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Good-bye

23

I hate good-byes. I’m the guy sitting in the car waiting for Sheri to say her good-byes. The definition of good-bye is “an act of parting or leave-taking.”

So this blog is one of my good-byes… a leave-taking. It’s difficult because I’m one who likes to be in control of his emotions – and when I say good-byes to you (like our last communion service on September 6) my emotions are akin to what a 7-year old girl might experience, I’m kind of a mess on the inside.

So here goes…

• Good-bye to amazing worship services at Hope where the Spirit moves in profound ways and lives are transformed.

• Good-bye to services of baptisms (311 people baptized in my 15 years as your pastor) where tears and cheers explode in the moment.

• Good-bye to Easters at Tumbleweed, the first one in 2008.

• Good-bye to staff members that I have served with, mentored and loved.

• Good-bye to the “strip mall” where a modest group of disciples made a commitment to as a church that “loves like Jesus.”

• Good-bye to welcoming new members (500 over the 15 years) and Pizza with the Pastors.

• Good-bye to watching the Spirit move in the transformation of lives on Sunday mornings when people say “YES” to Jesus.

• Good-bye to dedicating babies (93 over the years) and lifting them up to the Lord by saying, “Behold, what manner of love the Father has given us, that we should be called the children of God!” (I John 3:1)

• Good-bye to weddings (82 over 15 years) and saying “good-bye” at memorial services and funerals (56).

• Good-bye to late night Elder meetings and passionate prayer meetings.

• Good-bye to all church pool parties and “Jazz & Chocolate.”

• Good-bye to staff meetings and staff adventures with amazing staff members over the years (Brad Kindall, Ryan Lunceford, Brian Pollard, Patty Carrol, Sharon Lacey, Chris White, David Hillis, Thu Tran, Mikey Dascoli, Julie Bogle, Brandon Hovey, Corrie Gustafson, Scott Tonkinson, Timm Jackson, Anthony Espindola, Barb Ellis, and Ryan Starr).

• Good-bye to Harvest Carnivals, Thanksgiving Eve Services, "Be the Church Days", and Good Friday “Services of Darkness.”

• Good-bye to amazing Christmas Eve Services where countless worshippers “Come Home to Hope and Come Home to Jesus.”

• Good-bye to annual meetings, annual reports, and budget balancing.

• Good-bye to my office, the memorial garden, and the sign that says, “NO PERFECT PEOPLE ALLOWED.”

• Good-bye to Richelle and all the other amazing church secretaries who have served Hope tirelessly.

• Most of all, good-bye to you. I have preached to you, taught you, learned from you, cried with you, laughed with you, confessed to you, prayed with you, counseled you, confronted you, planned with you, led with you, worked with you… and loved you. That’s what I’ll miss the most. But I won’t stop loving you. I may not see you as often, but I will never stop loving you, thinking of you and remembering you.


“Dear friend, I hope all is well with you and that you are as healthy in body as you are strong in spirit. Some travelling teachers recently returned and made me very happy by telling me about your faithfulness and that you are living according to the truth. I could have no greater joy than to hear my children are following the truth.” - III John 2-4


Don’t forget these words.

I love you and I will never forget you.

 

With a full heart,


duane_th01

Pastor Duane

23 Comments

You and this church helped me find my way back to God when I was so hurt and lost by my losses. I know now I will be with them all when I go home to God. I love my church family.

I really wish I could be there to say "see you later". Know that you both have had a major impact on my life and in my life - and there's no going back! I will miss you both. Love always. Have a great adventure.

Dear Duane
I can't tell you how precious it has been to have you as our Pastor. You are so loving, so transparent, so encouraging. I believe that your goodbye to us is just a "hello" to the next chapter of your life. You will be loving, encouraging, and challenging others as you have us. We were blessed beyond measure to have you in our lives. Personally, you have been my favorite pastor in all of my life...
Blessings and peace and joy to you forever...Sheryl PS. Thank you for being you

Not goodby Duane and Sheri.....i hope we will see you both ....soon. you both are so loved, and deservedly so! Thank you for the years of helping me listen more to what God is saying to me, and not the world. Your warmth, and being sincere in all you do and say is whst brings me back each Sunday. You have truly influenced my life! Thank you..in God's love, Annette...

