Letter to the Congregations: 8th February 2025

Our Dear Brethren,

All we had with us was the few items we could fit in the small white car we had barely driven in a year. Thankfully one of our nephews had taken care of its maintenance while we were away. Another nephew still had our dog which was good because she wouldn’t have enjoyed the trip we were about to take.

We pulled into the hotel parking lot, grabbed our bags, and headed for the lobby. Right above us was the 7 Train which, over the course of the next few days, we would become very familiar with. The first day we got settled into our hotel room after the long drive that began days before. With dinner secured, we opened our laptops and began searching apartments and setting up appointments to see them. We had just ten days to search and only a minimal idea of what we were doing. Thankfully we had been to the city a couple of times before but this time we were on our own.

I remember reaching into my coat pocket and pulling out a pair of wool socks. I still don’t know exactly why they were there but I’m grateful that they were. While we slept that first night, the snow fell and didn’t stop falling for hours. It was NYC’s first blizzard of 2018 and we had to trudge out into it wearing the wrong shoes, searching for our new home.

This month, February 2025, marks seven years since we moved into apartment in Brooklyn. Since then Lena and I have traveled to nearly every part of the city, getting to know the people of God in this unique place. Lena has probably cooked or baked thousands of dishes for the congregations over the course of the seven years. Living and pastoring in NYC has been added to the list of adventures that God has brought us to which includes living in the Middle East and the continent of Africa, traveling to over 15 countries and 49 states, and surviving a global pandemic in the most populated city in the USA (ranked 49th in the world as of 2024).

As God’s people, we can’t be sure of the adventures we are being prepared for while we seek His kingdom. We should keep in mind that there are reasons for the challenges and the adventures we face in life. With God we can truly make it through each of them. And “who knows whether [we] have” been brought through so many challenges “for such a time as this” (see Esther 4:14)?

Our love is with you,

Lewis VanAusdle

Pastor, United Church of God

NYC, NJ, CT, Malawi, Zimbabwe