United Church of Warsaw

My second year with you has been very good. Soon after our annual meeting I will be leaving you to begin serving another church as their interim minister. February 18 will be my last Sunday with you. You have been a wonderful congregation to serve. We have accomplished a lot during these two years, including:

• Crafting a vision statement which the pastoral search committee used to find a minister who will help you move in the directions you envision for yourself
• Developing new leadership within the church
• Experiencing healing from past wounds and a renewed sense of community as a church
• Balancing the budget two years in a row and becoming debt-free
• Installing a new sound system and acquiring a new outdoor nativity set
• Entering a partnership for community ministry with the Community Action program and receiving a $68,000 faith-based initiative grant
• Sponsoring two community concerts with about 250 people present
• Welcoming new members and confirming eight teens as full members of the church

I see people laughing, talking, smiling, and enjoying being together, whether at community dinners, Sunday worship and coffee hour, board meetings, or other activities. I see people taking on new responsibilities around the church and in leadership positions that they never did before. I hear people expressing a growing desire to deepen their spiritual lives and to reach out into the community to invite people to participate in the life of this congregation. All of these are wonderful signs of a healthy, growing congregation. That is your future.

In the years to come, I expect to hear good things about what God is doing with the United Church of Warsaw. Thank you for allowing me the privilege to be your interim pastor for these two years. May God richly bless you.