"This will be a day long remembered..."

... as Darth Vader once said. And the reality of it is still sinking in. But it's just as true as it was yesterday - I have been called as associate pastor at St. Paul Lutheran Church in East Windsor, NJ! Here is the website if you want to check it out: St. Paul Lutheran Church. I am their first ever associate pastor, and I will be there only part-time, so there are a lot of things to figure out up front! The pastor who is there, Jim, has been just wonderful - he was just as excited as I was that this day was coming. He had been there a long time and plans on being there for a good while longer, which is a testament to the good people at this place, who have already been wonderfully welcoming.

After preaching and helping to lead worship at two services with a tour of the Sunday school classrooms in between, the congregational meeting started and I answered a few on-the-spot questions from the congregation and then they kicked me and Beau out for the vote. It was nearly unanimous, and when I walked back into the sanctuary, they all got to their feet and applauded. I was so... thrilled, beyond belief! I am starting this week, and will be part-part time until January. The tentative date for my ordination and installation, which will be a St. Paul, is Sunday January 22, but that is still sort of tentative.

This church has a GORGEOUS worship space. And I'll have my own office come January, after they move some stuff out of an existing storage room (don't worry, it has a window). It'll be snug, but in a cozy sort of way. This is a pic I found on the interwebs of someone's ordination, but it give you an idea about the sanctuary...