than serving this Lord. Trusting in God s gracious love, I am confident that John Knox Presbyterian Church is preparing to enter a rich new season of service to our Lord. Our world hungers for the Good News of God s love, and those of us who follow Jesus are called to proclaim God s saving love in word and deed. I trust that God is leading John Knox and each one of us--toward richer life and deeper service, and I would be honored to serve with you for the glory of God. Faithfully yours, Gordon A. Turnbull