With all the adjustments we have had to make because of the virus, it has been my privilege to continue to serve through the month of June and be a part of the process bringing Sean Sawyers before the congregation to be our next Sr. Pastor. He has been most gracious and supportive towards me, and he has my full support.
I continue to put before you the analogy of a father giving away his daughter to be married. Applied to this circumstance, I hear the question, “Who gives this church to be united with this man?” The answer, with love and gratitude for God’s providential leading, is, “Mary and I do.” Sean’s coming to Sycamore is a delightful addition to our lives.
And we will not be coming on the honeymoon with you! Pulling back is counter-intuitive, but purposeful. We encourage all of you to look to Sean as your Sr. Pastor. We are grateful for the past and excited for the future, and we hope you are, too.
Even though the virus has delayed our retirement celebration until September 20th, I cannot keep everything I would like to say until then. This Sunday brings closure of its own, and I want to express my appreciation to you. I may repeat some things in September, but let me share with you the first parts of the covenant I prepared early in the search process to be given to our next Sr. Pastor:
Father, I know that all my life is portioned out for me.
The changes that are sure to come I do not fear to see
I ask the for a present mind intent on pleasing Thee.*
We come to this stage in life with immense gratitude in our hearts to God and to the leaders and congregation of Sycamore Presbyterian Church. It is time to retire and make room for the next generation of leadership in the Kingdom. What a profound privilege and blessing it has been to be called by God to serve him at Sycamore Presbyterian Church for these past 38 years, from seminary to retirement, from the birth of the church in a school, to the expansion of the church in ministry and mission, including the birth of daughter churches in our community and overseas. You as our church family have ministered to Mary, to me, and to our three children, Davison, Margaret, and James, through all the issues of life we have faced, and we truly appreciate your love and care for us. Life and ministry are not always easy, and God has a way of bringing us to the end of ourselves that we may trust in Him to accomplish anything of eternal value. As I reflect on the last 38 years, I am reminded that Sycamore is not the church I, or even we, built, but the church that God built in and through us.
I ask Thee for the daily strength to none that ask denied,
A mind to blend with outward life, while keeping at Thy side,
Content to fill a little space, if Thou be glorified.
– Anna L. Waring, 1850
They also serve who only stand and wait.
– John Milton, Sonnet 19, 1673
With love and in the grace of our Lord Jesus,
Harry D. Long