When I came to this church 8 years ago, I met with Bill and I asked him if he was leaving anytime soon.  He assured me that he was not.

Since that was 8 years ago, I have to honor his decision to retire.

We the members of his congregation, seem to hold two conflicting positions.  Since our minds do not like incongruence, we may feel very unsettled.  I see our position as two-fold.  

First, we have to hold the grief we feel.  We need to acknowledge what Bill has meant to us, his insight, his wisdom, his Bible knowledge, his teaching, his vision, his counsel.  These are treasures we have had that no one can take from us.  His leadership over the past years has made us what we are today.  No one can take that from us.

Second, we hold in balance the grief with the future.  Bill deserves his retirement.  He and Kami have the right and the freedom to plan their lives.  If we love him, we will not deprive him of his retirement.  Change is a constant. Another constant that I know is God’s love for us.  We humans experience change every day in every way. And through God’s love, we have the tools to move forward.

Our greatest asset is each other.  We laugh together.  We cry together.  We certainly play together.  I anticipate that will continue.  We will pull together and continue our identity as the Body of Christ, changing lives through Jesus Christ.

Bill has given us a remarkable gift.  We have a very strong Body, the Body of Christ.  Our church is made up of differing opinions but we know that we are one body.

Bill has given us a remarkable gift.  We have a very strong Body, the Body of Christ.  Our church is made up of differing opinions but we know that we are one body.  We are in a strong financial position.  We have many projects and programs that we continue because Bill built them to operate independently from him.  We have a strong senior citizen contingent.  They are supportive to the body but they are also funny. (as exercise class can atest.)  We have many new families with young children.  We have students who are assuming leadership roles in leading younger children, and in assisting with our audio/visual equipment.  We have the normal projects and expenses that any and every church has.