Connected While Apart
Future Direction

This compass plant is a giant even by tall grass prairie standards. It towers above other plants reaching a height of as much as twelve feet with a vast fifteen feet of roots beneath the soil. It is said these plants are called by this name because as their leaves develop, they position themselves vertically with the flat face of their leaves facing east and west. This consistent leaf habit is claimed to be a reliable way to keep track of one’s direction on the prairie.

Dear Mayfield,
This has been a challenging year since the middle of March on so many fronts.  For many there has been a sense of a loss of direction.  For others new and unexpected directions have emerged, or at least a combination of loss and emergence of direction is under way.  The necessity to tackle countless tasks with fresh and different strategies, often with greater reliance on technology, has uprooted familiar routines.  The part of my ministry that revolves around my practices of spiritual direction, teaching, and facilitation of workshops and retreats has expanded as Zoom has eliminated former geographic boundaries.  For me, that is a pleasant surprise I didn’t see coming.

This expansion brings me to a point of decision that is not an easy one but is a right one for me now.  I will be concluding my ministry as your half-time pastor on Sunday, February 14, 2021  To date I have only taken one of my eight annual weeks of vacation and continuing education for 2020.  The last day when I will be preparing reflection resources for worship and web notes will be Sunday, December 27, 2020. The time between December 27, 2020 and February 14, 2021 when I am still officially your pastor will be my outstanding seven weeks of vacation and continuing education.  The church council will work with Kathy Lawes to identify appropriate pastoral leadership then and going forward.

I know a letter like this from a settled pastor can be a hard piece of communication to discover in your email. Without a doubt, there is considerable gratitude for me embedded in the years of our ministry together since May 1, 2013.  I hope that will be evident in the content and connection of our pandemic rhythms in the remaining weeks of our shared life in faith.  Our parting from one another as pastor and people will have unique challenges in and among all the other current difficulties.  But I am confident the spirit will sustain us.
With peace and gratitude, Martha