Top 5 God Moments from 2022

I’ve often advocated for folks to practice what I call the “ministry of remembrance.” And it’s based on a common theme found especially in the Old Testament. Every time God wanted to correct His people in order to get them on the right path, He would often call them to remember all of those moments where He had been faithful to care for them and provide for them. So, with 2022 wrapping up, I figured I would take some time to reflect and remember those times when God had been faithful to my family and our church family.

Calling the Coopers to Juneau
After serving as a student pastor and going to seminary at the same time, God made it quite clear to me two things; one, He has called me to senior pastorship, and two, He has given me a heart for church revitalization. With those two things, I would have never guessed we would end up at Glacier Valley in Juneau, Alaska. I have had a heart for Alaska since I did a project on it in first grade so I figured one day God would allow me to serve there. But it was Tim Mearig who called me up out of the blue in the fall of 2021 to say they had received my resume from a former pastor (Mike Proctor) and wanted to know if I would consider the pastor position vacancy at GVBC. I asked a few basic follow-up questions about the church and when I heard the low number of regular attendees, my first reaction was “no way!”

But as I got to know the deacons and hear more of the church’s story, I was reminded of what I believed God was calling me to be; a church revitalizing pastor. Another factor that played a major role in our decision was the VBA ministry. From the start, I believed that the VBA would be a vital outreach opportunity for GVBC to see revitalization. So, after a visit last November, months of prayer, some hard goodbyes, and an optimistic attitude toward the future, we Coopers now happily call Juneau and GVBC home!

Two Baptisms
This one is probably tied for the first spot but getting to baptize two believers (whose names their parents asked me to omit from being distributed online) was one of the most exciting things I’ve ever experienced! These two baptisms were very special for a few reasons. One, it was proof that God was still at work at GVBC. Two, it was the first baptism GVBC had had in years! And three, it was my first time performing a baptism and I got two for the price of one! It was incredible to see God do such mighty work in a small church like GVBC.

Spending Time at the VBA
This one isn’t so much a “one-time” thing but a regular occurrence for me that I’m looking forward to continuing in the Spring. As I mentioned earlier, the VBA was one of the drawing factors in deciding to come to GVBC. After hearing about some of the rocky relationship moments of the past between the church and the school I was eager to sink my teeth into loving the VBA staff, parents, and kiddos. I have been utterly blown away by the emotional and spiritual high I get dropping Abigail off for school and then getting to be a big kid and play with the kids in the morning before the lessons start.

Perhaps one of the most heartwarming moments of this experience was when I greeted a student in the Kindergarten class on my way out of their class (he was a little late) and I headed down the hall to see the other classes. I found out later that day from his mom and his teacher that when he realized Pastor Trenton had left the room and wouldn’t get to play with him, it took some 10-15 minutes to calm him down! I made sure the next day to stay as long as I needed so that I could play with some of the toys with him! While I don’t advocate for kids throwing fits, it was so encouraging to hear one of them wanted to play with toys with me that badly.

Preaching Three Sermon Series
Preparing and preaching sermons on a weekly basis is something that I knew would be difficult but I did not realize how difficult it would truly be. Trying to stay faithful to the scripture, sensitive to the Spirit, and remaining fresh for the audience takes a TON of work. Now, I’m not saying that to throw a pity party. I’m saying that to let you know that I take preaching weekly very seriously and I’m blown away that God has given me the strength to do it. I know under my own strength, I would not be able to do it.

As I think about the various series, (Sermon on the Mount, Advent, and part of Ephesians) it has been a real treat to walk through them from a preaching standpoint. The depth of study I get to do on such small sections of scripture each week has been so spiritually rewarding. It has also been incredible to plumb the depths of some of those passages that I’ve read a million times, yet His Spirit made them fresh to me when going through them again. It has been tough, I won’t lie, but by God’s grace He has spiritually blessed me and I hope he has spiritually blessed our church.

Connecting with our Home Group
Before moving up here from Arkansas, we had made a very close connection with some other couples in our church through our Sunday School class. It started out originally as a short parenting class and morphed into a godly community that delved into God’s Word regularly and fellowshipped with one another all the time, both inside and outside the church. It was one of the most difficult parts of moving, knowing that we would leave those close friends behind. And Brittany and I both wanted to find that same kind of community here. And we did!

Our community/home group originally consisted of three couples and our kids and a single Christian brother. But since joining, we have had another family join that fit right in with us! Out weekly gatherings have proven great times of discussion and connection, sharing with one another the highs and lows of parenting and life in general. We enjoy meals together. Our kids get to play together. And we get to look at God’s word together!

Perhaps one of my favorite instances from this past year was when one of the couples texted us out of the blue to see how we were doing in the middle of the week. It had been a particularly busy and difficult week for us and we shared that with them. This was at about 8:30ish at night. By 9 PM they had gotten themselves a babysitter and were at our house just to be with us and encourage us after we laid our girls down. The love that they showed us is something I will never forget and always appreciate! I’ve been so thankful for the new friends that God has put in my and my family’s life! I would strongly encourage all of you, if you have not already, connect with a small group at your local church. If it is GVBC, then join one of the two existing ones or talk to me about getting another one started. If you go somewhere else, live in community with your faith siblings on an intimate and close basis.

What a year God has granted us! Though the year has had its downs and difficulties, I will choose to remember God’s faithfulness through it all! He not only allowed me to survive, but by His grace alone He has caused my family and me to thrive!

May God Bless your New Year,
Pastor Trenton