From the Pastor's Desk:

Dear Folks,

I am looking forward to meeting each and every one of you. I want you to tell me your story. I know that you will hear my story as I reveal parts of it on Sunday Mornings in worship, in meetings of the congregation, and as we meet each other individually.

Three years ago, after 50 years in ministry in the Methodist Tradition, I retired. It made me feel a bit like an antique: "second-hand or formerly owned".

Retirement, tome, signaled the chance for a change of priorities. I wanted to spend more time with my family. My wife, Joan, and I have three children. They all have families of their own ... which means we also have grandchildren. Denise, our first born, lives in the Ithaca area. She is married to Joe McEnerney, and has three children: Andy (who lives and works in Ocean City, MD), Angela who will be a freshman, and Laura who be entering 7th grade, in the Ithaca School System. LuAnn, our second child, lives in Walpole MA, and is married to Tom Love and has two children: Charlie who will be entering 8   grade, and Remy who will be entering the 6  grade in the Walpole, MA school system. Tim, our youngest, lives in the Ithaca area has one child; Sophie who will be entering the Walnut Hill School for the Performing Arts in Natick, MA as a sophomore. Quality time with family is often weekends.

My first serious vocational choice was music. In my retirement years I wanted to spend some time as a musician. I have been a member of the Barnstormers Men's Chorus for about 15 years. I have included in this newsletter the promotional piece for that Chorus. As an active pastor I seldom was able to stay to sing in morning worship on a Barnstormers weekend. I often left after the Saturday evening concert and drove much of the night to get back to preach on Sunday. Staying the whole weekend was another change of priority. I will be with the Barnstormers in Lincoln Vermont the weekend of July 8th. Karen Kaufamann, a lay speaker from St. Paul's UMC in Ithaca will be my substitute. You will like her.

One priority that does not change with retirement is my personal mission statement that I will communicate, risk, promote, and extend the knowledge of God's love. My mother believed that we all needed to have a personal mission statement (from about age 5), so I have been working on this one a long time. This statement guides my ministry in the local congregation and I will enjoy sharing this mission with all of you in the Jacksonville Community United Methodist Church.

What are your priorities?
 

Shalom!
Nelson