Grace and peace be with you all.

 

It is with mixed emotions that I write to you to announce that Pastor Mary has submitted a letter of resignation and plans to retire from active ministry and from congregational life with Lutheran Church of the Resurrection as of July 1, 2023.  Your congregation council has accepted her letter of resignation.  While we are saddened by this news, we also rejoice that we have been blessed to have Pastor Mary at Resurrection.  We are thankful for the impact Pastor Mary has had on our congregation, preschool and community.

 

It is important for us to recognize that Pastor Mary's retirement is well-deserved after 10 years of faithful service to our congregation. We are forever grateful for the love, dedication, and tireless efforts that she has poured into our church family. We will be holding a retirement celebration on June 25, 2023 following 9:30 worship, during which we will have the opportunity to honor her ministry and share cherished memories. Please mark your calendars and join us as we celebrate this servant of God.

 

You can see on the wall in the conference room that Resurrection has had several pastors.  Some for a brief time and some for several years.  We have had interim pastors between some of them also.  Yet the constant remains, our congregation is the church.  Our building is not the church, the pastors are not the church.  Resurrection is a Lutheran congregation and as that entity, WE are responsible for our mission of “Making Christ Known to All”.  The success or failure of that mission rests uniquely on the congregation’s shoulders.

 

During this time of transition, please remember to hold each other in prayer and continue to support one another. Our faith community has always been known for its strength and resilience, and we trust that God will guide us through this season of change.  We celebrated the first 60 years of ministry at LCR and look forward to where God leads us!

 

On behalf of the entire congregation, I extend our deepest gratitude to Pastor Mary for her commitment, compassion, and wisdom during her time with us. May her retirement be filled with joy, rest, and countless blessings. Let us surround her with love and support as she embarks on this new chapter in her life journey.

 

 

Peace,

Patti Tregoning, President

Lutheran Church of the Resurrection 

president@resurrection-oakforest.org

​