. . . i've had the time of my life . . .

Dear friends in Christ,

Have you ever had those times in your life when you had to accomplish something by a certain date? I remember the day I received my packet of ordination paperwork. I had about two months to complete it, and then a date was set for when I would come before the Board of Ordained Ministry (BoOM) for the Missouri Conference of the United Methodist Church. It seemed like this far off date that would take forever to arrive. But ARRIVE it did! The problem and aggravating thing about time is that it never stands still! Those significant dates we wait for, eventually arrive. I remember the night before meeting members of the board and other candidates. My palms were sweaty and I had the butterflies (I think it's called anxiety!). 

The day of, though, I came before the board, confident in my ministry and my understanding of Wesleyan traditions and theology. Most importantly, though, I was confident about the ways I had seen God at work in the preparations to launch Raytown Chapel Church. As I look back on that early November day in 2018, I knew no matter what, this congregation would do great things. 

I thought my last day at Raytown Chapel would maybe be in 3 years. I thought Abby would go to her own church before me in two years, but that's not how it worked. So this Sunday is my last Sunday as the Pastor for this beautiful congregation (technically I'm the pastor until June 20). Three months ago it seemed so far away, and I didn't want the day to arrive. As I wrote my sermon this week, I was overwhelmed by all the ways in which we have shared life together.  

My prayer is that you would tune in for worship. I need to "see" you all one last time. This is the LINK for Raytown Chapel Church online worship. For those who don't have Facebook, the call-in feature for Zoom will be enabled. Watch for that e-mail on Saturday! And if you haven't signed up for the Bring Your Own Picnic, please do so HERE.  (Rain date is June 28). I know goodbyes are hard for many, but it would mean the world to me to see you... in the Methodist tradition, it's never TOTALLY goodbye, so it shouldn't be THAT hard!

Now for the not so fun stuff: 

On June 20, my relationship with RCC will change and I want to highlight a few things, that will also be mailed out to everyone.

After June 15th, I will be released from the responsibility of preaching, leading, and providing pastoral care for this congregation. I will not be able to do funerals or weddings or have input to the future direction of the church. Abby and Colin will always be able to reach out to me for questions they may have, but it will be up to their discretion to do so. I will not contact them unless to ask her how they are doing. However, Abby has been such a wonderful partner and friend in ministry that I cannot imagine not having a continued friendship.  

Though I will no longer be your pastor, we will continue to be brothers and sisters in Christ. I look forward to your updates on you and your family, as I know you will look for updates about mine. Our relationship will be personal, rather than pastoral. I look forward to sharing those moments that make life rich that happen outside the church. As much as I love being the pastor at Raytown Chapel, and it has been a HUGE (and the most important to date) of my call to vocational ministry, I want to make sure that whatever is shared is public and about the bright future, I have envisioned for this church body. 

I will still have Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter (I have TikTok, but don't have time to make videos!) and see no reason to unfriend or unfollow each other. I will always be #FORraytown,  but I will need to focus on my new community and will regularly post the good things going on there as I did for Raytown Chapel Church. These posts will never be meant to denigrate the fruitful, sacred time we have shared together. 

The future at Raytown Chapel Church is bright.  Continue the vision that God has established for us and honor the work we’ve done together. I am convinced God’s Holy Spirit will continue to work in the church and surrounding community. Thank you for allowing me into the sacred and holy spaces of the intentional community of Christ that is Raytown Chapel Church.

Many blessings,

Pastor Angie - Campus Pastor
Raytown Chapel Church
a Woods Chapel United Methodist congregation

. . . the final countdown . . .

Almost three months ago I received word that I was being appointed to a new church. I thought for sure Raytown Chapel Church would open its doors again before my last Sunday with everyone. I prayed that a miracle would happen and some pharmaceutical company would come up with a COVID vaccine quickly. There is so much uncertainty with this virus. Just this week another outbreak of 200 cases occurred in a paper plant within 5 miles our the church.

We will eventually have to face the world, and as a Woods Chapel congregation, we are making those steps. We want to minimize the possibility of an outbreak starting within our congregation. Our first rule as United Methodists is to do no harm.

On Sunday, a group of people joined together to socially distance the chairs and to identify the viability of worshipping together in the sanctuary. We are fortunate we have chairs and as of right now we can have 48 people in our sanctuary, maybe 52. We are going to reassess to make sure we can keep everyone as safe as possible.

We will keep everyone as up-to-date as possible about reopening across all our communication platforms.

In the meantime, there are two ways to connect in person before I head to my next appointment:

Parking Lot Communion // Sunday, June 7^th // 6:00 PM // Raytown Chapel Church
Bring your own bread and juice, park, and join in with the full communion liturgy. You must let us know you are attending by clicking a time slot on this link: Click to RSVP  Everyone in your family needs to be accounted for so if you are a family of 4 you need to click on 4 of the slots.  Please fill up the 6:00 PM time frame first and if needed we will do the 6:45 PM time.

Farewell Backyard Party // Sunday, June 14^th // My Backyard
I love throwing parties and I told Abby what I would prefer for a farewell! A picnic in my backyard that I don't have to make food for!
BYOP & B: Bring your own picnic food and beverages. Plan to picnic in our backyard before I head off to Country Club UMC. Help us with a headcount by letting us know how many in your family will be attending. Click to RSVP Backup date for weather is June 28th.

This time of ministry has been such a blessing to me and when I think about ministry and my life of ministry, I know Raytown and Raytown Chapel will be the most memorable. I have loved every moment of this season.