January 2024
The Lord bless you and keep you;
May the Lord’s face shine on you and be gracious to you;
May the Lord turn toward you and give you peace.
– Numbers 6:24-26
Dear Friends,
The wonderful and wise Winnie the Pooh once said, “How lucky are we to have something so special, that makes saying goodbye so hard.” The past four years I have served as your pastor have been an incredible blessing. When I started as your pastor on the eve of Thanksgiving 2019, I had no idea what was in store for me. None of us really did, considering COVID hit just a few months later.
In the early months of the pandemic, I saw exactly what kind of church you are: you are the hands, feet, and heart of Christ. You cooked meals for each other and left them on doorsteps. You greeted each other by name on Zoom. You made difficult decisions that kept one another safe. The Christlike spirit you embodied in those early days is the same one you have always had.
I have seen that spirit come alive in powerful ways over the past four years, especially in the exponential growth of your Mission and Outreach efforts: serving hundreds of meals, tying hundreds of prayer blanket knots, donating thousands of pounds of food and clothing to our local schools and women’s shelters, and so much more. Not only have you ministered to our communities in these ways, but you have ministered to one another: visiting, calling, and writing to those who are ill, making casseroles, attending funerals, and praying alongside your church family members when they need it most. What a holy and sacred ride it has been to witness all of that love in action!
I know not everything during our time together was perfect, so I seek your grace and forgiveness for any time I may have harmed, hurt, or disappointed you. I pray you know you have my forgiveness, too.
Change is not easy and saying goodbye to something so wonderful is one of the hardest things we can do, but what makes it easier is knowing that God is always with us. I leave here knowing that God’s loving Spirit is alive and well within you. I know because I have seen and experienced it firsthand.
In all of our bulletins, we write “Pastor: Rev. Kelsey Beebe; Ministers: All of us.” You live up to that every day. It has been one of my life’s greatest blessings to minister alongside you. Thank you for sharing your lives, heart, and faith with me. Thank you for letting me baptize, marry, bury, and bless you. We have laughed, cried, worshiped, hoped, prayed, sang, and eaten lots of food together. Thank you for every moment. I will carry your love with me wherever I go.
With love and and a thankful heart,
Pastor Kelsey
