Last Sunday, October 29, Stephanie delivered her last sermon as Rector of Nativity, receiving a standing ovation from the congregation. During the service, Stephanie led us through the Ending a Pastoral Relationship and Leave-taking from a Congregation liturgy, at which time she returned to the Vestry such items as the church keys, the parish register book and the Eucharist Elements.
Following the 10:30 service, all gathered in Corlett Hall for a celebration which included a delicious lunch and special presentations by Nativity’s choir and Vestry.
Thank you to all who joined us! We appreciate those who helped with the setup and cleanup, and to all who contributed food and drinks. The Vestry would like to especially thank Kathy Nessanbaum and her friend Katherine Johnston for their coordination of the event. A special thank you also to Cheryl Waechter for the delicious celebration cake and Jo Dykes for the beautiful table decorations. Thank you to Sarah O’Connor for putting together the memory book for Stephanie and the congregants who submitted letters and photos for the book. Thank you to Stephanie Sumner for the slide show celebrating Stephanie’s 12 years with us, which can be viewed below. Thank you to Ilia Scrivano for writing the beautiful song honoring Stephanie; and, Bradley Burgess and the choir for sharing it with us. The celebration would not have been successful without the help of everyone above and we are very thankful!
We will always be incredibly grateful for Stephanie’s loving service to Nativity and, while she may no longer be present with us as our Rector, her words and spirit will remain with us. Remember, as Stephanie always liked to remind us, “We are one in whom Christ delights and dwells. We live in the strong and unshakable kingdom of God. The kingdom is not in trouble. And neither are you.”