Ordination of Jonathan Vogan

6 · Andrew Hunter offers extended character witness by systematically working through the fourteen qualifications for elders in 1 Timothy 3, providing concrete examples from Vogan's life for each qualification

Good morning. I have to go after Tom and before an attorney. That's pressure. And no one is more concerned than my wife, I promise, dear. Um, my name is Andrew Hunter. Uh, we've been at Cross of Grace for 4 and a half years. We came in December of 2020. That feels like impossible that it's been that long, but it sure has. The first time we came, actually, Neil was leading worship and John was preaching. We came back. This is— it was good. It was very good, John. This is actually when we learned that— I had no idea. So I've been here for over 2 years. I'm one of the band directors at UTEP. I had no idea that John was a middle school band director. Like, learned that while he mentioned something in the pulpit. I was like, no way. He would— I would later learn that he, uh, leads musical worship, congregational worship, because the first week he was preaching, the next week he had a guitar. Cool. And he's a bad golfer. And there are a lot of other things that he and I had in common. So, uh, this was, this was great. Over 4 and a half years, I say this sincerely, John has become one of my very closest friends in El Paso and in the world. And Tom already got choked up, so that cross— that barrier's crossed. It is a singular honor to be able to testify on your behalf today. Um, I had to think on how best to describe John and his pastoral character. Um, I kept— there was a recommendation, um, of 1 Timothy 3, and that was good. I kept coming back to Galatians 5:22, uh, the fruit of the Spirit passage. You know, fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. Against such things there is no law. If you didn't learn that, you didn't go to Baptist VBS. Um, this, this seemed to capture John in so many unique and fitting ways. For example, love. John is known as being a loving guy. He loves his wife Ashley like crazy. He is a model for a loving girl dad, and that is a special call. He loves his parents who were here earlier in the first service, his extended family, and his friends. He's also known for his undying love for the Buffalo Bills. Joy. So often when you see John, uh, it's with a big smile on his face. He is truly known for being joyful, which is hard when the Buffalo Bills, aforementioned, never won a Super Bowl. John, it's true. Patience. Nothing says patience more than being able— you know what, we're going to go to 1 Timothy actually instead. That seems like that would work better. We keep coming back to the other thing. In 1 Timothy 3, Paul goes over qualifications in writing to Timothy for elders, and he starts by saying We, we gloss over so often the first verse of things to get to the heart of the matter, but let's not miss it. He said the saying is trustworthy. He's saying, trust me in this. Paul's trustworthy saying is that anyone aspiring to become an elder, an overseer, or pastor, uh, synonymous words, he desires a noble task. He then outlines 14, I counted them, 14 qualifications saying an overseer must 14 things. He must. The implication is that being unqualified in any one area would disqualify one for service. That is a high bar. Perfection is saved for one alone. The call is not to be perfect. The call is to be qualified, and we are not the one that qualifies ourself, so we're not perfect. Proverbs 32 says, if anyone think he is perfect, let him volunteer for kids ministry. Uh, so if you feel that you're in that— new believers, there are only 31 chapters of Proverbs. That's, That last one was made up. It's not a real Bible verse. It's my submission to this body truly that John Bogan is one of the most qualified men I've ever known in these 14 areas. I'll highlight these without reading directly from the text if you'll allow me. He's above reproach. Again, this isn't perfect, but I think this is folks assuming the best about you. Hey, did you hear that John? And somebody go, no way. Sorry, that's not in his character. Check your source. John is above reproach. If someone said that John Vogan had, I would say, nope, I don't think so, because that's not John. He is above reproach. The husband of one wife. I have checked with people in the states of New York, Texas, and a guy in Juárez. I can confirm this to be true. And in searching his social media, he is crazy about that one wife. He is a one-woman man and he is all in on that one woman. Sober-minded, someone calm, level-headed, sensible, not prone to rush to judgment, not easily swayed by emotion. This applies to everywhere but the aforementioned golf course. We let that slide. Uh, no, he, he truly is, is level-headed, approachable, sensible in all those ways. He is sober-minded. Self-controlled. He's as calm and even-tempered as any friend I have. In fact, it's a good reason to have him as a friend. He's thoughtful and deliberate in the words he says and the actions he takes. Respectable. He has spoken highly of both inside the church and in the community. He commands respect principally by the way that he treats others. Hospitable. If you have ever been in John's home to share a meal, you know this to be true. If you have not had the pleasure, it's phenomenal. It does not say great cook in 1 Timothy 3, but if it did, he'd be qualified there too. He's truly hospitable as a person. Able to teach. If you could teach a 6th grade clarinet player not to squeak, it is all downhill from there. Trust me. Uh, his pastoral gifting for delivering the word both through music and through the message are continually evolving, getting better and better through the power of the Holy Spirit. Truly not a drunkard. John is wise and discerning in the choices he makes socially. He is always in control and able to represent Christ at all times. Not violent but gentle. His initial reaction is for anti-gossip. His initial reaction for he and Ashley is to find the good in people, not to react quickly but to react biblically. I'm grateful for that. Not a lover of money. John is not a greedy person. He's a giving person. He knows the resources the Lord has given his family are on loan and he seeks ways to use them for the kingdom. He must manage his household well. John inspires me constantly in the way that he loves Ashley, Piper, and Teagan. He is a model for this. Not a recent convert, John has been walking with the Lord for the vast majority of his life. And finally, well thought of by outsiders. John's reputation in the music world, the world with which I'm most familiar here in El Paso, is impeccable. Everybody knows John to be a man of faith and someone they can call on in a crisis. I found that to be true for me recently. In a crisis, my first call was John. In closing, given the qualifications of Paul in his first letter to Timothy, I can strongly and passionately give my full support to the ordination of John Vogan as an elder at Cross of Grace. I'm humbled to call him my friend and overjoyed to call him my pastor.

