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INTRODUCTION
July 3, 2008
Dear Liberty Members,
Hope you have enjoyed the summer months. My grandchildren and I have sure enjoyed swimming in the cool waters of the San Marcos River to beat the
heat.
At our Liberty Fellowship Summer Family Conference at Lake Junaluska, North Carolina I resigned as Executive Director of Liberty Fellowship. I will turn 67 years old at the end of August and feel the Lord changing our ministry. Since resigning as pastor of Liberty Church in Pensacola almost 23 years ago, Beth and I have been primarily in a mobile preaching-teaching ministry. After all these
years God is turning our hearts back to the local church that we established in 1972. We want to spend the majority of our ministry now helping Pastors Tom
Ray and Tim Darnell build Hill Country Church in San Marcos, Texas.
I will join the pastoral staff as the senior’s pastor to help care for those in the church that we led to the Lord and into the baptism of the Holy Spirit over 35 years ago. For a church that was primarily college students in it’s formation a senior’s pastor would have been a white elephant. But time has marched on and a large segment of the church is becoming senior citizens.
Also, Beth and I hope to establish a home group in Kyle, Texas about 10 miles from San Marcos. Kyle is one of the fastest growing cities in America. It is really becoming South Austin. Kyle will become the largest city in our county in 10 years. Hopefully, many small groups will develop and feed into the celebration services in San Marcos.
Also, our church is reopening Hill Country Bible College on a limited scale after many years. I will help teach. On top of all this we plan to continue the traveling preaching-teaching ministry on a limited scale. We will continue to be a father, friend and mentor to several sons in the ministry. Most of these are not in Liberty Fellowship. I especially want to help my two natural pastor sons, Terry and Tim to be successful. Add to this my outdoor journalist work as Outdoor Columnist for the San Marcos Daily Record, and volunteer work in our community with Habitat for
Humanity and it sounds like quite a retirement. But we will find plenty of time to enjoy our six grandchildren, hunt ducks and fish the lakes, rivers and Gulf coast.
I could not make these changes if Pastor David Kerr had not been willing to become our new Executive Director. God has always been faithful to provide the point man leadership for this Fellowship. When Brother Bill Stamp stepped back from the office of president after many years of service, Danny Tice stepped up to the plate. When Danny resigned God persuaded me to do it for three years. Now the Lord is bringing David into this responsibility.
David Kerr is a man of real character and anointing. He is a good man and a creative leader. I trust him fully. He will do a great job.
What will be my future relationship to the Fellowship? I will continue to be a faithful member attending district meetings and the summer conferences, but not as a presbyter. Beth and I love Liberty Fellowship. I will also continue to oversee those in the fellowship that I have been pastor to for many years. Also, since David Kerr is pastor of a church he will not be able to fulfill all the traveling responsibilities of the Liberty Executive Director. He has asked me to be his traveling arm of the ministry. When he can’t go do a new church building dedication, a local church Bible conference, or a church leadership training session, etc… I will go for him. I made this personal commitment to David and the presbytery.
May God continue to bless you, your family, your ministry and Liberty Fellowship. It has been my honor to serve you.
In Christ,
Jim Darnell
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