Thank you, Pastor Mark

I don’t know if you know this, but for the past five years, Pastor Mark and I have regularly played hooky from work. Every Tuesday the two of us would sneak out after lunch and meet over- what else- a fresh cup of coffee. There in that familiar restaurant we would talk about the coming week, or imagine the future of St. Mark, or talk about those aspects of ministry that I wanted to learn more about. On occasion, the conversation would drift to the latest iPhone or news about our families. More than once, I am fairly certain the volume of our laughter cleared out what remained of the lunch crowd. I hope you will forgive us for skipping out of the office so much. To be fair, we did talk about St. Mark at least 80% of the time.

Recently, Pastor Mark and I sat down for one last meeting, although our place of escape this time was the conference table at church. We left the confines of our houses in lockdown to sit on either side of that 12-foot long table, fresh coffee in hand. He asked me to come with any lingering questions about his role as Senior Pastor. Though I had a few, I was surprised that I wasn’t able to come up with an entire list of inquiries. It isn’t that I’m not curious; rather, it’s because we have talked openly for five years about our roles as your pastors, and almost every topic you can think of has been broached. I have been able to learn firsthand from him simply through the way we have worked together.

It has been an absolute dream to work alongside Pastor Mark for these five years. Even though he has been the one in charge, it has been a true partnership. I have always had a voice at the table. When I first arrived, I was asked to sit in on meetings for the capital campaign in 2016. Plans were well underway when I arrived. It would have been understandable if I had been asked to simply focus on all the new responsibilities I had as your new associate pastor. Instead, Pastor Mark invited me to be a part of that team in addition to my other work.

I could take you to the Common Grounds Café and brag about all the little details that were my idea, but that’s beside the point. The trust Pastor Mark gave me then, and in many other moments of decision since, was about far more than simply bouncing an idea off of one more person. It had to do with Pastor Mark’s understanding of leadership. It’s one of the reasons our staff works so well together. We truly have been a team, not simply a staff to support the vision of one person. The collaborative nature of our working relationship has cultivated in me a better sense of what it means to lead a congregation. I have learned so much from our time together, and I will miss the leadership and partnership that he and I have had.

Thank you, Pastor Mark, for the wonderful ministry you have had at St. Mark. The many years of dedication you have had in this place have left us all stronger, healthier, and more optimistic than ever before. I pray that we always remember the lessons you have taught us.

Peace, 

Pastor Chad McKenna

With Gratitude

Dear St. Mark friends,

I began my sermon last Sunday acknowledging that my retirement was close at hand.  I shared a famous anonymous quote that seems quite appropriate for this situation: “Don’t cry because it’s over.  Smile because it happened.”  I believe there’s room for both tears and smiles as we anticipate closure to our shared ministry over the past fifteen years.

We can all relate to departures and the subsequent transitions that result from them.  Life is largely defined by the way we handle these transitions.  In his book, Managing Transitions, William Bridges writes, “It isn’t the changes that do you in, it’s the transitions.  Change is not the same as transition.  Change is situational: the new site, the new boss, the new team roles, the new policy.  Transition is the psychological process people go through to come to terms with the new situation.  Change is external, transition is internal.”

Thirty-seven years ago, I was ordained into the holy ministry of Word and Sacrament.  I knew what I was getting into: a vocation that would involve a lengthy sequence of hellos and good-byes; a series of exciting beginnings, as well as grace-filled departures...a lifetime of transitions.  Tears and smiles serve as salt and pepper, seasoning our lives as we serve God and neighbor.  I realize that, for some of you, my retirement may seem like a mixture of salt and pepper.

Pastor Chad will become St. Mark’s primary pastoral leader in June, as is the case in the vacancy of the senior pastor position.  I encourage you to fully support Pastor Chad in his new role during the call process.  It’s also important to clarify the boundaries that I intend to observe as a newly retired pastor.  Professional etiquette requires that I find a new church to join in the coming months.  Thus, I will not attend any future worship services or church events at St. Mark unless specifically requested by the new senior pastor.  The one exception to this will be an available Sunday down the road once we have returned to our church nave for full worship services.  I look forward to preaching one final sermon in your presence in the weeks to come!

I will also refrain from any pastoral care in my retirement.  This includes weddings, funerals, baptisms, counseling, and any other pastoral acts on behalf of St. Mark.  While I intend to honor the friendships that exist, I will refrain from engaging in any discussions or activities surrounding the many ministries of St. Mark.  This vital separation of pastoral expectations and activity is necessary and healthy for all of us, allowing St. Mark to move forward with new leadership and bold visioning for the future.  God is faithful...you are in good hands!

Finally, I want to thank you for giving me the opportunity to serve St. Mark these past fifteen years.  Together, we have served this community with faith, courage, and innovation.  We have wept together, and we have laughed together.  We have endured many trials and hardships, and we have celebrated significant growth and accomplishments.  We have done it all as one family of faith. 

Regardless of the numerous transitions that define our individual journeys, we will continue to serve one Lord and one Church.  In that light, we will always be together in the Spirit...sharing in the common work of serving Jesus!

With deepest gratitude,

Pastor Mark

Just Ask

When I was in high school, one of my favorite hobbies was making home movies with my friends. Most have been lost to time and obsolete technology. We filmed with handheld camcorders and edited with high-end software from the school library. It was a skill I honed well into college when my imagined future career was much different than where I am today. When I entered seminary, I never imagined that those old skills would one day be vital to my ministry.

I hope you have been tuning in to our weekly online worship services. Not because a lot of effort goes into them, but because it is important for all of us to maintain some sort of routine in all of this. We need time every week, every day even, to focus ourselves on God’s great love for us. If such a thing was true before the virus, it is even more true now.

These videos continue to teach me about taking care of myself and relying on God to provide. When we first started, I did everything. That first video on April 15th was literally all me. It was short, yet exhausting. After that, the videos got much more complicated, but I still was doing most of the work, overworking myself even more. It was all due to my inability to ask for help because I did not take the time to imagine how I could rely on others. But each week has been a little easier than the last because so many people continue to insist on helping. Our worship is once again truly a collaborative effort that takes the efforts of many who are in front of and behind the camera. I am so grateful for the ways so many of you have contributed to our unique, but temporary, style of worship.

In chapter 11 of Luke’s Gospel, Jesus teaches his disciples to ask God for help in their ministry. “Ask, and it will be given to you;” he says. “Search, and you will find; knock, and the door will be opened for you. For everyone who asks receives and everyone who searches finds, and for everyone who knocks, the door will be opened.”

Jesus isn’t saying that God will stuff our wallets if we just keep asking, or that if we knock on the door of our dream house God will open it to us and hand us the keys. What he means is that God will always give us what we need to do God’s work - to care for ourselves and others. 

What do you need these days? Where are you spread too thin or falling short? What keeps you from asking for help? In my case, I neglected to pause and reflect about the tasks I could ask others to do for me. Maybe you are in the same place, or maybe you know what you need but find it hard to ask because of pride or shame or the fear of being a burden. You do not have to do everything. It is not all up to you. There are others, especially in this congregation, who are eager to be there for you. 

Go easy on yourself and others, ask for help when you need it, and remember that God has enough grace for each and every one of us.

Peace,

Pastor Chad