|
September 17, 2026
To the Body of Christ at Nassau Presbyterian Church,
With a heart overwhelmed with gratitude to you and thanksgiving to God, I am writing to share with you my plan to retire from the position of pastor, head of staff at Nassau Church. Since the day you elected me to serve as your pastor on May 14, 2000, I have had the absolute best ministerial opportunity there is in the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.). Your support, encouragement, and love for me and my family have been unfailing for two and a half decades. The privilege of standing in your pulpit week after week has been the honor of my lifetime in ministry. Preaching in a university/seminary community is both a joy and a challenge. What makes the opportunity so fulfilling is that you are such unique and exceptional hearers of the Word proclaimed. Anyone reading who has preached at Nassau knows exactly what I mean.
I have served only two congregations in my forty years of ministry. I came to understand a long time ago that this is because lasting pastoral relationships are what is most important to me. Though I earned my Ph.D. in homiletics at Princeton Theological Seminary and have always treasured opportunities to preach and mentor new pastors, I am a pastor at heart. What has mattered most to me throughout my ministry at Nassau Church is you and my love for you is what makes this letter so difficult to write.
I am confident deep within that this is the right time, both for me to retire and for Nassau to begin its next chapter. I will share more about those thoughts in the weeks to come. But at the top of the list is my confidence in you, in your faithfulness, in our remarkable staff, and in the solid foundation of this congregation in this place and at this time. God has a future for Nassau Church that is beyond what any of us can imagine!
My last Sunday in the pulpit will be November 22, 2026. I am so looking forward to joining Cathy in retirement, spending time with our grandchildren, traveling, and frankly, getting some much-needed rest. As we move through these next weeks together, I covet your prayers as I promise to hold you close to my heart and in my prayers.
With grace and peace,
| 
