Grace, mercy and peace be to you....that's how the Apostle Paul greeted most folks that he wrote to in his letters to Christians which we now call the "Pauline Epistles." That greeting is a good place to start as this community of faith begins a time of saying goodbye and welfare to a faithful Pastor and his spouse who have served you and preparing to say "welcome" to the Shepherd who will be coming into your midst in God's time. Both of those dynamics are wrapped up in God's "grace, mercy, and peace."

That little trinity of God's intent for you during this pastoral vacancy encompasses the past, present and future of and for the community of faith at Grace parish.

I once said to a parish experiencing a vacancy: I've got good news and bad news. The good news is that God is in charge. The bad news is that God is in charge. We're not in charge, however we are called, on account of our Baptism, to be faithful and trust in His 'grace, mercy and peace,' and that God's time is the right time. As the old song said: "The times they are a changin'......" With you under His forgiveness, Pastor Hill