Dear Members of Union Lutheran Church,

One of the greatest joys of my life has been the opportunity to serve as a pastor at Union Lutheran Church.  The leadership, the staff and the members together create a dynamic, thriving and caring family of faith that extends beyond the walls of the church.  Because of that, this is one of the most difficult letters I have ever had to compose.

It is with a mixture of great sadness and anticipation that I am notifying you that today I have accepted a call to become the pastor at Hope Lutheran Church in Cherryville, PA.   This letter serves as my official resignation effective March 7, 2010.

Although I was not actively seeking a new position and assumed that I would be at ULC for a long time, when this opportunity arose I recognized it as a new call from God and I realized that I had to explore this potential call.  Union Lutheran has been part of my life and my heart for over 24 years.  It has been an awesome place to work and grow and do ministry for me and my family and we will miss it very much.
Over the next month I commit to making this transition as smooth as possible.  With my resignation my pastoral relationship with the members of Union Lutheran will come to and end on March 7th.  While the friendships established during my pastorate can and will continue, it will no longer be appropriate for me to do any pastoral functions within the congregation or for its members.  If members ask, I will say “no.”  And my negative answer comes from my respect for the integrity of the congregation, for the ministry of Pastor Moore, for the professional ethics of the vocation I love and for the policies of the church.

Union Lutheran Church is an incredible congregation with a rich history and great potential for it’s future and my prayer is that it will continue to be the growing, nurturing and ministry-driven congregation I have come to know and love.

Blessings,
Pastor Jami