Well my last Sunday at Sheridan-Norway UMC has come and gone...I'm not yet sure how to feel. It was emotional, but not as emotional as I thought I'd be...Oh, I cried, but mostly in the privacy of my own bedroom...I choked up as people came through the line and told me how much my ministry had meant to them...I choked up as people I didn't expect cried or were emotional...And of course, I choked up as people who it's hard to say good-bye to came through...I was moved by the cards that held apologies and the ones that recounted important points in their journey of faith...
It doesn't quite feel real yet and probably because I'm still packing things up! It'll probably feel more real when I leave the house for the last time and know I'm not coming back...I think because I still see Sheridan UMC outside of my window, it doesn't feel like I've left yet...But the truth is that I have.
I'm starting to dream concretely about being at Faith UMC and thinking about planning what I need to do and getting ready to meet and love the people of the church. It's getting to be more real everyday...I'm going to pick up keys for the new parsonage soon and that'll add another layer of readiness.
It's an odd feeling, this feeling of transition...
I'm grateful for my time at Sheridan-Norway even when things were difficult...I'm grateful for the lessons I learned even when they were painful...I'm humbled to have been invited and included in people's journeys of life and faith...I am glad that I was here...God sure knew what God was doing even when I doubted God!
And now a new page turns...
Thursday, June 24, 2010
Tuesday, June 01, 2010
June 2010 Newsletter
Dear Friends,
As we have been planning, on July 1st, Pastor Hyoson Oh will fully become the pastor of Sheridan-Norway UMC. I am excited of the gifts that Pastor Oh brings to you and my prayers are with all of you as you travel this journey together. As part of that journey, please know that while I do pray and think of you, it is not possible for me to return to do weddings, funerals, or baptisms as those are pieces of the pastoral relationship that you will develop with her. It has been my honor to be a part of your lives and stories in those ways and I know that she will discover much of God’s grace as well.
There are many ministries and projects of Sheridan-Norway UMC that I have been proud to see begin, change, and flourish. Of course there have also been things that have not worked well, ended, and changed which has been difficult, but also brings opportunities for God to do something new. If there is anything that I am certain of it is that God is working in the communities of Sheridan & Norway and is calling the churches to partner with God in this mission. Where we plant & water seeds, God provides the growth. Please continue to plant the seeds of love, justice, mercy, and compassion. Remember always that our mission is to love God, love people, and change the world. With God, that is absolutely possible.
Both of our ministries will continue on July 1st, but in different ways. I will join Faith UMC as their associate pastor and will once again learn names, faces, and stories. Once again my heart will break over tragic and difficult stories, and once again my heart will soar as someone claims Jesus as Lord or answers their calling. Your hearts will beat for the people of Sheridan-Norway as the hearing and understanding of one another’s stories becomes deeper and more intimate and I suspect that your hearts will break and soar as well.
I want to thank you for the ways that you have been teachers and faithful servants in your roles as members and friends of Sheridan-Norway UMC. May God continue to work within you and call you in ways that are unexpected.
Above all, remember that God created you. God loves you. God is with you always. God blesses you. Go and be a blessing to others.
As we have been planning, on July 1st, Pastor Hyoson Oh will fully become the pastor of Sheridan-Norway UMC. I am excited of the gifts that Pastor Oh brings to you and my prayers are with all of you as you travel this journey together. As part of that journey, please know that while I do pray and think of you, it is not possible for me to return to do weddings, funerals, or baptisms as those are pieces of the pastoral relationship that you will develop with her. It has been my honor to be a part of your lives and stories in those ways and I know that she will discover much of God’s grace as well.
There are many ministries and projects of Sheridan-Norway UMC that I have been proud to see begin, change, and flourish. Of course there have also been things that have not worked well, ended, and changed which has been difficult, but also brings opportunities for God to do something new. If there is anything that I am certain of it is that God is working in the communities of Sheridan & Norway and is calling the churches to partner with God in this mission. Where we plant & water seeds, God provides the growth. Please continue to plant the seeds of love, justice, mercy, and compassion. Remember always that our mission is to love God, love people, and change the world. With God, that is absolutely possible.
Both of our ministries will continue on July 1st, but in different ways. I will join Faith UMC as their associate pastor and will once again learn names, faces, and stories. Once again my heart will break over tragic and difficult stories, and once again my heart will soar as someone claims Jesus as Lord or answers their calling. Your hearts will beat for the people of Sheridan-Norway as the hearing and understanding of one another’s stories becomes deeper and more intimate and I suspect that your hearts will break and soar as well.
I want to thank you for the ways that you have been teachers and faithful servants in your roles as members and friends of Sheridan-Norway UMC. May God continue to work within you and call you in ways that are unexpected.
Above all, remember that God created you. God loves you. God is with you always. God blesses you. Go and be a blessing to others.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
