Brothers and Sisters,
As I write to you this week, I do so with an awareness that this will likely be my final written communication with you before I’m installed as your rector this coming Sunday. That being the case, I wanted to share what’s on my heart as we go into this weekend. I’m very excited about Sunday. Bishop Phil, our chief pastor, will be with us to lead us in worship. We’ll have one candidate being confirmed and three candidates being baptized. I can’t wait to celebrate the work that the Lord is doing in these lives. On Sunday, I will also kneel in the presence of the bishop, and of all of you, and vow to devote myself, body, soul, and spirit to the Lord and to his service. I don’t take that lightly. I’m reminded, however, of what a delight it has already been to pastor you. I’ve seen your love for Jesus, for one another, and for the lost. I’ve seen your commitment to the mission of this church. I’ve seen your desire that all the world may be drawn into the blessed Kingdom of Jesus Christ.
We’re a family and we’re partners in mission. I look forward to seeing what the Lord will do in our midst in the years to come. Being instituted as your rector certainly feels like a new beginning to me, but it also feels like coming home. God bless you, my brothers and my sisters. I love you, and I’m grateful for the privilege of serving as your pastor. May Jesus Christ be exalted in our worship on Sunday, and in our life together in the days ahead.
In Christ,
Fr. Caleb