7 · Jonathan Baeza focuses on the single qualification of sober-mindedness from 1 Timothy 3, unpacking its biblical meaning as clear thinking, wisdom, emotional stability, and level-headedness under pressure

That will be a tough act to follow. I stuck to the assignment, 1 Timothy 3. I did not waver. I've had the pleasure of knowing John for about the past 6 years, but really getting to know him over the past 3 years. John, my tokayo, it is a pleasure, it is with pleasure that I get to talk about the qualities that you have for eldership. I thought there were 15, 14, 15, I don't know, I counted 15. But out of those, Andrew's right, all of them. But I focused on one. The third characteristic of an elder we read in 1 Timothy 3 is that of sober-mindedness. And this is a quality, church, that I see in John, that I've seen in John. When we hear sober-minded, we might think serious, somber— that's not John— we might think not drunk. But sober-mindedness in Scripture, church, is something far more compelling. It's something far more compelling as it's especially expounded on in Timothy, Titus, and in Peter. At its core, being sober-minded means thinking clearly, Thinking wisely, avoiding rash and impulsive decisions, not being ruled by emotions or extreme views, keeping a level head in stressful and difficult situations. So if that's what sober-mindedness is practically, a sober-minded person doesn't overreact to criticism, to pressure, or to praise. John spends a lot of time on this stage. Preaching or singing, leading worship. And it can be challenging, ladies and gentlemen, to respond appropriately to criticism, to pressure, to praise when on this stage, when coming off this stage. But John maintains his composure. He doesn't become arrogant or conceited because of his position, because of his ability to be on stage. He remains consistent, steadfast, and most importantly for me, approachable. He's always approachable, and that is evidence of his sober-mindedness. Practically, a sober-minded person is serious about spiritual matters, but not joyless. We all know that John is anything but joyless. He is full of joy. Every week that he's up here and he's singing, he brings joy to God and this church. And even in those moments where I don't feel the joy, just because I get to watch your joy, it's infectious, and it helps me to be joyful in that moment whether I feel like it or not. John is serious about serious things. He's not silly. He's funny, but he's serious about serious things. He's serious about God. He's serious about sin. He's serious about holiness. He's serious about joy. And he's played a big part in the liturgy and the order of our church service. 6 years ago when I first came to Cross of Grace, the thing that drew me to stay here, to love this church, was the order of the service. The way the gospel, the way that God was brought into it from the beginning to the end. And that's because John is serious about serious things. A sober-minded person can lead others with calmness and sound judgment. And this is where we get personal here, John. Over the past 3 years, I've had the opportunity to work with John while leading the youth, and that's no easy venture. Teenagers, middle schoolers, and high schoolers bring its own challenges, so we regularly have, regularly have meetings to discuss matters of youth. And it's during those meetings that I see John's wisdom and care and his judgment, his calmness, not only for the things of the youth but for me. He doesn't ask me only about the youth, he asks me about me, about Sarah, about my kids, about my work, about my life. And that is evidence of his sober-mindedness, understanding what it takes to be a leader, and I thank you for that leadership, John. Elders lead others. If they're not sober-minded, if they're unstable, if they're impulsive, they can mislead the church, they can mishandle conflict, or they can fall into sin themselves. But church, I'm here to tell you that John is indeed sober-minded, and he will do good in leading our church as He has led me. Thank you, John.

