For those of you who do not attend the church I serve, let me take this opportunity to share some important news about our future.
Sandy and I have thoroughly enjoyed our five years at this amazing church! Jacksonville First UMC is a thriving congregation, with outstanding music and missions and a tradition of quality ministries for all ages. We made it through unprecedented challenges together. First there was Covid, then mold remediation requiring a complete renovation of the children's wing and shutting down Kids 1st, then after construction was complete giving birth to the daycare all over again. Then there was the schism in the UMC. We lost some folks, but we gained others, and the church is stable, happy and healthy! We just finished an outstanding visioning process and set several forward-looking goals.
We came through all this with flying colors, and still continue to grow! I'm amazed at how wonderfully things are going. This is a great church. I have hoped for years that we could stay here until I retire. I've been in church work 42 years (36 as a pastor), and I love church ... especially this church!
But I've had a series of personal needs emerge in my family in recent months. These have forced me to consider retiring from itinerant ministry a little earlier than anticipated (the word itinerant means "traveling," or being sent by the bishop).
My father, who preached his last sermon with us a few years ago, has gone blind and recently became an assisted living resident of Fair Haven, our Methodist Home for the Aging in the Irondale area of Birmingham. He is 92, and I'm a primary caregiver. In addition, our daughter Deborah, a nurse at UAB, gave birth to a beautiful little girl four months ago. They live in the same vicinity as Dad does now, and she has arrived at a place where she needs some help raising Charlie.
So after much prayer, I recently submitted plans to the North Alabama Conference to retire from itinerant ministry, effective by the end of June. I will still serve the UMC ... I love the UMC! But to use a term from deep Methodist history, when circuit riders who traveled by horseback would eventually settle in one place, I need to serve "on location" in Irondale.
Our new home in Irondale will be minutes from Dad, Deborah, and sweet little Charlie. As if to show how much God was in it, in the midst of discerning this, I was serendipitously approached by Fair Haven (the United Methodist home where my dad lives), to discuss a chaplaincy position with me. Assuming this works out, being Fair Haven's chaplain will be a whole new ministry adventure, while giving me ample time to take care of family.
It's way too early for goodbyes. But I want our church to know, from the bottom of my heart, how much Sandy and I love them, and how hard of a decision it was. JFUMC’s next pastor, who will be announced in late March and begins his or her journey on July 1, is going to be so lucky to be here.