Dearest Wintergarden Faith Community,
Occasionally, you will receive emails that are titled “Keepin’ It Real with Pastor Devon.” These emails will be very specific in purpose, focused on something important happening at Wintergarden, and important for all to read.
Thanks for taking a few minutes to read and respond if asked.
Blessings,
Pastor Devon
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| Update from our congregational meeting on Sunday (and it was approved by those gathered) |
Dearest Wintergarden Faith Community-
I have had the joy of being the pastor at Wintergarden since May of 2014. And what a fun and wild ride it has been! And I love being on it with you. One of the reasons I have been able to pastor this church is because I have always been a bi-vocational pastor. That means I have honored my call to serve this congregation and have always had a second job. The three main positions I have had as my second job include church consultant, being on staff at another church, and serving on the presbytery staff throughout these 10 years. I have always enjoyed being bi-vocational in my calling and am grateful for the various opportunities.
One of the joys of my sabbatical was having time to reflect and think through this next part of our journey with an eye towards more sustainability as we live out being a faith community. One aspect towards more sustainability is to decrease expenses and my salary and time commitment is one of those that we can decrease. In realizing that, I did a lot of reflecting on what this could look like. As I reflected, I spent time thinking about getting more involved with disaster response and recovery work, coaching/consulting with churches who have gone through natural disasters, coaching small church pastors, and exploring hospice work as a social worker. Many of you might not know that while I was in seminary, I also attended the University of Georgia and earned a Master’s in social work. But I have never worked for an organization as a social worker. I started to sense a call to explore social work options in our community.
After applying for various positions this spring, in June, I was offered a part-time social worker position with Tidewell Hospice, an entity through Empath Health. I started training this past week. And friends, I am really excited about this opportunity to work with this amazing organization. I have been drawn towards the work of hospice since my dad died away almost 9 years ago and am looking forward to being able to obtain my licensure as a medical social worker.
So, what does this all mean for Wintergarden? First, by continuing to be a bi-vocational pastor, I will work both jobs on a part-time basis. A typical week will include working two days a week with Tidewell traveling throughout Charlotte and DeSoto County and my schedule should be on Tuesdays and Thursdays. With Wintergarden, I will be here in the “office” on Sundays and Wednesdays, while working from home on Mondays to focus on worship and sermon preparation. I recognize that this will take some getting used to for many of us. So, I pray we can do so with grace and understanding.
Please feel free to reach out to me if you have any questions or anyone on session (Maralee, Bert, or Rick). We are available to hear any questions or concerns you might have. Grateful to be on this journey with all of you. Let us continue to serve and feed our community in the ways that God calls us to do so…together.
In Christ,
Pastor Devon
 On Wednesday, July 10, 2024, Luther P, passed away surrounded by his friends and care team. There will be a service at Sarasota National Cemetery on Monday, July 29 at 12:30 pm. Sarasota National Cemetery is located at 9810 State Rd 72, Sarasota, FL 34241. For those able to attend, please arrive around 12:00 and no later than 12:20 to attend the graveside service. |
