“How very good and pleasant it is when kindred live together in unity!” - Psalm 133:1
Just over a year ago, my family completed a frantic summer that included preparing to sell our home, packing, donating, or binning everything we owned, and completing a hearty batch of UK government forms and requirements, all while saying goodbye to friends, family, and a community we had built over the course of 15 years. We did it in order to follow God's call to something new, and as we boarded that plane, we did not know what we would find when we arrived at our destination. We could not be more pleased that, through all of that, we were led to Stirling and to the people of St Ninians Old Parish Church.
It is difficult to believe that my year of familiarisation has come to an end, but during this year we have felt welcomed and included, as we were immediately accepted and made a part of the community at St Ninians. By the time this wee note is published, I will have completed my final Sunday at St Ninians and will hopefully be "Minister Elect" in a new charge. However, please know that wherever our family goes, you will go with us in heart and mind. You provided a warm welcome and a caring community for my family as we made this transition into a new phase of life, and for that I will always be grateful.
As St Ninians now goes through a transition of its own, it is my hope and prayer that you continue to be a place of welcome as you care for one another and for all who come into your midst. Like my family a year ago, you also are stepping away from something familiar and comfortable. But within this community, may you continue to show one another the same care and love that you showed to me, so that you may always experience the truth of the Psalm above: “How very good and pleasant it is when kindred live together in unity!”
Thank you again for all that you have done to help make Scotland a home for our family. I wish you every blessing as you move into the future together!
Sincerely yours,
Jake