Editor’s note: Mark Johnston, a native of Great Britain, has been pastor of Proclamation Presbyterian Church (PCA) in Bryn Mawr, Penn., for three years. Pastor Johnston and wife and daughter find that they must return to the United Kingdom because of a provision of American immigration law preventing a disabled adult dependent from being granted long-term resident status in the United States.

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It’s good to be here! To say that a lot has happened since the last time I stood here would be a bit of an understatement! I fully intended to be standing here this time last week, giving some kind of verbal explanation for what had been announced by email a few days previously; but this time last week I think I was in an ambulance heading towards ER in Bryn Mawr hospital. So that precluded that opportunity to speak to the church. But I’m sure there was a purpose in that, and there’s lots of ways, I think, in which God’s hand in that unusual providence has become clear over these past few days.

I’m going to be making a statement to the congregation generally at the beginning of the service this morning, but thought I would just make a few comments here just to say in this more intimate setting.

Nothing is breaking our heart more than the thought of leaving Proclamation. It has been a wonderful three years that we’ve had here. We came fully intending to stay for fifteen years and longer, if the Lord allowed us. That was everything we talked about with the elders and the search committee when we took the somewhat life-changing step of moving across the Atlantic in the first place.

But then we ended up spending the next three years fighting the immigration authorities. We knew from the outset there was going to be a challenge with Lindsay’s situation, but every bit of advice that we got said it was a solvable challenge. We were led to believe there was bound to be some way by which Lindsay would be allowed to stay in the country. However, it began to become clear about five weeks ago that really there is no way of keeping Lindsay in the country. We have had some of the best immigration lawyers in the country; we’d had the highest level of political support behind us; we also had a huge amount of prayer going up for us; but our fear was that it would come to the point where we would have to make a decision ourselves, whether to stay or to go. This would have been a hugely onerous decision for us to make, because we knew that the needs of the church are paramount, but the risks to us as a family were great.

In the end, the decision was taken out of our hands. Two or three things happened in the space of four or five days all of which pointed in this direction and finally led into to the last conversation we had with our attorney. He was still looking for solutions, but was clearly getting ever more desperate. Halfway through the conversation he said, “If you’ve got a plan B, if you’ve got another job you can go to, then tell your church.” So if your attorney is telling you to look for another job, then we felt that this was it, the decision was being made for us.

There are all kinds of issues we will need to work through, and are already working through. All things being equal, I’ll probably be here for another six months, or slightly longer. It just depends how long it takes to find an alternative position back in the UK.

Fiona and Lindsay will probably have to go back before me as Lindsay’s ability to stay in the US becomes even more problematic after the 12th November. In the meantime, there are many things we’ll have to address. Perhaps the biggest one is to try to make sense of what God is doing in all this. God is the one who’s in control; God is the one who brought us here; God is the one who’s handling our time here, in his sovereign will and purpose; so we’ve got every confidence he will do so wisely and well. It is easy to preach Calvinism; but it’s not always easy to live it out! But that’s where we find ourselves today.

Just last night, as I was thinking about today and what I was going to say to the church, I remembered an expression Paul used in his relationship with the church at Thessalonica that was very telling in terms of his choice of words. Towards the end of chapter 2, he says, “but brothers, when we were torn away from you for a short time in person, not in thought, out of our intense longing,

we made every effort to see you. For we wanted to come to you; certainly I, Paul, did, again and again, but Satan stopped us. For what is our hope, our joy, or the crown in which we will glory in the presence of our Lord Jesus when we comes? Is it not you? Indeed, you are our glory and joy.”

It is understandable, but a mistaken thing at this time that the focus should be on me and my family. We need to remember that pastors come and pastors go, but churches stay. Even though he felt he was being ‘torn away’ from these people, Paul was able to say to his church in Thessalonica, the glory was not his, the work that was accomplished wasn’t accomplished by him; but actually, the glory, the evidence of the divine handiwork was in the lives of his people.

Our longing, our prayer, our anxiety for this church – even though we too feel as though we are being ‘torn away’ – is that you will call a pastor who will continue what has been happening in this church for the past 25 years. That you will discern a man, and that the Lord will bring to you a man, who will have a heart for God, a heart for his people, and a passion for the gospel. If that happens, then there is every indication that the wonderful things that have been happening in this church, even in the few short years I’ve been here, are things that will continue, will bring great glory to God and will be a great means of seeing his kingdom extended in the world.

Well, let me pray and let’s commit the rest of this morning to the Lord in prayer.

Heavenly Father, as we come into your presence this morning, at the beginning of this, your day, we thank you that we can rest firmly in the knowledge that you are not only our sovereign Lord and King, but you also are our loving and merciful God and Father. Thank you that you do all things well. Thank you that even when you cause us to travel roads in life that really perplex us and carry a huge burden of challenge with them, even there your grace is sufficient for us. You have promised to never leave us. And, above all, Lord, you’ve said that you will not rest until your work is finished in the lives of your people.

Thank you for all you have been doing in the life of this congregation, this dear congregation. We pray that you will continue to deepen it, as you deepen their love for you and for one another, as you enable them to make wise decisions, and as you lead them into the exciting future that you have planned for this church, and for your work in this area.

Lord we know that because of everything this church stands for, Satan rages against it, and Satan would have no greater pleasure than to think he was going to disrupt the witness of the gospel to the Bryn Mawr area and beyond. But Lord, we praise you that Christ has said, “I will build my church, and the gates of hell – the wildest schemes of Satan himself – will never prevail against it.” And we know that your work will triumph because your word will not fail.

Accomplish your purpose in these people, and through these people, and for these people, because we ask in Jesus’ name. Amen.

Source

[Editor’s note: One or more original URLs (links) referenced in this article are no longer valid; those links have been removed.]

Message from the Session of Proclamation PCA

It is with deep regret that the Session and congregation have accepted the resignation of our senior pastor, Mark Johnston, only three years into his ministry with the church.

Pastor Johnston and wife and daughter find that they must return to the United Kingdom because of a provision of American immigration law preventing a disabled adult dependent from being granted long-term resident status in the United States.

With the full support and encouragement of the Session, Pastor Johnston has explored every conceivable remedy available to him and his family. We worked with the best immigration counsel. We sought both legislative and humanitarian avenues of reprieve. Unfortunately, all doors were closed.

The Session and the Johnstons regret but certainly respect the immigration authorities’ decision. We are very saddened to see this wonderful family depart, but we are confident that the Lord will use this situation for the betterment of His Kingdom and all His servants therein.

[Editor’s note: the source link for the above message from the Session of Proclamation PCA is broken and has been removed.]