Welcome

First Church has been a part of our lives since 1989. Sheryl and I joined when we were newlyweds, became active in a Sunday School class, and following my call to ministry, the church supported my seminary education through the Granger Scholarship. Upon graduation, we returned to First Methodist where I became an Associate Pastor under Rev. Dick Freeman and Sheryl served as the Director of Kids Kastle. The beautiful sanctuary is where I was ordained, our son Daniel baptized, and in recent years, where our daughter Julianne was married.

Since we left in 1996, we served in Meridian, in the Houston area, and then moved to Kentucky for me to become the Alumni Director at Asbury Theological Seminary. Following this, I pastored congregations in the Kentucky Bluegrass. In 2017, I joined the faculty at Asbury Seminary as a Professor of Christian Spirituality and Theology.

The opportunity to give back to this congregation as your Lead Pastor is a joy I find difficult to describe. It’s daunting to follow a proven leader like Ryan Barnett. I’ve known Pastor Ryan since he was a seminary student, and he has been a friend and encourager ever since.

My excitement about serving the Lord with you is not for the sake of nostalgia, but to serve in a way that helps us listen to God’s voice and then follow as the Holy Spirit leads us into the future. In John 15, Jesus tells us that we can’t produce spiritual fruit as his disciples until we are abiding in him. My prayer is that First Church will become a church of “abiders” whose lives are producing spiritual fruit for the people of Central Texas and beyond.

Transition of any kind can bring uncertainty. However, when we allow the Holy Spirit to lead the transition, we have assurance that God really does know what He’s doing. You’re all in our prayers, and we look forward to being part of the First Family once again.

Deep peace in Christ,
Rev. Mike Voigts