Sunday, June 18, 2006

So Grateful

Today was one of the hardest and best days of my life. It was my last Sunday at Bethesda UMC, the church that I have been blessed to serve for nearly four years. We got to sing all of my favorite songs, baptize a baby boy, consecrate our youth work camp teams, celebrate a liturgy where I returned the symbols of my office to leaders in the church, and I preached about love—God’s love and the love we have shared and will always share, even as we part ways.

After the service, there was a program where a lot of folks, in a lot of different ways, blessed Marcus, Nora and I with well wishes and thanks. There were lots and lots of tears all around. It is totally humbling to realize that my presence, my preaching, my leadership, has really mattered to people and made a difference in their lives and faith journeys.

I am so grateful to all these wonderful folks for allowing me to be a pastor to them, and for loving me enough to send me forth with their blessings. I am so grateful to Rev. Ron, my co-pastor, for sharing leadership with me and trusting and believing in me. And I am grateful to God…for everything.

1 comment:

The Energy Coach said...

Sounds like you are very loved my girl. Here's to sacred endings and new beginnings!