I never planned on writing this. When I moved to a town I’d never heard of, to do ministry alongside people I’d never met, I intended to be here for the long haul.         

Ministry has always been a roller coaster. Think The Beast. Long climbs full of anticipation and anxiety. Blind curves where you can’t see what’s coming. Moments that take your breath away. Moments when your heart is in your throat, your stomach is in knots, and you’re sliding side to side across the seat, wondering why you ever got on. But when the ride pulls back into the station, you’re glad you went. And if you got the chance to do it all over again, you’d get back in line in a heartbeat.

That’s where I’m landing today. I am grateful. Grateful to have walked this road of faith with each of you: those who have come and gone, those who remain, and those I’ve only recently met. Many of you have walked alongside Kari Jo and me since I arrived, full of youth and energy and a head full(ish) of hair. You watched us walk down the aisle. You rejoiced with us when our children were born. You grieved with us when we lost our parents. You carried us through financial hardships, surgeries, and uncertain seasons.

You prayed for us. You rocked Grayson and Lizzie when they were babies and helped raise them to love Jesus. You embraced Serenity, who became one of ours along the way. You fed us more meals than I could ever count. You counseled us and gave us wisdom. You went along with some of my crazy ideas. You offered grace when I messed up and encouragement when I wasn’t sure of the future. You trusted me, served with me, and loved my family well.

These last couple of months, many of your conversations have brought back memories I’d forgotten. That first youth trip, when the youth group, Kari Jo, and I were all ready to quit. Trips to Kings Island. Antigua and Pascagoula. The Amazing Race. Isaiah 58:10, when together we served hot meals to 400 people every week. Summer in the Son, where the idea for the 4th of July breakfast got its start. Finally bringing order to the chaos of the Christmas Banquet with “random” calling of the table numbers. 

In later years, a lot of my work moved behind the scenes. Less of the wacky, out-in-front fun guy. More launching small groups, clarifying the mission, and working alongside staff and leaders to build the systems that help all of us do the work of ministry. It was less out-front; I loved it just as much.

This week I carried hundreds of books and personal effects out of my office, and I realized how little of 26 years of ministry fits inside a box. The rest of it we carry in our hearts. And our hearts are full.

So yes, we are a mix of emotions. Sad. Confident in the Lord. Uncertain about the future. Amillion others. But mostly, grateful. Grateful for you. Grateful for the Lord. And grateful He saw fit to bring us together.

I’ll close with Paul’s words to the church at Philippi:
“I thank my God every time I remember you. In all my prayers for all of you, I always pray with joy because of your partnership in the gospel from the first day until now, being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus... And this is my prayer: that your love may abound more and more in knowledge and depth of insight, so that you may be able to discern what is best and may be pure and blameless for the day of Christ, filled with the fruit of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ, to the glory and praise of God.”
Philippians 1:3–6, 9–11 (NIV, 2011)

Kari Jo and I want to thank you from the bottom of our hearts for the outpouring of love this past weekend. Your kind words and generous gifts mean so much. A special thank you to everyone who put together the luncheon.

As was mentioned, over the last 26 years I’ve worked alongside 48 different staff members, counting ministry, administrative, and custodial staff, along with interims. Twenty-three of those were ministry staff alone. I’ve had the privilege of serving with some of the best and brightest. More times than I can count, ministry friends have told me they’d give anything to have a team like ours. It has truly been a gift.

I’m not one who likes the spotlight. So I want you to know that anything good that came from my ministry is, first and foremost, because of God’s goodness and grace.

I’d also be remiss if I didn’t tell you this: the greatest grace God has given me, second only to Christ, is my wife, Kari Jo. I can say with all sincerity that the best things you remember about my ministry trace back to her. She is my sounding board, my reality check, my counselor, and my best friend. Thank you for embracing her and our three kids.

I could go on for pages and still not express my love for each of you. So I’ll leave it at this; Thank you.