1 Timothy 3:1–7 (ESV): The saying is trustworthy: If anyone aspires to the office of overseer, he desires a noble task. Therefore an overseer must be above reproach, the husband of one wife, sober-minded, self-controlled, respectable, hospitable, able to teach, not a drunkard, not violent but gentle, not quarrelsome, not a lover of money. He must manage his own household well, with all dignity keeping his children submissive, for if someone does not know how to manage his own household, how will he care for God’s church? He must not be a recent convert, or he may become puffed up with conceit and fall into the condemnation of the devil. Moreover, he must be well thought of by outsiders, so that he may not fall into disgrace, into a snare of the devil.
Time flies. Five years passes by like nothing. For high school graduates it is hard to imagine that four years have passed and you are leaving school. The same is true as you get older. You blink and years, not days, pass by. In the ministry the day to day can be grueling. You have sermons to prep, staff meetings, counseling sessions, crisis, and much more than you can ever imagine. Well, maybe you can imagine because much of that has to do with what is going in your life. And your pastor feels the weight and pain, as well as the joy and happiness that come with every one of his flock.
And it has been five years. Five years that God called Timothy Pigg and his wife Jessica to a small town called Immokalee, and subsequently Ave Maria. Much has changed, including them. While, some things have stayed the same. That’s what I love about Timothy and Jessica Pigg.
The saying is still trustworthy. Tim desires a noble task. He desires to be an undershepherd of the Good Shepherd who has laid down His life for the sheep. He has followed that example well. He lays down his life for the flock God has given him. He is above reproach in his personal life. He loves his wife as Christ loves the church. He is not a drunkard and sober-minded in all things. He and Jessica are respectable, gentle, and able to teach. They welcome members in their home and show them the love of God. They are not lovers of money but lovers of the truth. They do not seek quarrels but instead seek to stand for truth according to the Word. They are mature in the Lord and beyond their years. Jessica supports and submits to her husband as unto the Lord.
Much more than that, they care for our souls. They pray for us, think of us, and teach us. It has been a pleasure to see Tim grow in the last few years as God has grown him and the saints of Fellowship Church. I cannot imagine the church without him and his wife. God has called Tim to lead this church for the same reason he calls every pastor to the ministry, to sanctify the Bride of Christ and to lead her to Him. For that I thank you Tim and Jessica. Happy five years. I look forward to serving with you as long as the Lord has us here.
Written by Armando Yzaguirre Jr., Pastor of Family Ministry at Fellowship Church.