[As a way of updating my pastoral status at Northwest UMC, here’s the brief announcement I made there this morning. I will miss the pastoral work but am so grateful that I get to continue as part of their preaching team.]
“When I was asked to join the church staff last June as Pastor of congregational care I told Pastor Mebane and the lead team that I would do so on a trial basis for 6 months and asked that we could evaluate how it was working at that point. As many of you know I’ve got some chronic back pain and other health issues that limit what I can do. I just don’t have as much energy as I once did and my body requires a lot more time for maintenance than I’d like.
Because of those limitations I realized in January that I really need to be relieved of responsibilities for visitation and pastoral care. My spirit is willing but the body is weak, and even the few hours I’ve been spending in visitation was more than I can handle at this stage of my life.
The good news for me is that the lead team has asked me to stay on the staff as part of the preaching team; so you will be hearing from me again! I love to preach so that is a real blessing for me, and being a part of the staff here is so rewarding. I’ve been in ministry almost 50 years and our staff here is the best bunch of servant leaders I’ve ever had the privilege to work with.
So thank you for your support and understanding and bless you all for who you are and all that you do.”
Peacefully Harsh 