Pondering with the Pastor
Dear members and friends of FUMC,
After 36 years of challenging and inspiring
experiences in ministry, I am retiring! My last
Sunday in worship with you will be June 22, 2025.
Come celebrate with me! As I begin preparing for
this transition, “I thank my God every time I
remember you. In all my prayers for all of you, I
always pray with joy because of your partnership in
the gospel from the first day until now, being
confident of this, that he who began a good work in
you will carry it on to completion until the day of
Christ Jesus” (Philippians 1:1-3).
These words of the apostle Paul echo my own as I
begin packing up my office. It has been a privilege to
serve Christ alongside you, and to share in important
life events with your families. The weddings,
funerals, baptisms, birthday celebrations, and church
holidays were very special to me. There are bonds
between a pastor and her members that are
irreplaceable. You have ministered to me as I have
ministered to you in times of joy and sorrow, illness
and loss. Truly, we have experienced the love of
Jesus together as we shared our lives in this church
family.
My family and I will always cherish the relationships
we had here. Thank you for all the ways you have
supported Michael and me, our children, and our
grandchildren! Some say being a preacher’s kid and
a preacher’s spouse is hard. I have always found,
however, that the love and support my family
receives from church members far outweighs the
pressures of being in a clergy family! Your love,
support, and friendship have been uplifting to me
and to my family.
Though I am excited to retire, it is also with great
sorrow that I prepare to leave you. While I am
convinced God’s hand is in my decision to retire, I am
grieving the loss of serving such a fine church! I am
so proud of the ways our church has served God
through worship, through Sunday School and Bible
Studies, through our music ministries, through youth
and children’s ministries, through our mission work,
our Early Child Enrichment Center, and our Messy
Church! I hope you have grown as much as I have as
we enjoyed “successes” and met challenges together.
While I will no longer be your pastor after July 1st, I
look forward to still calling you my friends. I hope to
hear great things about the continuing ministry of
this church and the lives of your families. As I say
farewell to you, I cling to the words of Jeremiah
29:11, “For I know the plans I have for you,” declares
the LORD, “plans to give you hope and a future.”
May God bless each of us as we say farewell for now
and enter this new phase of our relationship as we
love and serve Jesus Christ together in the world.
With much love and appreciation,
Barb
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