Beloved friends,
I am writing with news that will likely surprise you.
I have accepted a position as the Interim Rector at St. Paul’s Episcopal Church in Cary, North Carolina, and will celebrate my last Sunday with you on February 2.
Last Sunday, I spoke in my sermon about “detours”: times when life or circumstances take a turn we were not expecting. This is one of those times for me, and it may well be for our parish, too.
On my end, serving St. John’s these past eight years has been the most exciting, creative, challenging, inspiring, and enjoyable experience in my 26 years of ordained ministry. I am not departing because I am unhappy or frustrated with St. John’s in any way. I have made this decision largely for the sake of my personal and family life, and after much prayer and discernment with Bishop Sam Rodman, my spiritual director, my family, close friends, and colleagues.
With two aging mothers in my life whose next years will require increasing care at home, a son beginning his teen years, three extended family members with serious mental health diagnoses for whom I may soon be the only source of family support, and a spouse whose work takes him overseas for several weeks at a time several times a year, my family will undoubtedly need more and more of me over the next decade, not less.
Serving in interim ministry for the next few years will enable me to obtain some new training and explore specialized ministry roles such as chaplaincy, ministry coaching, and spiritual direction that I hope will facilitate the kind of “work/life balance” I will need in the years ahead.
For your part, St. John’s needs and deserves a rector who is ready to embrace the significant leadership needs of a dynamic, growing parish whose next steps likely include a capital campaign and building renovations, even as you continue to walk with the most vulnerable in Wake Forest, invest in building relationships across generations, deepen spiritual formation for all ages, and build bonds with all the new members who have joined the parish in recent years.
St. John’s is a truly remarkable parish: filled to the brim with the love of Christ and love of neighbor, no exceptions! You have been willing to embrace the calling and challenges of growth despite all the “good trouble” it brings, and you have been willing to take risks and allow experimentation — all while remaining astonishingly grounded in Love and united in Spirit. My heart aches to pull away from you at this time, though I am certain it is the best choice for me and for St. John’s given all that appears to lay ahead for both of us.
While I will move on after the week of February 2, Bishop Sam has allowed that my husband, Mike, may continue to lead the Episcopal Youth Community (EYC) at St. John’s through the end of May, 2025, with our son, Sam, participating as well. Fr. Mawethu has welcomed this support. This will provide continuity of leadership for our youth through the program year and hopefully will ease Sam’s transition to another parish. (Sam and Mike are very much grieving our departure from St. John’s, too.)
Our eNews later today will provide a little more information about what happens next to address immediate and interim leadership needs at St. John’s during this pastoral transition. St. John’s will be in the good and capable hands of your (just elected) Senior Warden, Camille Stell, and Junior Warden, Joel Perez, and a good and capable Vestry, not to mention the perfectly able hands of God! Bishop Sam Rodman and his Canon, Catherine Massey, along with our diocesan Transition Ministry Officer, The Rev. Marion Sprott, will prayerfully guide and support St. John’s at every step of this transition process. I invite you to put all of these parish and diocesan leaders on your prayer list and keep them there.
While this certainly is an unexpected detour for all of us, I trust that the God who brought us together for this season also goes before and behind us as we part ways. (“Fear not!” the angels always say.)
But I will miss you, St. John’s.
This comes with Love,
Mo. Sarah+
