Hi Tyrannus EM,

I'm ordained! Thank you, everyone, for being there at the ordination service, and I truly believe that it was a monumental moment not only for me but also for you.

As I shared during the ordination service, I truly believe that this ordination is not mainly for me but rather is mainly for you - God called me to this task of pastorship for you, and I pursued this ordination for you. You deserve to have a pastor who is tested and affirmed by a council of other proven pastors; a pastor who is approved in his character and his aptitude to teach according to God's standards and the scrutiny of the elders; a pastor whose primary appointment is to lead, feed, and protect you. I believe this step of accountability (that is ordination) is an important step that protects both the members of the church and its sound doctrine. This is both for your protection and also for your spiritual benefit. I've been given a heavy and serious task that, frankly, I feel unable to fulfill, but I will trust in the Lord and do my best. And it certainly helps me to know that I have your full support. I thank God for our mutual upbuilding pastor-congregation relationship.

(1 Peter 5:1-4 - "1 So I exhort the elders among you, as a fellow elder and a witness of the sufferings of Christ, as well as a partaker in the glory that is going to be revealed: 2 shepherd the flock of God that is among you, exercising oversight, not under compulsion, but willingly, as God would have you; not for shameful gain, but eagerly; 3 not domineering over those in your charge, but being examples to the flock. 4 And when the chief Shepherd appears, you will receive the unfading crown of glory.")

(Hebrews 13:17 - "17 Obey your leaders and submit to them, for they are keeping watch over your souls, as those who will have to give an account. Let them do this with joy and not with groaning, for that would be of no advantage to you.")

I am super grateful for this next step for our church. My desire for our church remains the same - that we would continue to be a God-worshiping, gospel-preaching, Spirit-filled, daily sanctifying, unceasingly praying, brother-and-sister-loving, and world-evangelizing church. I'm glad and thankful that I have you as my family both to fight this good fight of faith together and also to enjoy God's good faithfulness and grace together in our Lord Jesus Christ.

I thank God for you all, and blessings to you all.

With love and thanks, your pastor,

Jeremiah

Hi Tyrannus EM,

As we are beginning the new year, I took a minute to look back at 2021. 2021 was a really
special year, and I must say that Tyrannus EM, you were a huge part of it. In the midst of a pandemic in which a lot of our social interactions were disrupted and relationship building dynamics were quite altered, the people that God decided to place in my life were you. He ordained in 2021 that I meet the same people at the same time at the same place doing the same thing every week as a significant part of my life... Worshiping our God with our EM members in our EM worship room in the basement at 12:30PM every Sunday was literally the only thing that was consistently present in my life in 2021, I could say, often was the highlight of my every week.

As I thought of you, I was reminded of a quote from one of my favorite TV shows The Office where one character reflects and says, "Those were the Good Ol' Days. But why
don't we ever know that we're in the Good Ol' Days, when we're actually in the Good Ol' Days?" It makes me realize I'm living the Good Ol' Days right now just in the fact that I'm able to worship with you, pray with you, live life with you, and grow in the grace and knowledge of Jesus Christ with you as one church.

I want to take this opportunity to say thank you, and I thank God for you. I am really looking forward to (as we say sometimes in pickup basketball games) "run it back" with you 2022. Week in and week out, worshiping our Lord together as one body of Christ and pouring our hearts out to him in faith.

I'm always praying for you guys and love you all with the love of Christ.

Your Pastor,
Jeremiah

Hello Tyrannus Family,

​It seems that spring is slowly coming upon us! Springtime rain has been falling gently all week in Chicago, and hopefully this is a sign that warm weather is coming soon.

One thing that comes to mind when I think about the spring season is "a new beginning". Winter fades, and as new life springs from the ground, I'm reminded of God's mercies which are new every morning.

I think that our church is in sort of a spring season as well. First off, we have more people than before, which really makes it feel like more life and livelihood have sprung up in our church. And along with this growing liveliness, we are looking to actively expand our ministry in our worship roles, fellowship, discipleship, acts of generosity, and evangelism. Thinking about these things are super exciting for me as EM pastor, and I hope that they are exciting to you as well.

As I've been praying and thinking about how to journey through this season, these are some resolutions I'm thinking about and trying to put into practice:

1. Relish this season.
Like I already said, these are really exciting times. There are a lot of things to look forward to. These times are special, and I believe that God would be pleased with us when we are expectant of and seeking his kingdom and his righteousness.

2. Be calm.
As excited as I am about the direction that our ministry is going and to see our church's spiritual growth, God has been reminding me to be calm and know that he is God. In the good times and the bad, he is always loving us, leading us, and protecting us. Summertime and harvest season won't come any faster by my bouncing around everywhere and screaming at everyone, "Summer is coming! Harvest is coming!" Summer will come when God brings it, and harvest will come when God brings it. My place is to relish the springtime, be calm, and know that God is working.

3. Be praying.
These days, God has been really drawing me to him through prayer. Often I've found that my excitement can turn into my plans and my execution and my achievements, but God has been humbling me to always seek his will and his direction instead. Prayer does that for us. It is a confession of my willful submission to God's will and his kingdom, and by praying, God shapes our hearts and lives to continually conform to his ways.

Tyrannus EM, I hope that you will relish this season, be calm in God's presence, and joyfully pray to him during this time. Love you all, and praying for you.

​Jeremiah Lee
Tyrannus EM Pastor