Leaving church in the rear view mirror

My Last Sunday

June 2nd was my last Sunday at church until September. My temporary replacement, Acting Pastor Ruth Costello, started two weeks before my departure. While that time passed quickly and it seems that there was more I had hoped to share with Pastor Ruth in those few days, in other ways it seemed like overkill to have her arrive that early. I'm confident that she would have done just fine if she would have showed up with a couple days overlap. It was good, however, to get to introduce her to some church members through home visits that we did together, especially for those folks who can't make it to church. I'm so grateful that God sent us exactly the right person for the job!


The worship service was an emotional one for me. Looking out at the faces of those I've worked with these past seven years, I realized how much they've been through, how much I've been through, and how much we've been through together. It's good to know that I'm still in love with these folks even though I'm more than ready for this time of renewal. We did a litany of sending in worship, which I had been planning for a while. I left the church with a candle to be lit during worship services and meetings while I'm gone as a reminder to pray for me and I took its twin with me as a reminder to pray for them. As I was shopping for candles, I wondered what kind I should get. I wanted something with a scent, but what scent? Clean linen, citrus, vanilla... none of those seemed quite right. Then I had an epiphany: going on a journey, from East to West, well, I'm kind of wise (been accused of being a wiseguy occasionally, anyway)... so I got what else: frankincense and myrrh candles! With a scent so... er... memorable, I don't think one of us will forget about the other anytime soon.

It was surprisingly easy to leave, knowing that it was only "farewell" and not "good bye." I look forward to seeing what God's done with them upon my return!