Many years ago, as I listened to myself and other brethren talk about experiencing the miracle of grace, I determined to avoid saying, "I used to." Not that I think anyone should ever lose sight of the consuming fire from which he has been snatched like a brand from the burning. But I want my sight to be set on tomorrow. Brethren, I do not count myself to have apprehended; but one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind and reaching forward to those things which are ahead, I press toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus. Therefore let us, as many as are mature, have this mind; and if in anything you think otherwise, God will reveal even this to you. Phil. 3:13-15

 

Nevertheless, folks want to know something about the man who stands in the pulpit before them Sunday by Sunday, so here goes. I am fifty-one years old. Although I was born on the coasts of Carolina, I consider myself a native of the Roanoke area. My roots are here. I was raised here. By God's grace, I have been privileged to minister the Gospel here. I have three grown daughters. My wife and I have been married over thirty years. I spent about half my adult life in business with my dad working heavy construction. In the early nineties, I surrendered to the call of the ministry and enrolled in seminary. While I was finishing up my degree, I was called to the pastorate of Mt. Olivet. This May will mark my thirteenth anniversary here.

 

 

Mt. Olivet and I have both grown a great deal in the faith over the years. Even though we are affiliated with the Souther Baptist Convention, you might not recognize us as a SBC Church when you visit. We are not defined by denominational programs, popular movements, or contemporary trends. It's not that I am critical of any of those things. Only that over the years, I have come to see the fleeting quality of them. I have come to realize that I don't have enough time left to invest in things that are passing like a summer day, no matter how cheerful they may be.

The times into which we have fallen are perilous indeed: perilous to souls. Those who are weary from the long hours and short pay working in the devil's vineyard are seeking rest, solid rest. Those who have been born again are seeking stability and continuity, not the latest religious fashions. These are the felt needs I try to meet with my ministry. My focus is on making the Church the pillar and ground of the truth, which is just another way of saying the focus of my ministry is the Word. It is inspired (2 Tim. 3:16), eternal (Isaiah 40:8), truth (John 17:17), wisdom (2 Tim. 3:15), and liberty (John 8:32).

 

 

A pastor is supposed to have a vision for the church he leads, and mine is a simple one. I just want Mt. Olivet to be a New Testament Church. In the midst of a culture that is increasingly materialistic, hedonistic and pagan, the Church ought not to be a place where sinners are made to feel comfortable, but rather a place where God's children can find rest and experience a foretaste of that eternal Sabbath which is our blessed hope in Christ. For this reason, I preach the grand old doctrines of grace, which magnify every aspect of God's glorious grace - even His absolute sovereignty of grace. For this reason, we adhere to the old confessional standards grounded in the Reformation. For this reason, we insist on a regenerate membership, the baptism of believers, and the autonomy of the local church.

 

 

If the kind of Church fellowship I have described is the spiritual oasis you have been seeking, please come join us for worship on the Lord's Day.

 

 

IHS,

Greg