Dear Friends,

As I write this, I am remembering words from Ecclesiastes 3:1-8 (The Voice translation):

For everything that happens in life—there is a season, a right time for everything under heaven:

A time to be born, a time to die; a time to plant, a time to collect the harvest;

A time to kill, a time to heal; a time to tear down, a time to build up;

A time to cry, a time to laugh; a time to mourn, a time to dance;

A time to scatter stones, a time to pile them up;

A time for a warm embrace, a time for keeping your distance;

A time to search, a time to give up as lost; a time to keep, a time to throw out;

A time to tear apart, a time to bind together; a time to be quiet, a time to speak up;

A time to love, a time to hate; a time to go to war, a time to make peace.

 

During our (all too short) four years together, we have experienced almost everything on the list.

I remember the baptisms, funerals, church dinners, Lenten studies, Christmas plays, singing, praying, preaching, fellowship, and friendship.

There was some tearing down of old ideas and planting of new ideas, some disagreements and some resolutions, some remembering and some forgiving.

We have collected carloads full of food and clothing for local food pantries, Our Brothers’ Keepers, and have filled, collected, and blessed ‘Operation Christmas Child’ shoeboxes.

We have laughed and cried, mourned and danced, and eaten way too many desserts and breakfast casseroles! We have said goodbye to beloved members who have moved or went onto the church triumphant, and we have welcomed new people as well.

We survived raging storms, shoveled way too much snow, and spent many more days in the sun.

Through it all, we have bonded and grown in wonderful ways while experiencing a great deal of mercy, grace, joy, and love. The Lord has blessed us in more ways than we can count. The Lord has certainly been with us and has shown us that what we think is impossible, God makes possible.

I believe that a pastor is called to a particular place and for a particular time, with a particular purpose to a particular group of people in a particular community. We may not have accomplished everything that either you or I had hoped for, yet still, much was accomplished.

 

It was always my intention and my covenant with this church and the Michigan Conference of the United Methodist Church to serve you in a particular way, which included preparing you for your next chapter in ministry and mission. A new pastor has been chosen, and so it is my time to exit.

When Jesus prepared to leave his disciples, he made three promises to them:

First, Jesus promised to make a home in his disciples’ hearts (John 14:23).

Second, Jesus promised to fill the disciples with a spirit of courage and comfort (John 14:26).

Third, Jesus promised to sustain his disciples with a special kind of peace (John 14:27).

 

Mary Lindberg writes in her The Graceful Exit, “So we’ll open the gifts Jesus gave us—a home in him, the courage to move on, the peace that will get us through many unknowns. And we’ll trust that God is staying with those we love for many more seasons”.

You will always be a part of me as I will be a part of you. Thank you for all your patience, kindness, mercy, grace, generosity, and love that you have shown me! I wish you all the best in this new season that you are about to begin together with your next pastor. May you continue to grow in faith, hope, and love, worshipping the Lord Jesus with your whole heart, mind, body, and soul, and remember to do everything for the glory of God!

I thank God for you.

Pastor Daniel Hofmann