Weekly Update// Pastor Chris

Dear Asbury Family,

 I remember the first time I met Cameron Lashbrook. I had assumed the role of chairing one of our district committees. But the committee was thin, and we needed new persons to serve on it. I drove to the district office in Winter Park (at the time I lived in Davenport, FL) and met with Bob Bushong, our District Superintendent. Bob and I sat down and began recommending various persons to serve. That’s when Bob brought up Cameron’s name. At the time, I didn’t really know Cameron. I knew of Cameron but had not yet had the privilege of meeting him. However, I trusted Bob’s judgment. That same week Bob called Cameron and asked if he would serve. Thankfully Cameron said, “Yes!” Later that year I saw Cameron at Annual Conference in Lakeland. He went out of his way to introduce himself and tell me how excited he was to serve on the committee. Then when he started serving, I quickly found him to be observant, insightful, intelligent, and deeply pastoral. 

 I remember congratulating Cameron on his appointment to Asbury. Cameron was excited to serve with Mike Luzinski (he respected Mike a great deal, and rightly so) and be part of Asbury’s long and rich history. While his time here was short-lived, Cameron made (by God’s grace) an incredible and everlasting impact on the life of our congregation. I never dreamed I would follow Cameron, especially under such unfortunate circumstances. But even with his brain cancer diagnosis, Cameron did all that he could to ease the transition. He created an extensive onboarding document and made himself available to me by phone. In the early days of my appointment, Cameron would text words of encouragement and tell me he was praying for Asbury. I can’t tell you how grateful I am for Cameron and how humbled I am to have followed such a remarkable leader. With you, I grieve his death. However, I also rejoice in his legacy and his continued existence in Jesus (John 3:16).   

  Later today (Thursday, December 22), there will be a memorial service for Pastor Cameron. The service will be at 4pm at Lakeside United Methodist Church in Sanford, FL, where Cameron served as the senior pastor for a number of years (and where he worshipped with his family following his diagnosis). Amanda and I plan to attend the service, and we hope to see many of you there as well. I know some of you are traveling for the Christmas holiday, so if you’re not able to attend in person, you can view the service online at lakesideumc.net. 

 In these days leading up to Christmas, we remember the special truth that, in Jesus, God is with us. God is not detached, far away, or removed. Rather, God is Immanuel. My prayer is that we will feel God’s Immanuel presence, in the depth of who we are, as we remember Cameron Lashbrook, and that the perfect peace of God will enter our hearts.

Blessings,

Chris

 p.s. Don’t forget about our two candlelight services on Christmas Eve night. The first service (our contemporary service) will be at 5pm and the second service (our traditional service) will be at 7:30pm. Additionally, we will have one service for Christmas Day at 10am. Merry Christmas!