Hello Church,
The time has arrived, your last Pastor email, from me, at least. As I have mentioned in previous emails, I have loved sitting down each week and figuring out what to put in this little email. When I first started them it was my way to connect with you all as we were still fully virtual. Now we are approaching our fourth Sunday together in person. It has been great seeing your faces each week whether you are coming in person or joining us on Zoom. It has made Sunday’s feel a bit more normal.
While this coming Sunday is my last Sunday with you all. Please know how much my time, while short, has meant to me. I have grown not only as a Pastor but also as a person. I have started to find my Pastor voice and have had many reaffirmations from you all and God that this is exactly what I am called to do. Being able to be a part of this congregation, learning about all of you, the things that make Church of the Redeemer unique has been a true pleasure and privilege.
One of my favorite songs from the musical Hamilton, is “One Last Time”. It is the song that George Washington and Alexander Hamilton sing as Washington prepares to leave office. While I don’t think I will ever be prepared to say good-bye to you all. Or even that this will be the last time that I will have to say good-bye to a congregation, instead we will say “see you later” Sunday at church. I hope that just as I have learned from all of you, that you have also learned from me. And thankfully, because of the way that the United Methodist Church is connected to one another, our paths will still cross and I will continue to hear how you all are doing and how you are all still growing in ministry.
On July 4th you will all have your first service with Pastor Halldor. I am meeting with him this afternoon and cannot wait to tell him all about this amazing church and her people. I know you all will welcome him and his family in just as warmly as you have myself and my family. Continue to be the welcoming congregation that you all are and it will be a smooth transition. And I encourage you all to either drop in and see him, email or call him to tell him about yourselves and about COR. That is how he will get to know you all and get to know the rich history of COR.
If you would like to help Cameron with the technology for Sunday’s please reach out to him or Vivian so they can connect you. We need other helpers for this ministry, so we can continue to have our Zoom worship.
Our scripture for Sunday is 2 Corinthians 8:7-15 and John 13:31-35
Our prayer for this week is The Irish Blessing:
May the road rise up to meet you.
May the wind be always at your back.
May the sun shine warm upon your face;
The rains fall soft upon your fields and until we meet again,
May God hold you in the palm of His hand.
And until we say “see you later” on Sunday. May the week continue to land gently on you all.
Grace and Peace,
Pastor Megan