Highland’s New Preacher
The exciting announcement is being made today that Jonathan and Leslie Storment will be coming to the Highland Church. Following seven years as the associate minister at Richland Hills, Jonathan will become Highland’s tenth preacher (since 1929). I’m excited for the whole church — and especially for Chris (who’s had only one preacher his 17 years), for Diane (who’s had only one preacher for almost three decades), and . . . for me. Jonathan will be my first preacher since Diane, Matt, and I moved to North Carolina in 1982.
Here are a few words of blessing (a reminder that Jonathan will be the third straight short preacher from Harding at Highland!):
Here’s what another young minister said in a note to me: “I’m so excited for Highland. Johnny Storm is a good friend and a beast of a preacher.” Perhaps others of you who know Jonathan and Leslie could leave a note to help introduce them to Highland members . . . and maybe a few Highland members could drop a note of welcome.
Mike- I was REALLY curious about who this would be. Thank you for letting me hear it at Highland first.
Sure. Of course I wanted to wait for the elders at both churches to make the announcement. But after that word gets out quickly in this connected world!
Jonathan and Leslie,
My family doesn’t know you yet, but our prayers and blessings go with you during your transition….and for many years of Kingdom work in Abilene.
Blessings,
Marcia
Mike- thanks for allowing me to hear the announcement and introduction of my new preacher at Highland first.Blessings, Joyce
Welcome, but we’re going to have to do something about all the razorback memorabilia I feel coming Abilene
. Go A-State Red Wolves.
Dear Highland Church,
You got the best young preacher in Churches of Christ.
P.S. He’s an even better person than preacher
P.P.S. His wife is is the soul of the family
Peace,
Josh Graves
Otter Creek Church
Nashville, TN
Yea rah! I’m so proud of Jonathan, & loved meeting Leslie, Samuel David & Eden this past week at Pepperdine! What precious people they are! Highland is, once again, fortunate to have such wise shepherds who know spiritual men when they see them, even if they are young. It’s also thrilling that Jonathan & Leslie are Harding grads, representing our school in a way some of us have longed for with this generation. All the best to the Storment fam! Andee Cone
Will – four months after moving to Highland I ran the first three miles of my first marathon with a razorback hat. There is precedent.
So happy for both Highland and the Storments.
Great to hear…such a quality guy!
Not only is Highland’s newest preacher is its third successive short, Harding alum, he is the former starting point guard for the one and nearly Celine County Warriors.
Jonathan is able, confident, astute and a remarkable man of God. Praise the Lord that he was led to you good folks.
This? http://salinecountyhomeschool.bravehost.com/
I’m loving it.
Mike: precedent does not equal mandate! As a Jonesboro local, I gotta admit Will has a point. Where’s the Red Wolves love??
Those of you who know me know that I have been anxious about this whole process. I am so, so excited that Highland has chosen this amazing young man. I can’t wait for him and his family to be here and to be a part of our family.
Jonathan, if you are reading this I want you to know….how excited the Highland family is to have you and your family be family. I want Abilene to be a place that is home….where you find peace and joy and are surrounded by people that love you. I want it to be a place of growth…for you and for the Highland family. I want us all to know Jesus in such a deep way that we didn’t even know was possible. I want our community to feel the love of Jesus…in ways that help their physical beings and their hearts. I want you to have fun raising your children here. I want you to find good friends….friends that you can be honest with, friends that will walk beside you, friends that will become family.
Again…..I am so excited! Can’t wait!
I’m so thrilled with the selection of Jonathan and Leslie!! I feel as though the whole search team and the Elders were eavesdropping at our table during the “Table Talk” period. He’s just what I’d prayed we find in our new preacher, with an added plus – it’s exciting to know his wife, Leslie is not a CofC lifer!! This experience will give them a special insight to the struggles of those that hear the Good News as adults.I’ve a feeling every one of our missionaries are giving a heartfelt “Hallelujah” for Leslie!
It will be such a pleasure to greet them, welcome them and serve in the Kingdom with them! May our God’s richest blessings overflow in their lives, soothing the natural concerns and emotions of leaving a congregation they love. I pray we at Highland will greet them with the same open arms of welcome as the Richland Hills open arms, sending them on to us.
August seems eons away.
Highland is getting a good one. My family has been blessed to hear Jonathan over the past few years at RHCC and the Highland family will be equally blessed. He shows a rare gift of blending our story in with God’s story from Genesis to Revelation. He makes scripture relevant and exciting while preaching the word faithfully. We will pray God’s blessing on Highland and the ministry it does with the Storments. Expect to be surprised and have some uneasiness during the sermons (he will get you outside of your comfort zones) but you will always be challenged in a way that makes you want to be a better disciple. Enjoy it.
I like the flow: from Lynn to Mike to Jonathan!
Jonathan is a fantastic communicator of the good news. He preaches out of lived-experiences.
I’ve prayed for Highland during this process relentlessly. I wouldn’t be who I am without the love & faith of that church. I’m thrilled for both Highland and the Storments.
Jonathan is one of the finest and best guys I know :} God bless you Jonathan, Lesley, and children and this new transition to the senior minister’s role at Highland church of Christ in Abilene. Best wishes to the Storment family there.
And a word to the Highland church: Jonathan is the most outgoing guy I know. He and I were Bible majors together, had a lot of the same classes together, and did a lot of fun stuff together while we were students at Harding. I’m so sorry I didn’t know Lesley at all while at Harding. Jonathan is a great guy and I hope and pray he leads the church at Highland to know the love and grace of God better each day. God bless the Storments and the Highland church. Grace and Peace.
I’m happy for you, Highland, and really, I’m happy for all of Abilene. The tradition of Christ-focused preachers with deep spiritual insight continues…
Thanks for this Mike. This means a lot to Leslie and I, you and Lynn are two hard guys to follow. Glad to know that you’ll still be around, Leslie and I look forward to being with y’all at Highland. Thanks for the blessing!
People are anxiously awaiting your arrival. Twice I left churches to go to another church (from NC to AR in 1984 and from AR to Highland in 1991). Both times were bittersweet for Diane and me. It’s sad, sad to leave a good church and dear friends. And then it’s great joy to make new friends and to face new opportunities/challenges.
Blessings my friend. I’ll be the one in the stands standing and cheering!
Congrats to Highland and the Storment family! I like the Harding bias at Highland!
DU