Goodbye Dear Ones

I think I can write now without crying. A lot of you know that on Sunday we had to say goodbye to our HOPE UMC Pastor of 4 years, if you don’t, then let me say that our UMC Conference has appointed her to a church in St. Paul. Michelle came to us just a year after our two churches merged together, University and Woodland, to become one “Hope” church. She was just what our congregation needed at the time, and she has done a wonderful job bonding us into one congregation. She helped us to handle change, she brought us through many changes and she tapped into the talent that was there to get the leadership that was needed. She feels she is leaving us in good condition, and we all agree with her, we are growing, we are thriving and we have a great spirit.

We knew back in early winter that she would be moving to Fairmont UMC in St. Paul. She, her family and our congregation has had time to adjust to the idea, and to time to transition. She has transitioned with the most grace I have ever seen a UMC pastor transition. She has prepared us for our new pastor, she has made sure that the leadership is good and she has been very intentional in her goodbyes, which has made it somewhat easier. It has been a gradual good bye, not a hard and fast one. When she came here, she and her husband had Zane, the cutest little boy, dark hair and so sweet. She was also pregnant, and soon Zane would be joined by another sweet boy, Theo. We are not only going to miss Michelle and Kelly, we are going to miss Zane and Theo. They have all become family to us. The organization, CHUM (Churches United in Ministry) are also going to miss her very much. She is their president, and has been a good leader there also. I have her blog link on my site “33 Names of Grace", we are hoping she will continue to write on it, so we can keep in touch with them. She told us she is going to miss seeing Lake Superior every day too, she has fallen in love with the city and the lake here.

Sunday was a bittersweet Sunday. As sad as we were, it was also a “sweet” Sunday. The worship was wonderful. We did a special “Order of Farewell” during the service. (see below) We had boxes of Kleenex in every pew. Michelle spoke on “What I Learned At Hope: What I Learned About Hope”. It can be found by clicking here: http://www.livingtexts.blogspot.com/

It was touching, sweet, funny, inspirational all rolled into one. The choir never sounded better, and Bob and Meredith gave us a beautiful clarinet and piano duet. A potluck lunch followed the service and it was a full house both for the service and for the lunch. We gave her and her family gifts, and we watched slides as we ate and fellowshipped of her ministry at Hope over the last 4 years. We visited one last time with her, as our pastor. She is on vacation this week, preparing for their move, and I'm sure up to their ears in packing boxes.

Our daughter and family were in town. Sometimes we might skip church when they are here, but I told them there was no way were we missing Michelle’s last Sunday or the farewell potluck!

Goodbye, sweet family, we will miss you. We all pray for continued blessings to you and your family and to your ministry. Fairmont will be as blessed as we have been for 4 years. We give her and her family to you, but they will forever remain in our hearts!