April 23, 2026

Dear First Congregational Church,

It is with a mixture of profound gratitude and prayerful reflection that I write to inform you of my decision to retire as your Associate Minister, effective January 31, 2027. After nearly seven wonderful years serving this congregation (two years as an intern and five years as your associate minister), I feel God leading me into a new season of life, one that will allow me to spend more time with my wife, Karen, who has been retired since we first came to Boulder, and my other family members.

Coming to First Congregational Church eight years ago was a blessing I did not fully anticipate. I have been honored to serve alongside you, from the solemn, quiet moments of pastoral care in hospital rooms to the joyous laughter of life’s celebrations. The countless areas of ministry I have been part of – whether Women’s Spirituality Group and Men’s Breakfast, Visitation, Boards & Ministries, supporting the youth ministry in times of transition, or assisting in worship – have enriched my spiritual life in ways I cannot express. 

Together, we have experienced the goodness of God through seasons of growth, change, and community impact. I am deeply humbled by the trust you have placed in me, allowing me to be a part of your lives during both celebrations and challenges. I want to extend my heartfelt appreciation to Pastor Chris for her mentorship and support, and to the staff, moderators, and leaders of First Cong for your partnership in living the gospel. Most importantly, thank you to every member of this community of faith. Your prayers, kindness, and devotion to living like Jesus have fueled my own ministry.

Some might ask if I feel that I have done everything God has called me to do as a minister. The path to my ordination was long, but I thank God I was finally able to serve the church in the way that I believe God created me to serve. While my time as a congregational pastor will end, I believe clergy never retire from being a pastor in the world or living the Christian life, we just retire from formally serving. We go on to support others in ministry and to be available to God’s call in other ways. I am blessed to have had this time with you, and I am eager to see how God might use me in a different capacity in my retirement.

As I prepare to step down, my focus is on ensuring a smooth transition. In the next eight months, I will be working closely with leadership to hand over my responsibilities. When this church was founded in 1864, the original members knew there would be changes,

but they also knew the church would continue to thrive because it is God’s church. 

On January 31, 2027, I will leave with a heart full of memories and a deep love for this church.

Blessings,

Rev. Linda Kowatch

Associate Minister

Dear First Congregational Church,

As you read Linda's words, I imagine many of you find yourselves feeling a mix of grief and gratitude. I know I do.

Linda came to us first as a seminary intern, and over nearly seven years has become the pastor we have come to know and rely on. What began as an internship became an abiding relationship that has shaped this congregation in ways that will outlast her time among us.

For nearly five years as our full-time Associate Minister, Linda has provided leadership to our ministries of worship, congregational care, community life, and mission with both competence and genuine compassion. Many of you know her most intimately through the small groups and Ministries she has tended. During my sabbatical a few years ago, I was able to step away with confidence, knowing she was providing steady pastoral leadership for the whole congregation.

She has been, simply, a wonderful colleague – collaborative, thoughtful, fun-loving, and deeply faithful. She is the kind of person who notices what needs doing before it's asked, and who brings both warmth and good humor into whatever room she enters. The entire staff has been blessed by her presence. I will miss her more than I can adequately say.

We also want to express our gratitude to Karen, Linda's wife, who has been her steadfast support through all of these years, cheering her on from her own faith community and making it possible for Linda to give herself so fully to this calling. Karen has been retired for several years now, and we are grateful she has shared Linda with us for this season.

It is time, and it is right, for the two of them to step fully into the next chapter of their life together. We wish them both every joy.

Linda's last Sunday with us will be January 31, 2027. We are grateful she has given us this gift of time – time to give thanks, to say goodbye well, and to be thoughtful about what comes next.

In the months ahead, the Moderators, Personnel Committee, and Church Council will be engaged in careful discernment, followed by a search process. We will communicate regularly so that no one is left wondering where things stand.

Between now and the end of January, Linda remains fully our pastor. There will be many opportunities in the months ahead to tell her directly what her ministry has meant to you.

This is, of course, part of the life we share together. Pastoral leaders and church members alike come into our lives for a season, bless us in many ways, and in time move toward what is next for them. We have learned, again and again, that these moments of passage, of beginning and ending, are not interruptions to our life together. They are part of it. Honoring them well is one of the ways we remain a community worth belonging to. 



Transitions of this significance ask something of all of us – trust, patience, prayer, and a commitment to say goodbye well, so that we may remain open to all that will unfold in our future. 

May grace and peace rest upon us, steady and near, as we walk together into what

comes next.



Faithfully, 

Rev. Christina Braudaway-Bauman

Senior Minister

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