Dear Church Family
Seriously, how can I even begin to say good-bye. Since music is my favorite medium I would suggest a song—perhaps the Von Trapp family singers rendition from the Sound of music: “So long, farewell, auf Wiedersehen, adieu”, but alas, even a song seems so terribly inadequate for this unique occasion.
I know I won’t be able to express all that my heart feels for you, for this church, for the church staff, for the years of memories, experiences, labors, investments or rewards that have accumulated over the past 8.5 years—words again are simply insufficient to encapsulate an accurate account of true life. And yet, out of these experiences I have learned, I have grown, I have been stretched and have come to know and Love the Lord and His people so much more deeply, and fiercely than I ever knew possible. Worshipping the Lord IS good!
For years I have tried to add in the task of redefining worship since so many people think that praise and worship is only singing songs at church. With this final opportunity, I want to drive home for you again that it is so much more! Worship is also a condition of your heart—it is a willingness on your part to exalt God and to yield to his will. Worship is an expression of love and awe to the God who gives us so much more than we deserve!! Whether you express your worship by singing, playing music, helping others, giving of your resources or in some other way, remember that you are called to worship God with your every action, every day of your life. God is holy, loving and worthy of all our worship and devotion.
It is true that for us both, myself and this church body, one chapter of our lives is closing but this also gives way for a new one to begin. A blank slate, if you will, awaits God’s people without boundaries and without limitations. It is up to us whom we will serve on this day and in the days ahead.
As I move into the unwritten chapter ahead I am referring often to God’s Word for strength and direction, perhaps this morning God’s promise to Joshua, who was also starting a new chapter of leadership, will encourage you, as it has been encouraging me:
“Your territory will extend from the desert to Lebanon, and from the great river, the Euphrates—all the Hittite country—to the Great Sea [a] on the west. No one will be able to stand up against you all the days of your life. As I was with Moses, so I will be with you; I will never leave you nor forsake you. Be strong and courageous, because you will lead these people to inherit the land I swore to their forefathers to give them”. — Joshua 1:4-6
I will be praying and watching how God continues to guide and direct the future of this great, great vessel of ministry.
In Christ Alone! — Pastor Julia Fowler











