On May 31st 1994, God gave us the great gift of John Michael, our first child. I was just finishing my studies at Fuller Theological Seminary and Jenni was a high school English teacher. We could never have imagined that our baby boy would be born with Down syndrome, or two heart malformations. But what we understood very early was how remarkable and gifted our special needs child was.
This is not to say there weren’t days and nights of knifing fear, as we navigated his medical crises. Would our John Michael make it to One, or Three, or Eight? And for the first time we experienced what it felt like to be really vulnerable, wide open to loss and pain we’d only read about. But without those early years, I would not really know the depths of the Father’s love for all of His children, or have such a heart for those who are at risk of being left behind. God prepared me for life as a priest, a father, by giving me John Michael as my teacher. And Jenni’s unfailing support and partnership in ministry has made West Hills Anglican a reality.
In gratitude I pursued God’s call to Christ’s priesthood, in and through the Anglican Church in North America. And as the pastor of this West Hills Anglican church plant, I am daily witnessing the Spirit gather a community of people who love the Liturgy, hunger for the Sacraments, pray with heart, prioritize Christian fellowship, and want to both give and receive the healing and mercy of our Triune God.
If you’d like to know more, let me know. And trust that you are cordially invited to join us for one of our services.
Prayerfully,
Fr. Ross