Have you hugged a church leader today?!
Dear church family,
I am so thankful for the opportunity and trust you have placed in me over the past two years. It has been my joy and my honor to serve as the Director of Children’s and Youth Ministries. I have learned and grown tremendously through the experience! While I am a little bit sad that the position has been eliminated at least for the time being, I know that I couldn’t do it right now anyway. (And thanks for all of your prayers – as I write, Marv is nearly one third of the way through chemo and we’ll find out soon whether the tumors are responding, so please keep those prayers coming!)
I am so grateful for those who have “stepped up” to fill in – and many have already added personal twists that remind me that we are ALL meant to share in God’s ministries. (I’m learning that sometimes we need to step back to allow others to serve.) It is truly OUR church, not the pastor’s or the office staff’s, but OURS with God leading the way.
Another one of the things I’ve learned in the past two years is that church ministry can be a thankless job. I hope you will make a point to share with the pastoral staff both the things you are concerned about at the church, but that you’ll ALSO share the good things that are happening in your life as God works through Trinity and in your life. Wouldn’t it be neat if during this Lenten season, we all focused on what God is doing and has done in our lives and if we shared that with those who work so tirelessly in ministry?! Please know that I am writing this NOT because I ever felt unappreciated, but because I know how hard it can be to sustain your energy and commitment when you only hear the stuff folks are upset about. I also know that when one person leaves, the work falls onto someone, so I know my bowing out has added burdens to the loads of others. An encouraging word can go a long way to sustaining a servant’s heart!
I look forward to rejoining the ranks of the volunteers at some point, but for now, I am incredibly touched and grateful for the many, many ways Trinity has supported me. My prayer is that we all move toward Easter and beyond with a new awareness of the many incredible things God is doing at Trinity and in our individual lives, and with a grateful heart for all of those who take on the risk of leadership. I hope that our church family AND the staff are as much a blessing to you as they are to me! Peace to you at Easter time!
In His Love,
Sue Goodwin