All #ourCOG News 5.0
“I love my State, because her people have been good and kind to me, and because her sky is above my home, as it will be above my grave.”
― William Woods Holden, 38th & 40th Governor of North Carolina
Greetings Western North Carolina Church of God family!
Today marks my first day of serving you as your new Administrative Bishop.
As I sat to write this greeting to you, I must admit that the very thing that came to mind was all those times North Carolina teams (Duke, NCU, NC State, and Wake Forest) broke my heart back in my boyhood days when I was a big South Carolina Gamecock fan (especially during the Frank McGuire era).
I have long since moved beyond those days and hardly know anything about the Gamecocks or any team for that matter. So all is forgiven. 
My second memory is far better and goes back to Sonja’s and my early pastoral days when we took the bait to go to Sapphire Valley, NC for a three-day-two-night “free” vacation. We ended up buying a timeshare week. (At 14.5% interest!)
Being a preacher’s kid who lived in parsonages all my life, what originally enticed me to sign the dotted line was actually owning 1/52 of that little condo.
It was the ninth week of the year, and for almost three decades in late February/early March Team Kemp made the pilgrimage up to Sapphire Valley to spend a delightful week at “our” condo and enjoy the beautiful mountains and communities of Brevard, Cashiers and Highlands. Some of our most treasured and favorite memories as a family are connected to that very special place.
I never dreamed that one day Sonja and I would return.
But by God’s grace and with a heart full of gratitude, here we are! We could not be more happy about it.
My dear brothers and sisters, I am very much aware that trust must be earned, so I will not waste your time giving you flowery platitudes and making promises and commitments that require your blind trust.
My only ask is that you trust me enough to believe this single promise: I will give you my very best. And together…
I believe we are going to write the next amazing chapter in the long and illustrious WNCCOG story!
With great anticipation,
David L. Kemp
Comments