October 1, 2023

Dear Friends,

It is with mixed emotions that I address you today. For the past 5 or 6 months, I have been reflecting on my ministry as pastor and rector at St. John’s and considering how I can best serve you as you begin to chart your future as a place of worship and sanctuary in Chuckatuck. I had to be honest with myself, I was uncomfortable continuing to take money which you so willingly and lovingly offered me. Not because I didn’t think I was worth it, but because whatever lies ahead for St. John’s, those funds can be better used by you to navigate your future and the care and stewardship of the Parish we all so deeply love.

It has been said that a person’s “first” experience of anything is something that lasts for a lifetime. My experience in Chuckatuck and Suffolk is no different. I will always cherish my time at St. John’s, you have been critical in my formation as a pastor, preacher, and rector. Whether you know it or not, the feedback and participation in our mutual ministry has helped make me into a more compassionate and receptive minister. I celebrate the freedom you afforded me to engage with the CAPS, Suffolk Clergy United, Ruritans, and local churches. While our joint efforts have been less successful than we would have liked, we have stayed the course and offered a hand to our neighbors.

It is with mixed emotion that I announce my last Sunday as Rector with St. John’s will be November 5, 2023 – All Saints Sunday. On that day we will celebrate the saints in our lives and the way that we have touched each other’s lives over the nearly 13 years. This is necessary because I have accepted a call to serve as Rector at St. Mark’s Episcopal in Medford Oregon beginning January 1, 2024. It has been a process which has challenged me to reflect on who I am, what I think God is calling me to accomplish, and what is best for our mutual ministry at St. John’s – either together or separately.

There is sadness which surrounds our parting. But there is still hope for your future. I pray that you can, absent my presence and inability to create a vision for your future, find a helper who will help you discern what your continued ministry through your 400th anniversary and into the future will be. I believe I am too close to your past to help you find your future, the one who will lead you to your future will be one who capitalizes on what you are and can be, while being able to honor where you have come from and what you stand for as people who follow Christ.

In the time before our departure, there is a lot to be said, and we can celebrate our time together. I ask your prayers for Kathy and my travels and continued ministry. I want you to be assured that I will pray for your health and future, whatever that looks like.

Sadly, I offer these words. Yet, I offer them with the hope that God can take what God has created and turn it into the exactly what God needs in Chuckatuck. We have worked hard to make a difference in our community. I know you can continue to make a difference in the future.

Blessings and peace to you,

Les+