Dear Friends and Members of Ark and Dove,
I hope to see many of you on this my last Sunday at Ark and Dove. It will be a time of thanksgiving for the great gift you are to me. I am going to save my expressions of gratitude for the services and reception, so please watch the service if you are unable to come. I do hope that, one way or another, I can say thanks to you. I believe that today is the last chance to RSVP for the reception.
It is and will be hard to say goodbye to this church. So many good things over so many hard times have happened here. I will watch from afar what God will do in and through Ark and Dove. New people keep coming here. You keep adapting and reforming around the new things God is doing. You shift when needed; you accommodate to evident needs. God's love overflows here and you draw deeply from the well.
Many have said to me over these weeks, "I am sad for us, excited for you." I must now say the same to you. I am sad to leave, but so excited for you. Believe me, Ark and Dove is something very special. It will continue to be so special to people who need something other than what they have seen before. The next pastors, leaders, and visitors who come through those glass doors will usher you into God's good future. I look forward to seeing that happen.
Peace,
Pastor Jon