8 · The service transitions from character witness to the formal vow-taking ceremony, with Chuck Mosely resuming leadership and inviting the elders, Vogan, and Ashley to the stage

Yes, well, well done. Thank you for sharing briefly. We will now proceed to the formal ordination vows. So elders, John, would you please come up here to the stage as one of our founding pastors, Chuck, will lead John through the ordination vows. Come on up, Ashley.

9 · Mosely establishes his historical credibility and pastoral authority by recounting his forty-six years in the church, giving him unique standing to conduct the ordination as someone who has witnessed every pastoral generation

I was sharing with someone between services that I've had the privilege, having been a part of this church since 1979, I've had the privilege of knowing all of the pastors that have served here. And their wives over all these years. And that's been one of the joys of my life. In addition to that, I've had the joy of knowing all the church members, most of the church members, over all these years.

10 · Mosely frames the vow-taking as a two-way covenant analogous to marriage, where both pastor and congregation make binding commitments

So what we're gonna do now is read some vows that John will affirm to And then I'm going to have you all stand, and you're going to affirm 4 things in support of John. So similar to a marriage ceremony, whenever Judy and I are at a wedding, we like to hold each other's hands and kind of recommit ourselves to one another at the same time that the young couple— sometimes not so young, but the couple that's getting married. So in the same way, as we go through these vows, I would like to encourage all of us to reaffirm our commitment to our church and then to receive your commitment. You know, being in the ministry and having the high honor of being a pastor, um, when we make mistakes we make mistakes with you. Because the ministry is all about serving, loving, and caring for one another. We're not perfect. We make mistakes. And when we make mistakes, it's with your lives. One of the amazing testimonies about this church is that you as a congregation through the years have been faithful to not only support us as your pastors, but to forgive us, to restore us, to hang in there with us. You might think Ricky's a young pastor, but back in the early '80s, all of the pastors on staff were younger than Ricky, younger than Ali. We were in our late 20s, and we made a lot of mistakes. But our church has been faithful to forgive, to support, to hang in there, to maintain their vows of commitment. So that's what we're doing today. This is no light thing that we're doing. It's not just form. It's a heartfelt moment where John will affirm his love and commitment to you, and you will affirm your love and commitment and faithfulness, not just to him, but to Ashley, to their family, and to us as a church. Jesus said, 'I will build my church, and the gates of hell won't prevail against it.' We maintain the amazing tradition of this church as we walk humbly with one another as we walk in forgiveness, as we follow the commands, Ephesians 4 and 5, to love one another, forgiving one another as God in Christ has loved and forgiven us. Amen.

11 · Mosely leads Vogan through ten formal ordination vows drawn from key pastoral texts (1 Peter 5, Acts 20, 2 Timothy 4)

All right, John and Ashley. First service we had John's parents here, and that was very special and sweet. Yeah, 10 different commitments that you will make by answering, 'I will.' John, will you promise to shepherd the flock of God not under compulsion but willingly, not for shameful gain but eagerly, not domineering over those in your charge but being an example to the flock? This is out of 1 Peter 5:1-4. I will. Will you promise to faithfully guard the flock over which the Holy Spirit has made you an overseer? And will you promise to protect that flock from false teaching, division, and dissension? This is out of Acts 20:28-31. I will. Will you promise to care for the flock? So we've gone through shepherding, we've gone through guarding, and now will you promise to care for the flock of God, not as a hireling but as an undershepherd of the Great Shepherd, Jesus Christ, caring for his sheep, his people, his church, as the precious ones for whom he died? I will. Will you, in the presence of God and Jesus Christ and this congregation, promise to preach the word in season and out of season, And will you promise to reprove, rebuke, and exhort with complete patience? We paused here last service as well. Complete patience. Complete patience. It means you've got to be patient with me. Complete patience with all of us. Will you endure suffering? And this is why I think it's important that Ashley's here with you, because as we're in the ministry, all of us have gone— gone through difficult times. We're in a battle for the souls and the health, spiritual health of men and women and their children. So we're in a battle, so suffering comes. Paul's life was filled with suffering, filled with suffering because of the ministry that he was in. So will you endure suffering while remaining sober-minded, In all of your preaching and teaching, will you do the work of an evangelist among those whom God has given you charge? Out of 2 Timothy 4. I will. Will you sincerely declare before God that you believe all the articles and points of doctrine contained in the Sovereign Grace Statement of Faith and fully agree that they are found within the Word of God, our Scriptures? I will. Will you own that statement as the statement and confession of your faith, and will you promise to teach and defend these doctrines in public and in private? I will. Will you promise that if in the future you come to have reservations about any of these doctrines, you will share those reservations with your eldership and the Regional Assembly of Elders? I will. Will you promise to keep a close watch on yourself and walk humbly before others, to be self-suspicious of your own motives, to invite criticism from others, and to make yourself accountable to those whom God has put in your life? I will. Will you submit without exception to the explicitly mandated practices of the Book of Church Order of the Sovereign Grace Churches affirming that form of government is a wise and suitable application of scriptural principles. I will.

