Yesterday was bitter/sweet for the St. Paul's congregation as we said farewell to Rev. Cathy Russell. Cathy joined us three years ago as our minister of Christian Development and she has brought energy, enthusiasm, and a deep Christian faith to that role. After she came to us from Northern Ontario she married John Duggan and we were fortunate that he was so willing to participate in congregation life. Their departure was based on opportunity for Cathy but, let's be honest, she wouldn't have gone anywhere if we had been able to afford to keep her with us. Both Cathy and John will be missed.
That said, we bid farewell but not goodbye with tears and humour and a sense of blessing. The young people whose lives Cathy touched were involved in yesterday's worship, as well as at the gathering following the service. The congregation was generous in its gifts and one of them is pictured above. Cathy now has a lion puppet to go with much-loved Baabs, the sheep. I think adults loved Baabs as much as the kids, who were enthralled.
Ah changes. Many thanks and God's blessing to Cathy and John for their ministry in our midst. The folks at St. Matthew's in Belleville are fortunate.
Anything you would like to add?
That said, we bid farewell but not goodbye with tears and humour and a sense of blessing. The young people whose lives Cathy touched were involved in yesterday's worship, as well as at the gathering following the service. The congregation was generous in its gifts and one of them is pictured above. Cathy now has a lion puppet to go with much-loved Baabs, the sheep. I think adults loved Baabs as much as the kids, who were enthralled.
Ah changes. Many thanks and God's blessing to Cathy and John for their ministry in our midst. The folks at St. Matthew's in Belleville are fortunate.
Anything you would like to add?
2 comments:
A wonderful tribute to Cathy on all accounts. Liv, our 7 year old, thought it a "perfect party", "music and love and gifts and cake
and she wasn't going to cry but then she hugged Cathy and couldn't stop the tears from coming".
A magnet on my fridge reads "You never really leave a place you love. Part of it you take with you, leaving part of you behind."
Godspeed, Cathy and thanks for opening our eyes and hearts to so many wonderful possibilities.
She will be missed. I would have cried too Liv. I would have swore up and down that I would not cry, but I would have.
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