Dear Friends,
As I prepare to step away from this shared season of ministry, my heart is full — full of joy for all we have created together, full of gratitude for your trust, your courage, and your willingness to follow the Spirit into new places. You have been a community of generosity and welcome and serving among you has been one of the great gifts of my life. I wanted to offer you this blessing:
I bless you with hope for the years to come: hope that your compassion will continue to ripple outward into Foothills and beyond; hope that your worship will keep singing with justice, tenderness, joy and imagination; hope that your life together will remain rooted in the love that has carried you this far.
I bless the path that now opens before you, and I bless the ministry of Marco who will soon join you. May your new minister arrive with fresh energy, wise curiosity, and a heart ready to be shaped by this place. May you receive him with the same kindness you have shown me, and may your partnership flourish in ways none of us can yet see.
And finally, I bless each of you: May the peace of Christ rise to meet you. May the Spirit’s courage stir in your bones. May God’s love — steady, surprising, and ever new — guide you into all that lies ahead. Amen.
Thank you so much for your generous words and gifts this past month. I will
cherish my book, bike rides and trip to France in October, remembering you often and giving thanks each time.
With deep affection and abiding gratitude,
Julia