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I’m having a hard time.
It is difficult to leave this church. It is difficult to leave all of you. I am always telling you that Oakdale is the very best church in all of the New England Conference and I truly mean it. I suppose that it’s possible that other churches are pretty good too, and what I’m responding to is that this has been an excellent match—a perfect fit for me.
At the risk of over-sharing, I think the reason it is so hard is that this, like any separation, activates grief and my already-existing grief over the loss of my husband, Jim in November of 2023, my dad, John in October of 2024 and my 17-year-old pup Padme in January of 2025 is still so very fresh and painful. At the same time, I believe in the United Methodist Church polity (rules of organization) and system of itinerancy (pastors moving at the behest of the Bishop). I cherish and hold true to my ordination vows.
As I have prayed through this time, I have turned to scripture for examples of those hesitating to go where they are called. Of course, the first example that came to mind is that of Jonah, a parable in the Old Testament of the one called to Ninevah who chose instead to sail in the other direction, to Tarshish. The sailors he was with believed he was bad news—the cause of a violent and supernatural storm they encountered and so they threw him overboard where he was immediately swallowed by the great fish. Jonah did eventually obey and prophesy as God called him to do to the King in Ninevah. But that story didn’t bear much fruit for me.
The inspiration that came to me was that beautiful phrase from Ruth 1:16-17 where she says to her mother-in-law, Naomi, “Wherever you go, I will go; wherever you live, I will live. Your people will be my people, and your God will be my God” For me, that demonstrates incredible trust in God’s guidance and as a United Methodist pastor, in the Bishop and cabinet’s discernment.
A pastor that I mentor asked me if he could ride with me to the Bishop’s Regional Meeting recently. Even though he could see that I had the GPS on, he felt it necessary to remind me that a turn was coming up, sometimes before but frequently after the GPS had already told me to do so.
Over the years, as a paralegal doing research for cases and as a pastor finding meeting places, hospitals and parishioners homes, I have been remarkably comfortable relying on the GPS. The reason I share this story is that while my friend was very involved in giving direction as we traveled in the sunlight on the way there, it was very different coming home. There was a deluge of incredibly heavy rain and it was very dark with headlights flashing in the rain on the road. The puddles were enormous laying on the road surface since it had come down so quickly and had not had a chance to seep away or absorb into the ground. They were deep enough to pull us toward road’s edge each time we entered them. My friend was much more subdued on the way home, unable to see the landmarks that would enable him to mark the turns. As always, I relied on the GPS, knowing that it would direct me where I needed to go and we arrived safely home, on schedule.
God is with me during this storm of my grief as I sort out my feelings about leaving this precious place and moving on to my next call. There’s a bumper sticker out there that says GPS is “God’s Positioning System” but this feeling I have is more than being resigned to “Bloom Where You are Planted” (courtesy of another bumper sticker). It is a confident trust in God’s providence to bless Oakdale, as well as the church I am going to, and even bless me and for that I am deeply grateful.
175th Anniversary
We will celebrate Oakdale United Methodist Church’s 175th anniversary. You are welcome to bring photos or items from the church’s history to display on the tables along the side as we did with the Christmas creche scenes. We will hold a luncheon following the service with an extended time of fellowship inviting our District Superintendent, previous pastors and parishioners who have moved away, in the afternoon.
There will also be a craft fair, music and food on Saturday, May 23rd. We will also have a new cookbook, blueberry pies for sale, new t-shirts, aprons, sweatshirts and other items with our logo to purchase and show our support. Please plan to come and invite your friends, family, neighbors and co-workers.
Membership:
On Pentecost, May 24th—the Christian church’s birthday, we are also celebrating Oakdale UMC’s 175th birthday! In the Pentecost story in Acts 2 the Holy Spirit descended, Peter preached and “about three thousand” new members joined the church. We’d love for you to officially join our little church with the big heart that day too!
If you have been baptized, the United Methodist Church recognizes the baptism of other denominations and you can transfer your membership by writing a letter to your old church and requesting the transfer. If you are a practicing Christian and not transferring directly from another church you can join by profession of faith without such a letter. If you are a new Christian, we would be delighted for you to join by being baptized and we look forward to walking with you in your faith journey. I am always available to talk with you about what works best for you and to help you understand the process. This loving and supportive church family looks forward to welcoming you!
Membership: In May we will have special celebrations on Mother’s Day and Pentecost and we hope you join us! Please join us for worship each Sunday at 10:30 at the church or on our YouTube livestream.
Bible Study:
In May, we will continue Evangelism: A Way of Life by Rebecca Manley Pippert and Ruth Siemens.
"I don't want to offend people."
"I don't know what to say."
Most of us can think of at least one hundred reasons not to share the gospel. Evangelism can be intimidating. But it can also be a natural and exciting way of life. This Bible study will help you discover creative ways to share the gospel in your everyday situations and surroundings.
The book is available in paperback or Kindle format at booksellers, including Amazon at this link: Evangelism: A Way of Life
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