Farewell Immanuel

          “It’s time to move on.  It’s time to get going.  What lies ahead I have no way of knowing.  But under my feet, the grass is growing.  Yeah, it’s time to move on.  It’s time to get going.” From “Time to Move On” by Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers.
           You don’t often see me quote secular music, but that song, and those lyrics, by Tom Petty, tell the whole story.  It’s time for me to move on from Immanuel Baptist Church.
A few weeks ago, I announced my resignation as youth pastor of Immanuel Baptist effective August 7, 2011.  Sara and Elizabeth and I are leaving to take a youth pastor position in Western Kentucky that is much closer to Sara’s family.  After her dad’s death in December, it became increasingly important for us to get closer to the family.
Know that it was not an easy decision to make, and came only after much prayer and discussion and fasting, but I feel it’s the best decision for my family and I. 
As I wrote in my resignation letter, it has been my privilege to serve as your youth pastor theses past four and a half years.  I’ve made many memories that will last a lifetime, relationships that will continue into eternity and experiences that I will cherish.
I truly will miss our students at Immanuel.  It has always been a pleasure being around them.  I will also miss many of you who have made contributions to our ministry or just offered words of support.  Thank you from the bottom of my heart.
As I depart, let me thank you for allowing me to serve here, and please keep my family and I in your prayers as we move on to God’s next endeavor in our lives and ministries.  Know that I will take my experiences at Immanuel with me and use them to make me a better pastor, a better person and a better servant of Christ as I minister to a new flock of teenagers, parents and parishioners.

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