Dear Peace Members and Friends,
Since I last wrote the last e-note, most of you have become aware that I have submitted my resignation to the Church Council, effective August 1st. I’ll say more about that at the end of this note.
This Sunday in worship (9:30am) we will once again celebrate God’s faithfulness to God’s people now and always in the festival of Pentecost. We will celebrate that we have been given the gift of God’s Holy Spirit to accompany us along the way. We’ll hear something about the first Pentecost and a sermon, “What’s the Gift?” We’ll gather the children for a message and around the altar for the Lord’s Supper. A great day ahead!
Last Sunday after worship, I was excited to see the enthusiastic interest of a group that gathered to learn more about a January mission trip to Robin’s Nest, an orphanage in Jamaica. This trip is going to happen…. and there’s still time to join in! If you have any questions, don’t hesitate to contact me to hear more about this opportunity for life and growth and service to others!
We continue to collect “most needed” items for VEAP and their work to care for the needs of our neighbors. Laundry detergent, paper products (paper towels, bathroom tissue), dish soap, personal care and feminine hygiene items (shampoo, toothpaste, hand soap, toiletries), diapers, and baby wipes are in demand. Drop off your donations in the VEAP cart in the Narthex. Thank you!
A few words about my resignation. I will be leaving Peace at the end of July. This will give me some time to tell you how much I care for you, how much being a pastor to you for 19 years has meant to me. It’s not easy—in fact, it’s heart-wrenching—to leave. While it is impossible to gauge the importance of one’s own life in the lives of others, it is easy for me to measure the importance of your lives to mine. Still, there comes a time to move on. And I know, and so do you, that the true shepherd, the one who “feeds the flock and gather’s the lambs in his arms,” is never a pastor, only our Lord.
And our God and God’s people are faithful! Already the Church Council met this last Wednesday with a staff representative of our Minneapolis Area Synod to begin to outline a path forward. The Council will meet at their regularly scheduled time on June 17th, to firm up those plans. No doubt we will have further information about that following that meeting.
In the meantime, I ask for your prayers for the congregation and for one another as we move into this new chapter of our life together.
See you Sunday!
Mark