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Goodnight, Sweetheart, It’s Time to Go

May 11, 2017

The Pastor’s Corner

 

When Jennifer and I were dating so many years ago, I used to drop her off at her dorm room with this snippet from a song many of are probably familiar with:

 

Goodnight, sweetheart, well, it’s time to go,
Goodnight, sweetheart, well, it’s time to go,
I hate to leave you, but I really must say,
So goodnight, sweetheart, goodnight.

 

It was my way of telling her I was going to miss her so very much until I saw her again. However, when I sang this song to her, I always knew it wouldn’t be very long before we were together again so this was just a sweet way to end the evening.

 

Now, as Jennifer, Laurel, Arthur, and I are preparing to move from Trenton these lyrics keep running through my mind over and over as I think about the two churches I have been serving here. I really do hate to leave but I must. This is part of my calling as United Methodist pastor and, I believe, in some mysterious way, God uses the Bishop and the Cabinet to help lead us into the places we need to be.

 

I have come to realize during my time as a United Methodist pastor serving the church is not about where I want to be but, rather, it’s about where I need to be. Along the same lines, United Methodist Churches often “want” a certain type of pastor but that may not be the type of pastor that particular Church needs.

 

I can honestly say, now, looking back over the last four years that Trenton, TN is the place I needed to be. It has been a beautiful and enriching experience for my family and I and we have encountered more rich, Christ filled relationships than we could ever have imagined.

 

Together we have celebrated weddings, the birth of children, their baptisms, confirmations, and so many other wonderful times. Together we have also wept over the loss of loved ones and the pain of illness. And, together, we have worshipped the resurrected Christ and celebrated the new life He grants to all of creation.

 

It is my hope and belief the Spirit of Christ will continue to form the people of Trenton and Olive Branch into the welcoming and open community we have experienced during our time here. May this same Spirit empower all of you into exciting and wonderfully new avenues of ministry.

 

God’s Best Always and in All Ways,

 

Pastor Derek, Jennifer, Laurel, & Arthur