A Thank You, a Goodbye, and an Invitation to Step Forward

Heritage Happenings...

(A Devotional with Paul’s Letters as the Spine — not Paul’s résumé)

Paul the Apostle writing to churches he loved… and then leaving them in God’s hands.

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God doesn’t ask you to trust the path.
He asks you to trust His heart.

And sometimes…
trusting His heart looks like someone stepping aside so a church can step forward.

Which is not comfortable.
Not convenient.
And not exactly on anyone’s five-year strategic plan.

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Important Disclaimer Before We Go Any Further

Let me be clear:
I am not Paul.

I do not have:

A Damascus Road conversion story

A prison epistle

Or a book of the Bible with my name on it

If I wrote Scripture, it would be called
First Opinions
and it would be immediately rejected by the committee.

I’m not comparing myself to Paul.
I’m comparing this moment to a pattern God uses.

Because God loves using imperfect messengers to prepare people for their next season.

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The Biblical Backbone

Paul had a habit of loving churches…and then leaving them.

He would:

Preach Christ

Build leaders

Stay long enough to matter

Then write letters saying things like:
“I thank God for you.”
“I trust God for you.”
“Now you live this out.”

Paul didn’t hover. He entrusted.

He didn’t say, “Everything depends on me.”

He said, “Everything depends on God working in you.”

Which, for the record, is much better theology than: “Good luck, hope you survive without me.”

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Before I go, I want to speak directly to Heritage.

Thank you for receiving me as your pastor.

Truly.

Thank you for trusting me with your stories, your prayers, your pain, your hopes, and your faith. It has been an honor to walk with you, to preach to you, to pray with you, and to point you toward Jesus in this brief season that was both beautiful and brutally honest.

This goodbye is not rooted in disappointment with you.
It’s rooted in love for you and hope for what God still wants to do among you.

Paul knew this tension.
He loved the churches he left.
And he left them so they could become less dependent and more responsible.

Sometimes leadership changes aren’t about failure.
They’re about creating room for clarity, unity, and renewed vision.

Or, in simpler terms:
Sometimes God removes the training wheels to see if the bike actually works.

At some point you have to pedal.

And you learned to ride a bike because someone you trusted let go…

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God’s work doesn’t collapse when a leader steps aside.
It reveals whether a church has learned to stand.

Paul didn’t say,
“Good luck, hope this holds together.”
He said,
“God is at work in you.”

God is not finished. But now you have to show up.

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I am stepping aside…

to give this church time and space to regroup, recalibrate, and discern where God is leading you next.

My prayer is that this season becomes one where Heritage listens deeply for God’s voice and responds boldly.

And I want to say this with pastoral honesty and deep care:
the future of this church does not depend on the next pastor alone.
It depends on you.

Paul didn’t write letters just to pastors.
He wrote to whole churches.

Why?
Because God’s vision requires ownership—not spectatorship.

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The church does not survive on sermons.
It survives on shared sacrifice.

People who:

Don’t just attend

But invest

Don’t just receive

But carry

Don’t just hope

But help

That’s how churches last. That’s how faith becomes visible.

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A Real-Life Snapshot

On Ash Wednesday, over 30 people showed up.
That’s not megachurch numbers…but it is a real community.

And it mattered.

What was offered that night totaled $139. I personally wrote a check for $100 of that.

Which means the pastor gave more than the pews.
That’s not a flex.
That’s a red flag.

Half the church gives less than $10 a week. That’s not even a Starbucks habit.

I’m not saying that to shame you.

I’m saying it because— I believe you can do better.

And because ministry doesn’t run on vibes.
It runs on faith with follow-through.

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Ownership is faith with receipts.

Paul said to give generously because giving proves belonging.

You don’t invest in what you don’t believe in.

And you don’t sustain what you won’t own.

If the church does not grow in ownership and in giving, the church may not be here in the future.

Read those last three sentences again real slowly before you give an offering…

That reality is part of what led to my decision to step aside—not in frustration, but in hope that this transition becomes a holy reset.

Not a funeral.
A reboot.

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The Invitation

This isn’t about paying bills.
It’s about believing in what God wants to do through you.

My prayer is that you would rise into the calling God has placed on this church—that you would see this ministry not as
“the church I attend”
but as
“the mission I belong to.”

Paul trusted churches enough to leave them.
God trusted them enough to grow them.

Now…
Heritage, it’s your turn.

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Closing Thanksgiving

Thank you, Heritage, for letting me serve you.
Thank you for the grace you’ve shown me.
Thank you for every conversation, every prayer, every moment of trust.

I’m cheering for you.
I’m praying for you.

And I genuinely believe your best days of faithfulness and impact can still be ahead—
if you choose to step into them together.

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God doesn’t ask you to trust the path.
He asks you to trust His heart.

And sometimes trusting His heart looks like:
A goodbye.
A responsibility shift.
And a bold step forward.

Paul wrote letters.
I wrote a farewell devotional.
Now you write the next chapter.

Is the Best Yet To Come? You Will Decide

Rev. John Roberts

Letter From the Session of Heritage Church

Dear Heritage Church family,

As some of you are aware, Pastor John Roberts has submitted his resignation as pastor of Heritage Presbyterian Church, with his time with us concluding at the end of this month. Because of how the calendar falls this year, this Sunday – February 22 – will be Pastor John’s final Sunday leading worship at Heritage, and we are grateful for the opportunity to gather together as a church family.

Please note that we will have one combined worship service this Sunday at 10:30 AM.

Session has received this news with both sadness and deep gratitude for John’s ministry among us. During John and Renee’s time at Heritage, we have made meaningful progress toward our shared vision of growing God’s kingdom here in the northwest Houston area.

We recognize that this comes as difficult and unexpected news for many in our church family. It is not the outcome Pastor John or Session anticipated when we welcomed John and Renee as partners in ministry last fall. Our elders and deacons are committed to supporting anyone who may be struggling with this news or who may have questions. Please reach out to your deacon, to any member of Session, or to Pastor John if you would like to talk.

A Town Hall meeting will be held this Sunday after worship to share additional information regarding Pastor John’s resignation and to discuss the next steps for Heritage Church. There will also be an opportunity for questions, and the congregation will be asked to vote to receive Pastor John’s resignation.

Please know that even in this season of change, Heritage is moving forward in hope. Our mission remains strong, and Session is committed to leading with transparency, care, and trust in God’s faithful provision. This is a transition, not an ending. As long as we rise together as a family of faith in commitment and love, we have real reason for hope.

We ask for your continued prayers for John and Renee, and for Heritage Church in the months ahead.

In Christ,
The Session of Heritage Church

Session Elders
J.C. Kissinger
Curtis LaMontagne
Jim Lower
Ann Peterson
Jodie Smith