This will be my last post on The Fount Account as your pastor. It has been a wonderful ten years since I and my family came here in 2014 to serve the Lord through this church, and I have no regrets! But ending a decade-long pastorate is hard; hard for me and probably hard for some of you.
When I arrived in Fountain Valley it was a hot summer, and this church was just separating from being yoked with Surf City Church in Huntington Beach under the pastorate of John McFarland. Anthony Boger, who had been the Associate Pastor here was appointed to serve as the Senior Pastor at Surf City and John went to pastor Orangethorpe UMC in Fullerton. The first few years were great, getting to know people and finding our pace together as we expanded ministries and developed new ones. Then the COVID pandemic hit, and everything changed! We had to learn how to do ministry online. Unfortunately, we had to close down Welcome Home, one of the most significant outreach ministries I have ever witnessed. We learned how to “Zoom” and discovered all of the intricacies of “live streaming.” It was exciting and exhausting!
Then, we moved into a period in which the congregation sought to disaffiliate from the denomination it had been a member of for nearly 60 years! Emotionally difficult, but spiritually necessary. We are still in that season, hoping and praying for a favorable resolution. I had hoped, and even assured the leadership, that I would not retire until the church had concluded its disaffiliation process, but circumstances in our family made it incumbent on us to move forward, and so we are.
But ending is hard, and I expect that this coming Sunday, my last with you as pastor, will be extremely hard for me. I get emotional easily! The funny thing about endings is that without endings there can be no beginnings. It is kind of like Good Friday and Easter Sunday; (as a current song by Phil Wickham puts it) “Friday’s Good ‘cause Sunday is coming!” In order for the “New Thing” to happen (Easter), the “Old Thing” has to happen first (Friday). Ending our time together is a little like a death. But we are Easter People and we know that Resurrection is just around the corner!
I am certain that you will come to love Brian Long and his family, just as you have loved me and my family. But you will have to receive them as they are and not place any expectations that they will be like us. My first sermon here back in ’14 was “I’m Not John.” Well, Brian is not me (thank God!), and his gifts and talents will be different. But if you will allow him to exercise his gifts, you will most certainly find that God has something new for you and that ministering together will be an awesome journey!
Ending is hard, but necessary for New Beginnings to take place. God has something new and exciting for The Fount. He is NOT finished with you (or me), yet. It will be my pleasure to watch as the Lord unfolds His plan in you and to remember the privilege I had to serve as your pastor for 10 years! Make me proud (in a good way) by the way you welcome Pastor Brian and then keep your eyes on Jesus as you move forward together. I will miss being your pastor, to be sure. So pray for me that I find ways to minister in retirement that is fulfilling and Kingdom-significant. You will see us from time to time, especially during the 5+ months that we will remain living in the parsonage before we move to Texas, but we will meet as friends; I will no longer be your pastor.
I hope to see many of you this Sunday, June 30th, my last Sunday with you as pastor. I hear we’re having a party!
Deep Blessings,
