Strength for Today and Bright Hope for Tomorrow

"Oh, only for so short a while you have loaned us to each other..."

(Praying Our Goodbyes, 69)

"The sure sign of God is that you will be led in ways you did not intend to go"
Local UMC road sign in Evanston, IL in the mid-1980's

I am writing at the end of a five-week period that has included half of Lent, Holy Week and Easter; and the announcements that I will be leaving Hartford UMC to serve Wayland UMC on 7/1/14 and Pastor Rey Mondragon will become the new pastor here after serving as Associate Pastor for 6 years at First United Methodist Church of Ypsilanti.

Our time together has been short, only three years. This ending is bittersweet. We are an engaging, active, passionate, prayerful congregation committed to mission and service in Jesus' name.

I am encouraged in these endings and beginnings by the faith that we belong to God and God has been working in our lives well before we were aware of the possibility of these changes. I also hold the perspective that we are part of the already-in-progress history of God in the Church.

The church is of God, and will be preserved to the end of time, for the conduct of worship and the due administration of God’s Word and Sacraments, the maintenance of Christian fellowship and discipline, the edification of believers, and the conversion of the world. All, of every age and station, stand in need of the means of grace which it alone supplies (The Baptismal Covenant III)

In my Easter sermon I highlighted God as the source of our beginnings and endings, and referred to the Greek letters on the front of our worship table that reflect Revelation 22:13, "I am the Alpha and the Omega, the first and the last, the beginning and the end." 

As pastor and congregation we are involved in discerning God’s will as an ongoing process and practice of faith. We annually reflect on, and explore the meaning of what we have learned in ministry together. I am asked to be specific about my gifts, graces, skills, limitations, sense of calling to ministry, and family situation.

In this process we cannot know how long an appointment will last. However, we can devote ourselves to God, each other and the mission of the church with the time we have together.

The heart of our church is mission.

We are known as the church who helps people in need and

we respond directly to the effects of poverty in people’s lives.

That’s being Hartford United Methodist Church.

The chronic strain and burdens our people bear in employment, finances, medical bills, aging, housing and homelessness, utilities and transportation have emerged as a primary focus of my time and attention. I did not anticipate the significance or impact of working in this environment. For me there is heartache at such great need and inspiration at the eventual resourcefulness of people. This level of involvement was not apparent as we started life and ministry together. That’s why I have consistently reflected the positive value of social workers in our ministry setting. I have a deeper appreciation for the power of grace in times of despair because of our shared ministry.

From Bishop Donald Ott I learned the value of honoring three covenants in life. He taught that he holds covenants with God, his marriage and family, and the Church. And he holds them in that order. He emphasized that getting those covenant relationships right and keeping them healthy took care of a lot of other complications.

In my discernment about present and future ministry I have been blessed in the ways I experience grace, compassion, peace and love with God. I affirm a long-term commitment to Beverly’s vocational work as a medical Social Worker in Grand Rapids and our support for two daughters in college. And I am deeply grateful for the creative ways I have been able to serve God through the Church. I still feel that serving as a pastor is the best way to respond to God’s grace in my life.

That calling led to an openness to other ministry opportunities and the invitation to serve the Wayland congregation.

I rejoice in the ways that we have loved God and our neighbors and each other in this season of ministry. Thank you for your faithfulness and friendship. Our life together in God and as disciples of Jesus Christ continues even as we part ways at the end of June. I thank God for the mature leaders in our congregation who will sustain and guide Pastor Rey as you have guided me to find strength for today and bright hope for tomorrow.