Pleasant Hill Ministries

All praise and thanksgiving to our Creator, Lord and Savior! Poignant memories of 2007’s challenges and heart-warming memories of divine blessings of God’s grace and mercy collectively and individually flash through my mind on the genesis of this new year.

Purposely seeking to renew our minds in 2007 modified our Christian behavior and attitude. Contemplating plans and charting how to navigate the Pleasant Hill journey in 2008, I starkly recall God’s brief reminder to the Israelites on the dawn of change in their lives in Joshua 1:2. “Moses is dead.” Those words spoke an enormous experience of change for the people. Moses had been their leader for 40 years. He had begun the journey, but a change had come. It was time for the people to turn their hearts toward the future, trust in the unchanging God and continue their mission.

The year 2007 is gone. Saints of Pleasant Hill let us turn our hearts toward the future, trust in the unchanging God and continue to realize our vision of “Being a Full-Service Church for Persons at Every Station in Life.” We live in an ever-changing global society. At 82 years, Pleasant Hill is changing. For we cannot afford to have a closed mind and a closed community. As a community of believers continually renewing our minds, we must purposely remove walls that prevent us from accepting all people who work in the name of Jesus Christ. “Something there is that doesn’t love a wall.” And that something is the mind of God. It is not physical walls that keep us from expanding our circle, but invisible barriers in the hearts of people.

Encouraged by the experiences of the Harvey Clemons Jr. Scholarship recipients during their mission and study in Africa, as well as by our relationships locally, we will continue to share our time, talent, and resources to embrace people of faith regardless of social, economical, educational, political, cultural and ethnic differences. In 2008, we will strive to meet the needs of suffering humanity who trust in the name of Jesus Christ. Working in His name, we will open our doors and open our hearts to expand our “We.”

It is the calling of the Church to bring men and women into the fullness of God’s holiness. Saints of Pleasant Hill join me on our journey—Expanding Our “We”—learning, suffering, sharing and rejoicing together in authentic worship experiences with God and heartfelt fellowship with people of faith in Jesus Christ.


In His Service,
Harvey Clemons, Jr., Pastor