The Oasis - September 16, 2020
Author: Rev. Estelle Margarones
September 16, 2020
Rev. Estelle Margarones
Dear friends,
It has been a true honor to journey with you for these past 21 months; a time that included a number of significant events in the church’s history. I want to thank you for placing your trust in me and for opening your lives to me.
Our season together is drawing to an end. My last day is September 27 and once I leave First Parish Church, as a matter of professional ethics, I will not be available to you for such things as weddings, funerals, baptisms, or pastoral care. In fact, we can have no communication for at least a year.
This is in keeping with the Ministerial Code of Ethics for Ordained, Commissioned, and Licensed Ministers which says, “It is the expectation that “[u]pon departure, [a] pastor will not return to serve congregation nor serve members of the congregation in a pastoral capacity. For a minimum of one year up to three years, a minister will observe a no-contact boundary with congregants and will teach congregants to observe the same. This enables the past minister to fulfill the ministerial code of ethics, in support of the congregation’s relationship-building with a new minister.”
Please know that you have come to mean a great deal to me and that I will forever hold First Parish in my heart, but as a necessary course of action, I must maintain this professional boundary and I ask that you respect it. Letting go is necessary so that you can establish a strong relationship with your next settled Senior Pastor, Rev. Eric Dupee.
These times of transition can be filled with mixed emotions. Whenever I stand at this precipice, I recall one of my earliest memories. It was late summer and I was 4 years old, just days away from beginning nursery school. I was filled with a blend of anxiety, curiosity, and sadness. When I asked my mother ‘What will it be like?’ she responded with the particulars -and then she said something that I recall to this day: “You will like it.” I trusted my mother and was instantly filled with peace. Trust our heavenly father and when you think of the future, know that you will like it!
The pandemic prevents us from gathering as we would have once done to say our goodbyes, but I am offering two different opportunities for folks that would like to meet once more before I leave. Next Tuesday, September 22, in the afternoon, I have Zoom slots of up to 30 minutes available. This Sunday afternoon, September 20, I have a few slots for one-on-ones which we’ll hold outdoors, masked, and appropriately physically distant outside of the office near Fellowship Hall. If you would like to book one of these meetings, please email me directly at Estelle@FirstParishYork.net. If you don’t have email, you can call the office at 363-3758.
May God continue to bless you and keep you well!
Grace and peace,
Rev. Estelle
Ecclesiastes 3 To everything there is a season and a time for every matter under heaven. There is a time to plant and a time to uproot.
Philippians 4:6-7 Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.
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