Testimony:
When I was a young boy mother thought it was important to expose her children to church; so she sent my brother, sister and me to a church close to our home. I continued going to this church through junior high and into my senior year of high school, not for spiritual reasons, but because I had good friends there. I honestly believed I was doing a good thing for God by showing up. As I walked down the street, I believed that people were looking out their windows saying, “There goes that nice Sullivan boy on his way to church.”
When I was a senior in high school I got a job working at a McDonald’s. One night after work, one of the guys I worked with asked if I would like to play basketball with his high school church team. I quickly said yes and looked forward to the game all week. When I arrived at the gym the night of the game, it was already in progress, and I could hear the noise of the crowd as I changed clothes in the parking lot. The moment I walked into the brightly lit gym out of the darkness of the parking lot, I noticed that people were having a good time but not doing anything wrong.
After the game they invited me to church the next morning. As I sat in the 8:30am service that next day, I heard things about the Bible and God that I had not heard in all the years I attended the other church. Pastor Richard Elvee ended his message by saying that Jesus wanted to be my friend and that I only needed to ask Him for forgiveness and to come into my life. The pastor did not have to ask twice. I quickly did what he asked and trusted Christ as my Savior that morning.
When I went home after the church service, I remember telling my mother that I was feeling different; I was feeling something new and bright that was hard to explain. Until that point in my life I had always believed there was a God and that His son, Jesus, had died for the sins of the world. I just had not made it personal until that day. The other church I had attended all those years was not a spiritual place; it was strictly social. The pastors never talked about a personal relationship with the God of the universe. As I continued to attend this new church, I learned what God’s Word said about life and how I was to live it. God became very real to me as I saw Him in the lives of others and how He worked in the small and big things in my own life. Over the years I have learned the importance of His place in my life and how He changes my desires from pleasing myself to pleasing Him.
Personal Mission Statement:
My mission is to assist other Christians with needed resources to help them mature in relationship with Jesus Christ and be fruitful for His Kingdom.
Devotional Life:
Over the years I have been through many variations of devotional life. Currently, I am reading through the Bible in a year.
Ministry Responsibilities:
Patrick works with Hal to in overseeing the shepherding and mentoring of ministry workers in Eastern and Western Europe. This entails:
Building relationships through consistent electronic communication and personal visitation
Providing a trusted spiritual environment to share needs and frustrations
Identifying personal and ministry needs and providing wise direction for filling those needs
Overseeing Special Projects that will enhance the ministry of those we serve for the glory of
Encouraging spiritual and ministry growth in by:
positively influencing their spiritual lives,
practically resourcing their identified ministry needs and
pro viding pastoral care training through modeling and teaching opportunities.
Contact:
Email: encourgagepat@gmail.com