To the Beloved Saints at Lutheran Church of the Cross,

Grace and Peace to you in the name of our risen Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.

As I write my last newsletter column during my tenure as your pastor, words fail me. How can I begin to tell you how much you all have meant to me, and how can I begin to describe how much of an honor and a privilege it has been to walk alongside you all these past seven years?

I will always give thanks to God when I reflect upon my time at Lutheran Church of the Cross. We’ve laughed together during the good times, we’ve cried together during the hard times, and the most important thing about it all is that we’ve lived through the joys and struggles of life these past seven years together; we never had to do it alone. It has truly been a blessing to watch you all care for one another during our time together, you are a church that truly lives into Jesus’ call to love one another just as Jesus loved us. You have been like Jesus for one another, and you have been like Jesus for me. I cannot thank you enough for the ways in which you have cared for Kari and I during our time here, it has meant the world to us; you have meant the world to us.

You are a congregation that is hard to say farewell to. But, in a strange way, I guess that means we’ve done something right here. Doesn’t it? We’ve helped each other pass through a season of this transitory life and now we’re going to miss each other. I guess it would be more sad if we weren’t going to miss each other. If I were saying “good riddance” to you, or you were saying “good riddance” to me. (I don’t know maybe some of you are saying “good riddance” to me
when I’m not around, haha) Parting ways when you’re a healthy and happy congregation, and I’m a healthy and happy pastor isn’t easy; but I think that it means we’ve done something right along the way. Let us give thanks for that.

Now, just because this is my last newsletter submission, it doesn’t mean that you’re rid of me yet. You’re still stuck with my preaching through Sunday, May 25th. And, I’ll be around packing things up after that using vacation time the following week.

God bless you all. I know that God will continue to use the people of Lutheran Church of the Cross to be a blessing to each other, the community and the world; and I’m just so thankful that I got to be part of this community for a season of my life. My love and my prayers will continue to be with you.

Your Sibling in Christ,
Pastor Robert Abner