THANK YOU LETTER FROM SENIOR PASTOR

Dear Trinity congregation,

It is with humble and overwhelming gratitude that I have received your beautiful celebration of my 25th anniversary as your Senior Pastor on April 27th.

The weekend worship celebrations were so very special, as I was able to worship in the pew with my family, and to praise God together with you. Of special blessing was the music in the services, carefully chosen and beautifully presented…..and what a smile all the church school children brought to us all as they sang “Yes, Lord” at the 9:15 service. The fellowship receptions after worship gave me a chance to share with many of you in a wonderful way.

The Sunday evening dinner celebration was a night to remember forever. The outstanding food enlivened our table fellowship and the program that followed mixed memory and music, laughter and tears in what was one of the most joyous gatherings of my life.

My deep and abiding gratitude goes to all who planned and served in any way at the celebration, to all who participated in the “This is Your Life” program, and to each of you who came to celebrate the evening with Karen and me and our family.

Of overwhelming surprise and heartfelt blessing were your most generous gifts. The gift of a week of vacation at our favorite getaway in New Hampshire is joyfully anticipated. The life-blessing gift of a discretionary financial account for me to use in service to the children of Haiti is an incredible, Christ- like expression of your compassion for God’s neediest children.

And the gift in my honor to our beloved Trinity Church of an amazingly beautiful, new, hand-crafted altar table to be used in our newest, soon- to-open ministry site – TRINITY HOUSE - will be a perpetual reminder that my ministry among you these many years has always first and foremost centered on worshipping God and preaching the gospel.

As I said in my remarks at the celebration, I wish that all the gratitude, praise and recognition that your efforts have generated be deflected to God and God alone – without whom I would have been able to do nothing. It is God who has called, blessed, empowered and led me step by step on this marvelous journey of faith…..and this same God now calls us all onward into the future, to boldly “run with perseverance the race that is set before us, looking to Jesus, the pioneer and perfector of our faith.”

Thank you again for the love and kindness represented in all of your greetings, gifts, words and actions as together we have celebrated 25 years of our shared ministry in Christ.

Yours in His service,

Frank