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Dear Brothers and Sisters,
Warm greetings to you all in Christ’s Name. I am writing with an important announcement. After a season of prayer, reflection, and conversation with the Wardens, the Vestry, and the Bishop, I have discerned that God is calling me to serve him elsewhere in the wider church of parish ministry and teaching, and I will be stepping down as rector of the Church of the Incarnation.
This has been a difficult decision, as you can imagine — one full of joy and gratitude, but also with a note of sadness. It has been an enormous privilege to serve as your rector, and I am grateful for the many ways God has blessed our church during this time.
We have much to be grateful for. Since I began in August 2022, Sunday attendance, our program ministries, and annual giving have all grown substantially. Incarnation has made a strong recovery after Covid, well beyond the level of most American churches. And I am especially proud of how our wonderful clergy and lay ministry leaders have grown in their ministries. What a great blessing our staff is!
Among the highlights of our time together — we had an inspiring Radvo Conference, as we hosted leaders from around the Anglican Communion. Our Healing Conference last May opened a door for important new ministry in the Holy Spirit. Our new teaching series, The Way of Christ, has been warmly received. And a new Alpha Course is planned for this January. I am also grateful to have played a role in leading the Communion Partners movement in the wider Episcopal Church from the administrative base of Incarnation.
So many of you have graciously welcomed Shannon and me during our time with you. We are so grateful for your love and friendship. We will miss you dearly, and we will always hold you in our prayers. Above all, we give thanks to God for his many blessings in this season of ministry.
As I take my leave, I am excited to see where God will lead Incarnation in the years ahead. My last day as your rector will be Sunday, November 3. I look forward to preaching the next two Sundays, in the Contemporary service on October 27 and in the Traditional service on November 3. A reception is being planned between the services on Nov. 3, as a time to say thank you and farewell, and to pray for one another. I look forward to seeing you then.
May the Lord bless you and keep you, and make his face to shine upon you!
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