12 · Mosely pauses the vow-taking to clarify what the Book of Church Order is and what Vogan's submission to it means

So I'm going to pause here just a second, grab a Kleenex, and talk to you all about the Book of Church Order. You might have heard this mentioned a couple times. The Book of Church Order within our family of churches, Sovereign Grace Churches, is a document that lines out how we believe church life should be practiced. Okay, so we're not saying that the way we practice or do church is the only way. We're not saying it's the best way. What we're saying is this is the way that through the years the Lord has led us to do church, to practice church, to set in leaders, how to conduct ourselves as leaders and members of a local church. It's just a way. It's not the best. It's not the best in town. Of course, we might believe that it is because this is the way we practice, right? But it is a way. So what John is affirming right now is that he believes that the Book of Church Order within our denomination is a suitable way to follow the Lord in being a leader of a church and for us to be members together. That is suitable according to the scriptures. That's what John is affirming and just affirmed to.

13 · Mosely completes the pastoral vows with commitments to gospel-worthy conduct (Titus 2) and Spirit-empowered ministry free from fear of man

Moving to the next point, John. Will you promise to walk in a manner worthy of the gospel and to show yourself in all respects in action and in speech to be a model of good works, integrity, dignity, so that neither the church nor our Savior Jesus Christ nor the gospel may be brought into reproach? Out of Titus 2. I will. Will you promise to continually seek the gifts of the Holy Spirit that you might serve God's people, not in the energy or strength of the flesh, not in your own strength, but in the power of the Holy Spirit? And to carry out your ministry without being fearful of men. I will. Amen.

14 · Mosely turns to the congregation for their reciprocal vows, securing their commitment to receive Vogan as pastor, submit to his biblical leadership, provide material support, and encourage his ministry

Amen. Now, church, would you rise? Four commitments. I will read each one, and then we together will answer, 'We will.' That's our response. Members of Cross of Grace Church, will you, the people of Cross of Grace, receive John Vogan as your pastor? Amen. Will you promise to receive the word of truth from him with all meekness and love and to submit to him in due biblical exercise of his pastoral leadership? Will you promise to supply him with whatever material support he may need to fulfill his ministry among you? So this is a a commitment, a request for you to give faithfully to the work of the Lord here at Cross of Grace. That, that is what this question is. So will you support the ministry of Cross of Grace into which John is being ordained as a pastor? We will. Amen. Will you promise to encourage him in his labors and to assist his ministry and leadership for your spiritual edification? Will you encourage him to do the work of the evangelist and to promote God's glory through his ministry? We will. Amen.

15 · Ricky prays for divine protection over Vogan's marriage, family, and ministry against the world, the flesh, and the devil

Ricky, would you lead us in prayer? I'm gonna lead out, and then I'm actually have to see if Tom could pray a second here. Lord Heavenly Father, Thank you for this morning. We thank you for your good gifts. But Lord, now I want to pray for your protection over John and Ashley and their marriage and family and ministry. Lord, answering the call to biblical pastoral leadership puts John and puts all of us in opposition to the world, the the flesh and the devil. And so, Lord, we pray for your protection over him and over this family. What we pray for is your protection over his marriage. May he and Ashley continue to love one another as a picture of Jesus and the church. May John see it as his first ministry to lay his life down for his wife as Christ has laid down his life for the church. We pray for your protection over their, their girls. We pray for your protection over anything that would come to harm and distract, whether it's mental, physical, spiritual. Lord, we pray for and we pray against the effects of just ministry in the world. Lord, there is a pull and a push from the world. I pray that John would resist both. I pray that he would stand far and stand apart from the pull of the world inviting him into temptation or drift into doctrine. Or false teaching. And I pray that he would withstand the push of the world where it is opposed to the cause of Christ, where it demeans it and his ministry. And we also pray for your protection over him and this family and this ministry against the schemes of the, the enemy. Lord, there will be moments of fear and temptation, and especially Satan's name means the accusation. I pray that in those private moments of self-doubt and accusation, that John would be able to answer the enemy the way that you, Jesus, have, with the Word of God, clinging tightly and being protected, finding refuge in the Word. And Lord, I pray that you would do all of these things indeed through the Word, that the Word of God would shape and guide him as a Christian, that would guide him and Ashley as would guide his family, would be the covering over his ministry. We pray for your protection. Amen.

