Dear friends,
What a wondrous surprise! Thank you for the very special service honoring our twenty-five years of ministry together. The video was so moving, with so many thoughtful, loving expressions of thanks. And then a knock on the door…and another…and another. It felt like love overflowing. I couldn’t have possibly imagined such a lively, joyous, spirit-filled celebration happening while we were worshipping on Zoom. You did it! Thank you.
It is quite a remarkable thing to look back on twenty-five years together. While I had served as an associate pastor in two congregations before coming here, Edwards Church is where I learned how to be a pastor. Edwards Church is where I fell in love with the stories of our faith. Edwards Church is where I found my voice. Edwards Church is where I came to know, through our shared life together, the joy of community.
I am so grateful for the ways this congregation has encouraged and joined with me in developing my particular passions. I came here with a deep interest in multi-faith dialogue; I had no idea we would together start a multi-faith center. I brought with me a fascination with yoga; I never imagined I would become a certified yoga instructor and teach classes on our church campus. I had taken voice lessons a few years before coming here; I certainly wasn’t expecting that singing with the choir would be a source of so much joy for me.
I am so grateful for the ways you have allowed me into your lives. I have been privileged to share in many moments of joy: baptisms, confirmations, weddings. I have also been privileged to share in the times of pain. It is such a gift to be trusted with those tender moments. In twenty-five years, I have conducted many, many memorial services, most of them people I knew and loved. Even amidst the sadness, I am always awed by the richness of the lives we are celebrating.
The gifts you gave me in your surprise celebration were wonderful—flowers, cookies, socks, a beautiful wall-hanging, many cards, a video I will always treasure. The gifts you have given me in the last twenty-five years are even more wonderful. Thank you!
Peace,
Debbie