Unbeknownst to me, Ginger was having long thoughts in the
shower this morning. It had barely registered with me that this was our last
Sabbath as residents of College Place. Then during announcements before the
sermon, Henning Guldhammer told the congregation that this was our last Sabbath
and made some nice comments about how we had touched the lives of so many in
this valley. Ginger teared up. She later told me how she had been thinking of
the way her childhood church in Penang would celebrate anyone who was moving
away. It meant a lot to her to be mentioned in church.
Another interesting thing was that Dave Thomas preached. He
is the one who preached on Ginger’s first Sabbath in College Place back in
December of 2000. Both times Dave spoke of change. Back then his thought was
that times of change are an opportunity to try new things. It helped Ginger
decide to join me in College Place after we were married the following July.
Today he spoke about the high state of flux in our church and about things to
be careful of in times of rapid change.
We will be back in mid-August to get our things, but this
change is “even at the door.”
It was really nice to have Henning recognize an important time in our lives. It taught me that we need to recognize the comings and goings of those around us, right at the time of transition, to let them know that they're welcome, and to acknowledge the hole that is left when they leave. It also validates the feelings that accompany the actual transition for those who are making it. The church in Asia was good at doing that.
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