Dear Pastor Duane- You may not remember me but 20 years ago, my husband and I were newly married, with a young son and looking for a Church in the Roseville area. We visited Roseville Convenant one Sunday and were drawn in by your sermons. We continued to go for several Sundays and were surprised when you and your wife asked to stop by our home and meet us one evening. That left such an impression on us as a new family seeking out a Church family.....well, despite all the changes at RCC through the years, we are still there and have raised two children up in the Lord along with that Church family. I thank you for planting that seed in our young marriage which has grown and continues to grow to this day. God Bless you and your wife as you venture into a new and exciting chapter of life. And thank you. Diane Morse

Duane,
I also dislike good-byes so I am going to say good luck. I want to thank you for being my Pastor for the last 8 years. Thank you for sharing your ministry with me. Your love and teachings have made a
great difference in my life and yes, I will continue to " read my Bible"
Sincerely,
Warren Lerch

Warren Lerch

Duane - You and Sheri will be greatly missed. I'm thankful for the time I got to spend serving with you at Hope. Blessings on your next adventures! - tat

Pastor Duane, thank you from the bottom of my soul! The years that I attended Hope we're wonderful! I cannot count how many times the Holy Spirit used you to say exactly what I needed to hear that week! While I was at Hope, you loved me and my family greatly! I will never forget the Sunday my brother came to church and you welcomed him by name even though he had never attended. You challenged me on several different levels, all resulting in a deeper more meaningful relationship with Christ! You PASTORED me and my family! I thank God for you! Even when we were no longer attending Hope, you reached out to my family at the time of moms graduation to heaven! Thank you so much for your work! I hope I am near Christ and hear him say to you" job well done, good and faithful servant."

Pastor Duane, on behalf of me, Lori, and James, we will all miss you very much! We hope you will come back and visit Hope Covenant as often as you can. You were the main reason we chose to attend Hope Covenant Church! Thanks to you, my faith in God has become stronger! It is with a very heavy heart that I send this message. We will NEVER forget you. Best to you, Sherri, and your whole family. God Bless!

Pastor Duane, What a outstanding last blog you wrote to the church you love. Wishing you and your bride a wonderful new and exciting chapter. What a legacy of love, encouragement,hope and the Good News you shared with all of your people. We will always appreciate mentoring our son and the time you invested in him. Blessings! Randy and Nancy Hovey

You have always been there for me and my family. From the first moment I walked into your church to watch my friends in the band perform, I felt like I had finally come home! What was meant to be a one time visit become a weekly mission. I was privileged to watch our church go from a small church family, to a large living family. You welcomed and married me and my now 2nd ex husband and blessed and dedicated my two beautiful daughters. Baptised myself and two of my older children, confirming our love of Jesus. You have been there in the good and bad times. And even when I drifted away due to my job, I knew that you were always there for me and my family. I thank you for everything you have done and wish you and Sheri the absolute best on your new journey. You will be missed more than you can imagine. I love you both to the moon and back! God Bless you in everything you do!

Duane- Serving alongside you for three years was a blessing to both me and my family. Your willingness to be honest about your faith and walk with Christ is inspiring and encouraging. Thanks for being real with us and the church. Even from a distance, you are missed!

I love YOU guys and I will never forget YOU.

Love this! What a blessing! We look forward to celebrating with you soon!!
Love,
Tam, Nate, Wesley, Caelyb & Ellawyn

Pastor Duane,
Thank you for your passion, and the change you made in mine and Arne's lives and walk with God.

Oh, Duane, I just wrote you s lovely, glowing comment and somehow it got lost in internet land! Sigh! In short... I love you and Sherri and praise God for our years in ministry together. Blessings, my friends! I will be in Texas the weekend of your party so will miss getting to celebrate you in person. You are a blessing and King of Encouragement!

Dear Pastor Duane, I have loved the years at Hope, being on elder board, children's ministry, and being the receiver of inspiring messages and leadership. I love how you inspired and supported The Bridge Church and encouraged those of us who felt led to be a part of this church plant. I love you and Sherri and praise God for the gift of knowing you guys! I will be in Texas visiting my family during your special event and will miss saying Goodbye

Duane & Sheri, I wish that there were words to completely express how you have impacted our family. There are not, so I will just say, thank you, and we love you so very much.

Lisa, Phil, Spencer, Blake and Chelsea

Thank you Pastor Duane for listening to The Holy Spirit on the day that the Lord had something to say to me! Thank you for the many lessons you taught me. Thank you for your amazing heart. Thank you for loving Christ so much that you sacrificed your time and family.Thank you Sheri for loving Christ so much that you shared Pastor Duane with us. You both made a big difference in my life! I love you both.

I was one of the 311 baptized! A day I will always remember and rejoice! Thank you Duane for being there at that perfect moment! I thank God for you! Thank Jesus you were at Hope Covenant Church! You will be missed!

Fondest farewell to a wonderful disciple, teacher, husband, father, and friend to so many. Best wishes on the adventures that await!

I am so glad the Lord lead me to Hope and you and Sheri, in my hr. of need. You have been a healing saave to my soul and have helped me seek God and His truth and Love so much more. It has been a joy to get to know you again and remember the Good Old Days : ) I hope we do not loose touch. Take care of eachother

Even though I have already said my "good-bye" You will be missed. You were a Pastor that was very hard to replace, although I have found a great home church, It will never be what I had at Hope!
Farewell to one of the best Pastors ever, I hope you have a Great retirement with your wife Sheri

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