A Message From Peter and Jenny
January 23rd, 2010Dear Members and Friends,
For 20 years I have been your Pastor at First Churches. During these years I have done my best to honor the calling you extended to me in June of 1989: (1) to preach the Gospel; (2) administer the sacraments; (3) to attend to the pastoral needs of the congregation; (4) to supervise the Staff and (5) to provide leadership for the Church in the community. These responsibilities I have tried to fulfill to the best of my abilities.
Jenny has also been a vital part of this ministry. She has worked side by side with me and used all her skills and abilities for the good and well being of this Church. Though her primary work has been as the Nurse Clinician at Tapestry Health on Center Street she has regarded her work at the Church as a calling too. Every day, in every way we have tried to be partners in carrying out the daily responsibilities of serving this congregation.
The Bible says that for everything there is a season and a time for every matter under heaven. The time has now come for us to complete the ministry we began with you twenty years ago. This Sunday, January 24, 2010, I will announcement my retirement from the pulpit of The First Churches. I plan to retire on June 30, 2010. I am announcing now to give you plenty of time to find an interim minister to guide you in that period of time you will need to do a comprehensive search to find a new settled pastor for this church.
This decision is not easy for me, nor for Jenny. We have been with you at family births, baptisms and weddings, and at times of sickness, loss and funerals. And you have been with us as we raised our four daughters, Liza, Jen, Katie and Martha in schools here in Northampton.
You got to know Jenny’s parents from Scotland, John and Pearl Fleming, and mourned with us at their passing. You have supported us through times of sorrow, and shared in our joys, at high school plays, graduations and most recently in our delight at becoming grandparents. In our work and worship together and in Christian faith and friendship over these years our lives have been woven together with yours in an inseparable bond that we will always treasure.
We will leave with great gratitude to God for the years God has given us and for all we’ve been able to accomplish together. What a wonderful congregation you are – so enthusiastic, so gifted, so committed to the work of ministry in this city we all have come to love. Your enthusiasm for the ministry of this Church makes you a model for so many other congregations to aspire, and so attractive to others who will come as we did, eager to serve you in all the days ahead. What a blessing these twenty years have been! Thanks be to God.
With love, Peter and Jenny
Kate Banigan-White said:
What a moving service and sermon. Peter & Jenny came to Northampton 20 years ago with a true commitment to community building, and their partnership in doing this is very inspiring to me.
Jim Olson said:
Congratulations, Peter and Jenny. Your ministry will continue far beyond Northampton and your years there. I’m in my third church, and was ordained at First Churches in ’99. I’m looking forward to a great day of celebration.