Dear friends,
What a glorious surprise! Thank you for the very special celebration of the thirtieth anniversary of my ordination. It means so much to me.
The litany the deacons led was beautiful. It was especially powerful to have the entire congregation offer me the blessing that I am privileged to offer you as the benediction each Sunday. (May God bless you and keep you. May God’s face shine upon you and be gracious to you. May God look upon you with kindness and grant you peace.)
The gift—new, in-depth commentaries on Luke and Acts—is perfect. I will use them in our upcoming Bible Studies and also in my sermon preparation. The commentaries remind me of the impact our shared Bible Studies have had on my life and my faith. Our thoughtful, dedicated group has helped me develop a deeper appreciation of who Jesus is and a deeper (and more challenging and compassionate) understanding of what it means to follow him.
Then there was the cake! Double chocolate with raspberries; clearly you all know me well! It was delicious, and the opportunity to reminisce with many of you in coffee hour was joyous. I talked with a couple folks from the search committee that called me to Edwards twenty-three years ago. At the time, I had been ordained for seven years and was just beginning to learn how to be a pastor. None of us ever could have imagined the journey we would be on together.
And then when I got home, I opened my cards. There were many beautiful cards, with personal, thoughtful notes of appreciation. As I read them, I thought about so many shared moments that have shaped my ministry.
Thank you for celebrating my ministry. Thank you for the last twenty-three years of singing, praying, studying, eating, grieving, planning, gardening, stretching, helping and rejoicing together.
Peace, Debbie