ORUMC Church Family,
As you know, our church is facing many changes at the beginning of the year, including welcoming our new pastor. We are thrilled to welcome Pastor Mike Carr and his family to our community and look forward to serving alongside him for the future growth of our church.
However, in order to assist in that transition, the United Methodist Church asks pastors to sign a covenant when a pastor is appointed to another congregation or retires as a pastor from a congregation. This covenant, in part, requires the pastor to avoid serving or attending services at the church.
What this means for ORUMC is that Pastor Andy and Pastor Susan will not serve or attend services here for at least one year, even though they will both remain in the area. This is especially difficult for us, because they and their families are valued members of our congregation as well as good friends.
While this is not a rule or decision made by ORUMC leadership or any of our pastors, it is a rule that we understand and will respect in the interest of setting our new pastor up for success moving forward.
We are grateful to Andy and Susan for their past and continued service and will always consider them a part of our church family. Please join us in wishing them both fun, fulfilling and faithful retirements.
James Lee
SPRC Chair