16 · Tom Wilkins prays with prophetic specificity, describing a vision of the diverse faces of people Vogan will shepherd—the suffering, the proud, the lost—and affirms that God has fashioned both Vogan and Ashley for this calling

John, I believe the Lord's given me a picture. Maybe it was an easy picture, but not so easy to consider. And it was face after face after face. Those that are downcast, those that are hurting, and those that are sick, some that may be dying, the brokenhearted, the lost, the confused, the proud. And I believe the Lord wants you to know he's He's made you for them. He's called you to them, and he will continue to equip you for them. Lord, we pray for John. Lord, you have been fashioning this man for this moment, that he would become an under-shepherd Yes, you had a shepherd in this church, this church, for these sheep. Yes. And we pray, God, that you would continue to shape him as a shepherd, Lord, one that himself needs a shepherd— these other men, these other families. And Lord, I pray that he would find comfort and faith increase as he considers the task before him, that he would not be afraid of what may come, but he would look to you. Keep his and his family's eyes fixed on you. Lord, we pray for Ashley. I pray that she would find new grace now to be John's wife. Amen. This role. Lord, you have been fashioning her over time as well for this. And I pray, God, that today she could have a sense of, oh, there you are meeting me, you are helping me do this, you're helping me help this man. And Lord, I pray for their marriage like Ricky did. Hold them fast. But I pray, God, as a couple, they could minister— they would minister to those around them. You'll bring them because you've made them for this, Lord. In the name of Jesus, amen.

17 · Mosely formally declares Vogan ordained and installed as pastor, bringing the liturgical portion of the service to a close with congregational affirmation

Amen. Well, that— with that, it gives us great joy to officially install and ordain John Vogan to the work of the ministry at Cross of Grace. Great job! Amen. Amen.

18 · Mosely transitions from the formal ordination to Vogan's personal testimony, using humor about repeated vows to ease emotional intensity while previewing the personal nature of what follows

Well, you may take a seat, and John's going to take just a minute to share and encourage the church. He was sharing with me about how meaningful the congregation, you all, have been in him and his and Ashley's life. I was also joking with him, even though this is the second time he's taken his vows today, we will continue to have him take the vows until we think he means them. So— We'll confer, and then next Sunday we may do this again.

19 · Vogan begins his testimony by acknowledging the congregation's love demonstrated through fifteen years of specific care during his chronic illness and demanding seasons

Um, yeah, you'd think that the second time would be easier and there would be less tears, but here's the reality. Gosh. Oh, we love you. Ashton, I can say that. And in so many ways, you have shown your love to us for so many years. When I came to El Paso 15 years ago, I came pretty sick. I got sick on the way, basically, to El Paso. 2010, just turned on like a light bulb. And I've been dealing with that ever since. And Kim and Kara brought me food I could eat, because I didn't really know what I could eat. And they said, 'We can help you figure that out.' I remember the night before a procedure getting a bowl of soup from Kim and Kara. Drew constantly when I was in the throes of nonstop work going, 'Hey, when are you gonna take a break? Hey brother, how can I care for you?' Just inserting himself into my life helpfully, sharing his love. I could go throughout and name every single, I have stories about everybody.

20 · Vogan responds directly to Tom's prophetic prayer by recounting a childhood conversation with his mother about his emotional temperament, revealing that even his unemotional disposition was identified early as suited for caring for others in need—a calling now being fulfilled in pastoral ministry

But Tom, you could not have known, and this is the beauty of the prophetic gift, When you shared that just now, the Lord brought to mind a very specific time in my life, sitting in my parents' bedroom as a kid, wondering why the Lord made me what I thought was— now this is not what's on display right now, but with a heart of coal. It's like, Mom, I don't get as emotional for things as other people do. And she said, I think the Lord wants to use you to care for other people in their times of need. And he brought that moment back around just now. Thank you for being faithful to hear the Lord.

