Remembering Pastor David Foster

My heart aches for Paula and his daughters; I cannot imagine what you are going through at this time, and I just simply cannot adequately express how deeply sorry I am for your loss.

I didn’t know Dr. Foster very well, and actually he probably wouldn’t be able to pick me out of the crowd, but God brought me to this man twice in my life.

The first time, I was sixteen, I had just moved to Tennessee from Utah where I had been brought up in a very saturated environment. I had never been to any kind of church outside of the one I had grown up in, so to experience a church where I was in blue jeans, asked if I wanted coffee, and listening to this guy say things I’d never heard someone say in church before, was an interesting experience to say the least. I was too young to understand the gravity of what I was witnessing at the time, but I liked what I heard and Dr. Foster stuck in my head.

The second time God brought me to him, roughly ten years later. My fiance and I were praying for God to help us find a church where we felt welcome–where we could hear a deep discussion about the Word, that wasn’t filled with the opinion of the person talking. The first thing we found online was “The Gathering”. It just kept popping up, and I recognized Dr. Foster, so we figured it had to be a sign and we finally went. We only attended The Gathering for a couple of months, but it was one of the most life-enriching experiences I’ve ever had. Dr. Foster had a way with words, he had a way with expressing and communicating that is simply unparalleled. I couldn’t believe what I had heard when my fiance called to tell me he was gone.

I know without a doubt that God led me to this man, because this man somehow brought me closer to Christ. In the short time I spent listening to his talks, he was a beautiful example of what a Godly man and Godly husband should look like. I am so blessed to have had the opportunity to learn from such a soul.

I am truly sorry for his loss, he will be very missed by the many people he touched, but, I know he was greeted with open arms, and I know that he will never be forgotten down here.