Dear Friends,
The words of an old Frank Sinatra song keep running through my head, “Oh, the days dwindle down to a precious few, September, November, And these few precious days I’ll spend with you.”
There are only a few precious days left before I retire. It’s a very exciting time, but tinged with sadness. I’ve been serving local churches continuously for 33 years. When anyone has done many of the same things for that long and then stops, it’s a dramatic shift! Some things I won’t miss, like all the paper work for Church Conference or having four nights straight of meetings at the church.
What I will miss are you all, the regular contact at worship, at those meetings, in your homes. I will miss the Aldersgate Sanctuary and the changing Arrayments. I will miss doing the baptisms, confirmations, weddings, communion and yes, the funerals. I will miss the FABULOUS staff here at Aldersgate and the wonderful gifts you all bring to this congregation.
The time has come for me to change the pronouns I use from “we” to “you.” I will continue on, and this congregation will continue on, just not together.
I do have some plans for retirement. Most of you know I’ve become a certified Master Gardener through the University of Nebraska Extension Service. So, I’ll have volunteer hours to put in at various projects around the Lincoln area. And there will be continuing education hours each year, too. And I plan to spend time with my children and grandchildren. I’ve already missed so many games, concerts, programs, and trap shooting meets! I don’t want to miss any more! And I just want to spend time with them as they grow and mature. Steve and I want to travel, we’re working on a Bucket List of places we want to see and re-see. Plus, there are so many books, and so little time!
Steve and I will be looking for a congregation to call our home church. It won’t be South Gate or Aldersgate or Christ or Lakeview UMCs. We’ve served those congregations as pastors and can’t make them our home churches. So that will be an interesting experience.
I thank you for the wonderful memories and experiences over the past 8 years! May God continue to bless you, your families and your ministries!
See you in church for a few more weeks, where good things begin and blossom. Bring a friend or two. Together you are strong.
Love and Peace,
Nancy