It
is with both excitement and sadness that I share that effective July 1, 2014,
the bishop and cabinet of the Baltimore-Washington Conference have appointed me
as pastor of Arden United Methodist Church in Martinsburg, West Virginia.
While
I am excited about this new opportunity in ministry and am deeply convinced
that God is calling me to be in ministry with the people of Arden UMC, these
past four and a half years at Calvary UMC have been an immense blessing to me
and my family—and they have also been years of fruitful ministry and as we were
able to be a part of the exciting things God is doing in downtown Frederick
through the ministry of Calvary.
I
also want to let you know that this past December, after much prayer and
discernment, I shared with my district superintendent that I felt this would be
a good year for me to change appointments. It has been a blessing to serve with
Rev. Ken Dunnington and Rev. Alice Ford. I look forward to seeing all that God
has in store for the congregation at Calvary under Rev. Ford’s leadership and
through the ministry of whoever will fill the position I am leaving. While this
appointment was only made in the past week, Rev. Ford and I have been in
conversation for many weeks in anticipation of such a move. She remains
gracious and supportive—though she would have loved for me to stay, she has
understood my discernment and been encouraging throughout.
Calvary
UMC will always be the congregations our girls were born into, and the place
Chris and I were able to connect with each of you in powerful, Spirit-filled
ways. You have sustained us through the sleepless nights of early parenthood,
embraced us when we have suffered pain and loss as we did when my father passed
away last summer, and marked the celebrations of our shared lives together. You
have been our family in more ways than I can list. While Chris and I were
confident through our discernment that God was calling us to a new appointment,
we knew that saying goodbye would be incredibly difficult. You have all been
the very presence of Christ to us.
In
the coming months, I will continue to work closely with Rev. Ford and whoever
will follow me to assure for a smooth transition. I will need your help making
sure ministry areas are prepared for transition and that the process goes
smoothly. My last Sunday will be in June, though I am working with Rev. Ford
and the SPRC to finalize those details.
I
hope you will keep Chris, Anna, Mary and me in your prayers in the coming
months. This will be a major change for our family. I will continue to keep
Calvary in my prayers both as we continue together in ministry for these next
few months, and as you receive a new associate pastor. I rejoice that the God
who has so blessed me by bringing me to Calvary for this season remains at work
in the ministry of Calvary and in my ministry, wherever those paths take us.
Grace
and Peace.
Rev.
Sarah Andrews Schlieckert
