We pray this letter and Christmas greeting find you and yours happy, healthy, and serving Jesus! For us, 2017 has brought a whirlwind of change for our family, so we decided to write a letter to bring you up to speed on where we are and the wonderful things God has been doing.
After 14 years serving the Lord in Hartsville, SC; God in His sovereign mercy and infinite wisdom moved our family to a new ministry at Grace Baptist Church in Pompano Beach, FL where I now serve as the Senior Pastor. God was so good to us through the years in Hartsville and a summary of what He accomplished during those 14 years can be found on my personal website at garycolboch.com. We left behind many very dear friends, but realize that miles don’t separate true friendships. Several have already come to visit us in FL, others call and send cards regularly, and some are already making plans to stay with us in the summer of 2018. We have not moved often in our ministry, but with each move God just enlarges our circle of friends!
Looking back, we see how amazing God is and how Psalm 37:23 is so true, “The steps of a good man are ordered by the LORD…” God was ordering our steps, even before we realized it! In the summer of 2016, we put our house on the market for the purpose of downsizing and our house sold in a few short weeks from list to close. We tried to buy 3 houses, but each purchase fell through and just 1 week before we closed on a 4th house, God revealed our move. All along, it was as though He was saying, “You’re not staying in Hartsville... I need you somewhere else.” That became clear as on February 5, 2017, Grace Baptist Church in Pompano Beach, FL formally called me as their Senior Pastor. The church had been without a Pastor for 7 months and the Lord connected us just 3 days before they closed their search. During our 5-day visit interacting with the church members (prior to the church vote), we signed a contract on a house that wasn’t even listed on the market. (Did you get that? After months of unsuccessful looking for a house in SC, the Lord led us to a house in FL in just 5 days.) Until we officially closed on the house, God provided me with a free apartment and used a renter from Chicago to delay the closing on our new house, until Flora finished teaching in SC. Through God’s provision, we never had the pressure of 2 house payments. Oh… and did I forget to mention that our new house is… right on the golf course! Amen!
To share the next amazing detail… Grace is a place that has special meaning for Flora and me. Grace was a church plant from my home church, FBC of West Hollywood. Grace is the church where my sister-in-law grew up and where my wife and I first conversed at her brother’s wedding. Grace’s school (Highlands Christian Academy) was a big sports rival when I was competing in high school at Hollywood Christian and coaching at Berean Christian. The story of how God connected us with Grace is nothing short of a miracle and God’s hand can be clearly seen throughout the process. You can see more about Grace Baptist Church and Highlands Christian Academy by visiting:
• Church website – gbcfl.org
• Church Facebook - facebook.com/gracebaptistchurchfl
• School website – highlandschristian.org
• School Facebook - facebook.com/HighlandsChristianAcademy
• Twitter - #gbcfl or #wearehighlands
God is already blessing our efforts at Grace!
• In our first 10 months, God blessed us with 78 saved and 36 baptized in our services!
• Our total attendance has increased by 142.
• Approx. $30,000 of like-new furniture was recently donated to us. (Conference table/chairs, exec. desks & chairs, guest chairs, couches, file & storage cabinets, greenery, etc. and it’s all in great condition!)
• Our church will give $100,000 to missions in 2018.
• Our Haitian ministry launched on Dec. 10 with 115 present.
• Our Spanish ministry will launch on January 7.
• A Brazilian ministry will be launched in the spring of 2018.
• Highlands Christian Academy reached our goal of 600 students for 2017-18.
Again, we give God the glory for what HE is doing and thank Him for allowing us to be part of it!
Not only a new ministry, new house, and God’s blessings; but Flora also started a new job. When God puts the pieces together, they all fit perfectly! Flora had been working with 4K in SC for 11 years. Should it surprise us that a 4K teaching position opened at Highlands this year? The state of Florida pays schools for the 4K program, so the requirements on teachers is very high. Flora successfully completed the equivalent of 120 credit hours in 7 months (God allowed some previous CEU’s to count toward the requirements). Flora now has her FL VPK certification, national CDA certification, and is a NAEYC member! Pray for her as she works on her Spanish and Portuguese language skills to communicate with students and parents.
So… new ministry, new house, Flora’s new job… and let’s add new grandparents to the list! Our first grandchild, Hadlee Grace, was born to Courtney & Brandon on July 21, 2017. She is as cute as can be. So far, we’ve seen Hadlee (and our kids) more since we moved to FL than we did in SC. In addition, we get to Facetime regularly and receive daily videos of her progress. Courtney went back to work as an RN and Brandon continues his work as an attorney. I couldn’t be more proud as a dad and now a Pop!
New ministry… new house… new job for Flora… new granddaughter… and new son-in-law! Yep, Bethany was married to Bradley Gainey on November 6, 2017 on Deerfield Beach. The setting could not have been more perfect and I had the privilege of officiating the wedding. Justin Facenda opened the ceremony, so I could walk Bethany down the aisle. Bethany and Bradley reside in SC where Bradley works as an engineer. Bethany continues to work as a graphic designer. Bradley has been chasing Bethany since 5th grade, so we’re glad she finally let him catch her. Our family loves Bradley and it’s good to have sons-in-law that love our daughters, but also love the Lord! Two down and one to go. (No hurry)
New ministry… new house… new job for Flora… new granddaughter… new son-in-law… and a new study program for Lindsay! God answered our prayers and Lindsay was 1 of 10 accepted into the Physical Therapy Assistant program. God also provided a beautiful place for her to live with a long-time, family friend. This dear lady has taken Lindsay in like a daughter and we cannot thank her enough. We also thank our dear SC friends who still look out for Lindsay and have reached out to help her on several occasions.
As you can see, 2017 was a year of "NEW THINGS" for the Colboch family. The passage that Flora claimed this year was found in Isaiah 43:18-20; but especially vs. 19, “Behold, I will do a new thing..." For me, I chose Philippians 3:13-14 as my life's verses years ago and like the Apostle Paul, I am "...reaching forward to the things which are ahead..." We thank God for what He is doing in and through us. 2017 reminded us that God is faithful, He orders our steps, and He has a wonderful plan for us (Jer. 29:11) We extend our heartfelt thanks to all who have been prayer warriors for us during this time of transition.
For those of you that live in the Hartsville area, I’ll be preaching a revival at Fourth Street Baptist Church on April 22-25, 2018. I was so honored to be invited by their Pastor and my friend, Harry Wallace, Jr. I would also be honored if you would mark your calendar and join us for that revival. It will be a wonderful time to reconnect with friends and, once again, preach the Word in the city where God allowed us to serve for so long!
We wish you a Merry Christmas,
Gary & Flora Colboch
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