In Fulfilling Prophesy, Ed Newton Appointed Community Bible Church's Lead Pastor
When he was just 8 years old, an elderly Christian woman prophesied that God was going to use him greatly.
And on Sunday, Ed Newton, 40, took the stage of Community Bible Church in San Antonio, Texas, as the church's new lead pastor.
The son of two deaf parents, Newton will replace Robert Emmitt, the church's founder and lead pastor over the next several months as he transitions into the less demanding role of Pastor Emeritus.
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In presenting Newton in his new capacity to the church, attended by 27,000 people each week on Sunday, Emmitt said "Ed has been a friend of CBC for five years. He's preached at our mancations, he's preached for me a bunch of times … he's not an unknown, so that's the cool thing about it."
He called the move "one of those divine appointments" before saying the Lord has made it so unmistakably clear that this is the right man in the right time. There's no red flags, no hesitations, no challenges."
Emmitt then handed the pulpit to Newton who articulated a moving story about his journey to the congregation.
"The reality of the moment began when I was 8 years old," began Newton. "I was at a McDonald's, I was interpreting for my parents. Both my parents are deaf. I have no brothers or sisters. It's broken, it's bitter. I had just ordered for my parents, I took a step back and all of a sudden someone grabbed my shoulder."
That someone was the old woman who gave him the prophecy.
"It was a senior African-American woman that I had never met in my entire life and she began to stoop down and asked me this question. She said, 'Young man, do you do that every place you go with your parents?' I said 'yes ma'am.'
"She said, 'I want you to look at me.' I said 'ma'am, I don't know you.' She said, 'I'm a follower of Jesus Christ. One day, God's gonna greatly use you young man.' And she spoke prophetically in my life. She had no idea that I was seeking and searching for something to satisfy my soul," explained Newton, who went on to discuss the rest of his story in a recording posted on YouTube.
In a statement from the church on Monday, Newton affirmed his calling and thanked Emmitt for staying on as a "guiding presence."
"As a follower of Jesus, husband and father of four, He has called me to serve as a Bible communicator with a shepherd's heart to lead a multi-cultural and multi-generational community of faith that seeks to change the world," Newton said in the statement announcing his new role.
"Pastor Emmitt has given all of himself in service to God for so long, so it is not surprising that he has chosen this as his next step. I am thankful that he will continue to be a guiding presence in the CBC community," he added.
WATCH THE COMPLETE TRANSITION SERVICE BELOW:
