The year 2022 made a big impact on me. Aside from a few long-term projects, it would have been impossible for me to anticipate all that the year had in store. Below are a few of the most impactful experiences that I had in 2022.

January
In January and November, our church hosted small gatherings (mini-conferences) of church leaders from PA, NJ, NY, and MD. The gathering in January was simply a time for pastors to gather and be refreshed and encouraged. It was filled with tears and prophetic encouragement. The gathering in November was a training event for elders or potential elders. Each of these events had 5-6 churches from various denominations represented. Our church leadership team agrees that this seems to be part of True Vine's assignment - to gather, train, and equip leaders in our region. These gatherings filled me with hope for the future of the church.

May
In May I graduated from Alliance Theological Seminary in Manhattan. I finished my MA in Biblical Studies with a 4.0 GPA and graduated with "Honors and Highest Distinction." This was a three-and-a-half-year process that I really enjoyed but am also glad to be done with. My time at ATS made me a better reader, researcher, writer, teacher, and thinker.

Also in May, I published my first book - a very short and concise summary of theological concepts that I've been interested in for about 20 years. The book, "The Divine Council, Powers and Principalities: A Brief Summary of Territorial Spirits" explains the theory that many rebellious spiritual beings ("demons") are arranged regionally or geographically and that Jesus defeated them all at the cross, which is why we must now make disciples of all nations. It's kind of a niche book, but it's sold a few hundred copies already. For the first 72 hours that it was on Amazon it was ranked the #1 New Release in the Christian Bible Study category. This was a great learning experience.

June
In June, four churches in our neighborhood partnered together to launch a community-based non-profit called "Bless Philadelphia." Bless Philadelphia promotes the peace, prosperity, health, and safety of Philadelphians through compassionate community engagement. Bless Philadelphia is an IRS-approved 501(c)3. I currently serve on the Board. We spent much of 2022 establishing the corporation, developing websites and logos, initiating some fundraising, forming a leadership team, and launching some small monthly events. I am learning a LOT about leadership and partnerships outside of the church-ministry world.

August
In August my wife and I did a bit of an international ministry tour. Along with another couple from our church, we traveled as a team to Austria to preach, counsel, lead worship, and provide children's ministry to a group of 40-50 international workers from our denomination. Austria was beautiful, the ministry was impactful and the time alone as a couple was refreshing. Once we returned to the States we went straight to Edinboro Camp where I was the evening speaking for four nights. I grew up at this camp and even asked Kendra out on our first date on those campgrounds. It was fun to return to a familiar and meaningful place and see how it has grown since we moved away. We had a great time at both places and I was reminded how much I love to teach the Bible.

Also in August, Aiden turned twelve years old and we began a multi-year discipleship process that we call "The Primal Path." This idea was inspired by a book by Jon Tyson of the same name. We launched the process with a camping trip and have been meeting regularly, several times a week for Bible study, prayer, and to get life experiences. In addition to camping, Aiden and I have visited Center City, Philadelphia to learn how to navigate city streets, worked with our hands, and completed a few others projects. He seems to be fully engaged, which has made the process a pleasant one.

October
In October I was elected to the Licensing, Ordination, and Consecration Committee of the Metropolitan District of the Christian and Missionary Alliance, aka "Metro C&MA LO&CC." We like acronyms and abbreviations in my denomination. In short, this team of about 25 people oversees the training and testing or equipping and evaluating of potential pastors and licensed workers in our local part of our denomination. We make sure that church leaders have good theology and good character. I've never felt the need for something like this so strongly in my life. At this time in my life, I feel called to participate in this process.

Also in October, the Phillies made an incredible playoff run to the World Series, while the Eagles were simultaneously having one of their greatest seasons ever. We have really enjoyed Philly sports this year.

November
In November our church began a six-month-long evaluation and assessment process called "PEAK" which will help us clarify strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and more as we seek to discover God's plan for us post-pandemic. This process began with a congregation-wide survey and will continue as a diverse team of about a dozen leaders from our church interpret the results of the survey and apply the findings to our congregation. I anticipate that this experience will provide some objective insights into how our church functions.

December
In December I am concluding the manuscript for my next book, "Make Disciples that Sustain Revival." This book will enter into the editing process in January and will hopefully be available before March 1st, 2023. This is my first experience taking my sermon research process and converting it into a book.

Of course, throughout the year our family has faithfully participated in and often led our local church, True Vine Church Community. Like many churches, we are still in a recovery process from the pandemic. And like many churches, we faced challenging financial issues this summer as the economy falters. In 2022 True Vine saw MORE people come to Christ and MORE people get baptized than in 2021, which is encouraging. Also, we saw 35 new people begin regularly attending our church. Eight of those new people have become members. This has all resulted in a 13% attendance increase compared to 2021. I want to be clear, all of these gains are modest, but they are gains nonetheless. After I witnessed what the pandemic did to (or exposed in) many local churches, I am grateful for any positive momentum at all.

Not every impactful moment from 2022 was positive, however. In many ways, the most impactful experience that I had in 2022 was the death of a church member and personal friend, Kervin Candio. Kervin died on March 28th at his home surrounded by his family. Kervin was only a few years older than me and his death sent shock-waves through his family and our church. Kervin and his family had been (and still are) faithful members of our church. Several years ago I baptized Kervin and just a few years ago he baptized his son, Kervin Jr. In the wake of Kervin's passing our church responded by taking up the largest one-time offering in our history in order to support his family. Kervin's funeral was one of the most Jesus-glorifying memorial services I have ever participated in. Kervin's wife, Nazeha, and mother, Margaret, have been incredible examples of what it means to remain faithful to Jesus even when all of our circumstances would undermine our faithfulness.

Through the good and the bad, it has become very clear to me in 2022 that God uses all circumstances and experiences in order to make us more like Jesus. God intends to use our successes to make us more like Jesus. He also intends to use our struggles and losses to make us more like Jesus. That's His curriculum and plan for our development - in all things, to be made more like His son, Jesus.