21 · Vogan recounts Ashley's initial reluctance to stay in El Paso and her rapid transformation after experiencing the church community, illustrating the church's formative power in shaping their lives and calling

You know, Ricky asked me to tell some of my story, and that's kind of the story. After 15 years in El Paso, we moved 2,000 miles away from family. And the Lord— we were like, Lord, what do you want us to do? I dragged Ashley kicking and screaming, and she said, you know, I was here for a year. I had fallen in love with the church, and We get married in 2011. We're driving out of her parents' driveway and she says, 'As soon as you graduate, we're leaving.' I said, 'Well, give it a month and see how long— and see what we can talk about it again.' And within 2 weeks, largely because of Jen Alcantar and Jen Delgado, who's here in the first service, she said, 'How long can we stay?'

22 · Vogan recounts his first Sunday at Cross of Grace when he witnessed Tom Wilkins's humility in stepping aside as senior pastor to support Ricky's leadership—a formative moment that demonstrated servant leadership and shaped Vogan's understanding of pastoral ministry

Tom, my first— I Googled Reformedist churches in El Paso and showed up here in a suit, which at that time was— there was maybe a couple hundred people here, 120 people here, and most of them were in like jeans and flip-flops and short-sleeve shirts. And I was in this like— I was from Buffalo and this is a Texas church, so I thought everybody got like, you know, dressed up for Texas church. So I showed up. And the first guy that Ricky introduces me to is this guy covered in tattoos, ripped jeans, our buddy Massie. And we looked at each other, we're like, why do you think he introduced us? But he became a close friend. And he's going to come back in a second because Tom, that first Sunday was the first Sunday when he said, hey, we're going to have an elders meeting. If there's any visitors— and he looked at me because I was the visitor that Sunday. You can stick around and, you know, feel free. So I stuck around and Tom said, hey, I'm going to step aside as senior pastor. It's been a joy to serve you as your senior pastor. I'm going to step aside because we believe that Ricky is the man that the Lord has to lead us into the future. And I'm going to stay and continue being your pastor. And I was like, this is crazy. I've never seen that humility. And so they ended the members meeting and said, hey, does anybody have any questions or comments? And I look around like, I knew. So I raised my hand in the members meeting and I said, 'I don't know if I'll be here next week, but this is something that's really unique. So good for you guys. Keep it up.'

23 · Vogan traces Tom's ongoing humility through his voluntary departure from staff to free resources for ministry and his subsequent call to Tucson, establishing Tom as a living model of servant leadership that shaped Vogan's pastoral formation

And I saw years and years and years of Tom's humility to the point of walking into Ricky's office and saying, 'Ricky, bro, you got to fire me so that we can free up my salary so that the saints can do the work of the ministry.' Going back to the workplace, then answering the call to go to Tucson and serve on staff there. Thank you for being an example of humility in my life. I'm so grateful that for this moment you are here.

24 · Vogan recounts Ricky's vision for thirty-year ministry partnerships and his own surprise at being one of the few remaining from that original group, illustrating God's unexpected faithfulness in keeping him at Cross of Grace far beyond his plans

Back to Tom's, and I'm almost through here, but back to our friend Massie's house, Ricky was doing a guys' night and there was a bunch of us sitting on the back patio and he said, my dream, my prayer is that we would be able to, those of us here, there'd be those of us here in this room that would build together for 30 years. And I'm looking around going, man, that must be— I hope there's some people here for 30 years. I think me and Neil, Bobby, and Josiah Snow are the ones that are left from that group of like 15 people. And so joke's on me because I thought I was leaving after 2 and 15 years later, here we are.

25 · Vogan concludes his testimony by explicitly attributing his sanctification to God's work through the church community, naming Neil's fifteen-year leadership and closing with gratitude to Ashley and the congregation

We have experienced the regular shaping, sanctification, care of the Lord. Through the people of this church. Bro Neil, you've led me in worship for 15 years. I remember when your now tall Peter was the first baby I held in El Paso. Thank you for your faithfulness to lead us in— love you, bro. So— oh, sorry, I wrote a note to Ashley in this. No. I love you, Ashley. Thank you for caring for us so well over the years, and it is a joy to be called as an undershepherd to the Chief Shepherd to continue caring for you all. Thank you.