They say it takes a village to raise a child. Apparently it also takes a village to celebrate a pastor who is retiring. There was a veritable army of people who worked on the retirement celebrations for Pastor Peter and Marja. A group of people began meeting back in September already.
How on earth do you sum up forty years of ministry, thirteen of them here at Hope Fellowship in one evening? Impossible! The idea of two separate events was born out of the frustration of trying to figure out how to say good-bye as Hope Fellowship and how to honour those Pastor Peter and Marja blessed in other places.
Saturday June 25 Hope Fellowship said goodbye to our “pastoral couple” with a dinner and a program. Pastor Peter’s eyes filled with tears when he walked into the sanctuary and saw the amazing set up. He and Marja were roasted and feted equally through skits, speeches, videos and more. The evening ended with the most amazing display of fireworks that just didn’t want to end.
Sunday we celebrated with an incredible service, leaving with a stone in our pockets to caution us not to judge others and the reminder to always look UP! A BBQ potluck picnic meant no one went into the afternoon program hungry—not even Pastor Peter and Marja, who snatched fine minutes to eat a hamburger.
The afternoon program saw many people from our community and from former churches celebrating Pastor Peter and Marja and thanking them for the ways they have served God faithfully and well. By 4:30 on Sunday afternoon, they were packing up the last things in their car, ready to head for home and a celebration of Rev. Slofstra’s birthday the next day.
We are so thankful to God for the way he has ministered to us through Pastor Peter and Marja. They have left an amazing legacy of grace and an attitude of “room at the table for all” that will forever remain part of us. We are grateful to God for gifting us with Pastor Peter and Marja’s leadership. We are thankful for all we’ve learned and will carry with us into new adventures.
How on earth do you sum up forty years of ministry, thirteen of them here at Hope Fellowship in one evening? Impossible! The idea of two separate events was born out of the frustration of trying to figure out how to say good-bye as Hope Fellowship and how to honour those Pastor Peter and Marja blessed in other places.
Saturday June 25 Hope Fellowship said goodbye to our “pastoral couple” with a dinner and a program. Pastor Peter’s eyes filled with tears when he walked into the sanctuary and saw the amazing set up. He and Marja were roasted and feted equally through skits, speeches, videos and more. The evening ended with the most amazing display of fireworks that just didn’t want to end.
Sunday we celebrated with an incredible service, leaving with a stone in our pockets to caution us not to judge others and the reminder to always look UP! A BBQ potluck picnic meant no one went into the afternoon program hungry—not even Pastor Peter and Marja, who snatched fine minutes to eat a hamburger.
The afternoon program saw many people from our community and from former churches celebrating Pastor Peter and Marja and thanking them for the ways they have served God faithfully and well. By 4:30 on Sunday afternoon, they were packing up the last things in their car, ready to head for home and a celebration of Rev. Slofstra’s birthday the next day.
We are so thankful to God for the way he has ministered to us through Pastor Peter and Marja. They have left an amazing legacy of grace and an attitude of “room at the table for all” that will forever remain part of us. We are grateful to God for gifting us with Pastor Peter and Marja’s leadership. We are thankful for all we’ve learned and will carry with us into new adventures.
- Evelyn
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