Skip to main content

a time for change

yesterday in worship at my church it was announced that as of July i would become the pastor at the Catawissa Avenue United Methodist Church in Sunbury, Pennsylvania.  this is an appointment in a new conference, a change that has been part of our plan for a long time.  since both shannon's family and my family live in pennsylvania, we have been thinking about getting back to pennsylvania,  this year, the opportunity finally presented itself in a new way, and we were fortunate enough to be offered an appointment there.  while we are very excited about the homecoming, as well as the new opportunities for ministry in a new setting where i will be the solo pastor, we are also in a time of grieving for the leaving will be doing here in clinton.  we have come to love it here, and will deeply miss the friends we have made here.  it is a strange juxtaposition of mixed emotions. 

so we would appreciate your prayers as we pack.  as we prepare to move.  as we transition.  as we find healthy and graceful ways to say goodbye.  as we try to help someone else get used to the idea of serving here in clinton.  and as we work towards doing ministry in a new state, a new town, a new church with new people. 

we are grateful to God for the many many blessings along this journey of ours.  and we are thankful to each one of you for your love and support of us. 

(ps.  the picture above on the left is a watercolor of the clinton united methodist church by shelley kays.  the one on the right is a picture of the catawissa avenue united methodist church that i got from their website)

(ps 2: if you were hoping to find my sixth lent collage, check back in tomorrow and i will have it for you to see then)
Labels:

Comments

Anonymous said…
OMG - congratulations Greg and Shannon - I know this is what you have wanted and God speed to you both as you move into the next part of your journey. I hope you still stay in touch with us all back here in Toms River - we are very excited for you. ~Gail~
8:20 AM
Emoly said…
best of luck to you!!! You are in my prayers as you pack and move. I'm also being very selfish because I'm excited that you'll be closer to us!!! ;) See you soon.
1:42 PM
Greg C. said…
In the words of Michael W. Smith:
"Friends are friends forever if the Lord's the Lord of them....
We'll keep you close as always...."
A powerful song I first heard when we were leaving Illinois that has lived in my heart since then. (Not so sure about the "it won't even seem you've gone" line, tho!). Anyway, we'll 'sing' it for you, Shannon, Jack and Cade. And yes, keep you all in our prayers.
2:06 PM
JJ said…
Congratulations! That's really exciting news...I'm sure both of your families are thrilled. I can imagine that it is bittersweet, though. Blessings to all of you as you move through those tensions.
8:56 AM
Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

i'm giving away the swamp

so this is a collage called swamp. i made it in february of last year. it is currently framed in a homemade, hand-painted frame. it is paper collage on a book binding panel. it is 7" x 10". and i am giving it away. i've been wanting to have a blog giveaway for some time, and the time has finally arrived. here's how it works. all you need to do is leave a comment on this post. by leaving a comment you are automatically entered into the contest (as long as your comment offers a way for me to get in touch with you, or you know that i know you). the contest will be open until next wednesday at noon, eastern standard time. at that time the contest will officially be closed and i will pick a random number. the person whose comment matches that number wins! for example, if i happen to pick the number 33, the thirty-third comment will win. oh, and one more rule: you can only post ONCE. if you win, i will send you the collage, signed by me, the artist, free of c...
29 comments
keep reading

bad haircuts (for a laugh)

everybody needs to laugh.  one good way i have found to make that happen is to do a simple google image search for 'bad haircut.'  when you do so, some of the following gems show up.  thankfully, my 9th grade school picture does NOT show up.  otherwise, it would certianly make this list!  please laugh freely and without inhibition.  thank you and have a nice day. 
3 comments
keep reading

affirmed

i cannot express today the feeling i have. this picture that i found sort of expresses it but not really. for the last ten years i have poured myself into this vocation, daring to believe that God, the very God of all creation, has called me, even me, to this work. along the way many have affirmed me in this journey, but i have continued to work for the ultimate affirmation, ordination as an elder in the united methodist church. and now i have it. after two grueling (and i mean grueling in every possible sense, really) days i recieved the call today that the board voted to recommend me to the annual conference for ordination as an elder. and as i have already said, i cannot even begin to express the emotion i feel with words like relief, joy and satisfaction. there will be plenty of time for me to reflect on this and i will have more to say about it as i do that reflecting, but today is really a day for celebrating for me, and for thanking those who have journeyed with me and s...
20 comments
keep reading