“Lord, you have apportioned to your people the manifold gifts of the Spirit: Grant amid the changes of the world that your Church may abide, and be strengthened in ministry through continuous outpouring of your gifts; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen”
This prayer comes from a special service in the Episcopal tradition called, “A Service for the Ending of a Pastoral Relationship and Leave-taking from a Congregation” (a mouthful, I know!). The service is more than a goodbye between a priest and her congregation. It is a mutual letting go with grace and hope.
We (St. John’s here in Morgan Hill, and St. Stephen’s in San Jose) will be holding that service in less than two weeks.
The announcement of my resignation over a month ago was bittersweet. After much prayerful discernment, I have accepted the call to be the priest at the Episcopal Church in Almaden (ECA). Change is hard—even good change—but I trust that God will accompany us all through the challenges ahead!
Being part of the interfaith community here in South County has been a source of strength and hope. It has been a privilege to work, learn and pray alongside such a dedicated, courageous and faithful group of colleagues! Our differences do not divide but unite us as people who agree that the world is better when we are grounded in love.
I will miss the good people of St. John’s tremendously. They have taught me and formed me as I continue to grow in my ministry. I am grateful for their love and support over the last four years—they have blessed me a hundred times over! I am also deeply grateful to my interfaith colleagues and the wider faith community of South County. Keep up the good work—the world needs it!
As a goodbye of sorts, I offer this prayer, also from “A Service for the Ending of a Pastoral Relationship and Leave-taking from a Congregation”:
“Now, we pray, be with those who leave and with us who stay; and grant that all of us, by drawing even nearer to you, may always be close to each other in the communion of your saints.”
God’s peace be with you always.
The Reverend Karen Cuffie is Rector at St. John the Divine Episcopal Church in Morgan Hill and is an active participant in the Interfaith Clergy Alliance of South County. She can be contacted at re**********@gm***.com.
