This is an open letter to the Body of Christ in the CSRA. It has been a joy to serve you through Crossroads Counseling for the last 7½ years. But I am announcing my resignation effective December 22, 2010 in order to accept a position as the Pastor of Counseling at The Summit Church in Raleigh, North Carolina (www.summitrdu.com) and as Adjunct Professor of Biblical Counseling at Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary (www.sebts.edu).
Part of my responsibilities at The Summit and Southeastern will involve training graduate level counseling students and equipping them to direct counseling ministries like Crossroads. Crossroads is a unique ministry and is needed in more communities. The Board of Directors of Crossroads has petitioned me to identify a graduate who would be willing to come to Augusta and continue the work of Crossroads. This will likely take one to two years. Crossroads will “hibernate” until then and relaunch to serve our community again.
In the meantime, for those who are in need of additional counseling services, I would recommend:
- Berry Hudson @ Hindsight Counseling (706.910.5000) – for fee based counseling very similar to Crossroads
- Dr. Maria Gangarosa-Emerson (706.447.8700) – for counseling related to children
- Roger Bennett @ Overcomers Outreach (706.863.2645) – addiction related struggles
- Dr. John Hill (706.305.3137) – for those seeking counseling paid for by their insurance
Many of you may be willing to continue to pray for my ministry; I would greatly appreciate your prayers. My new position will entail counseling, training small group leaders and other church members for “one another” ministry, working with other church staff to enhance existing ministries, overseeing seminary counseling students in practicum courses, using seminars to minister to the church and evangelistically reach out to the community, and work with the church’s international missionaries to care for them and equip them for pastoral care needs on the mission field.
Let me say again that serving Augusta has been a rich blessing from God. It is a privilege to be allowed to walk with individuals and families during their times of crisis and confusion. My prayer would be that God has used me in the chain of II Corinthians 1:3-5, “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our affliction, so that we may be able to comfort those who are in any affliction, with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God. For as we share abundantly in Christ’s sufferings, so through Christ we share abundantly in comfort too,” and the ripples of this ministry will spread through the individuals, families, and churches I have been blessed to serve.