Pastoral letter

Dear friends at ESUMC

If you were to step into our parsonage today, you would see a home that is slowly, room by room, emptying out. Two months ago – or even one month ago - this same home looked different. It was familiar. It was comfortable. It was the place where we had lived for the last 5 years. 

 But now, it doesn’t seem the same any more. It has changed completely. Where pictures hung, only bare walls stare back at us. Large cardboard boxes filled with things that have become part of our surroundings are now making the journey to Austria with us. Familiar furniture is now gone, only to be replaced by an emptiness and a quiet stillness that is settling into each space as we gather up the practical details of our daily life. 

Everything around us feels fluid, temporary, and in a state of motion. Everything around us is changing, has changed, and in many ways, will be changed forever. 

And that is a daunting thought. 

And the changes that I have described do not end when we leave the shores of the United Kingdom. We are deeply aware of the many more changes that will become a necessary part of our lives in the foreseeable future: adapting to a new culture, learning to navigate daily life in a different language and stepping into a whole new way of life and ministry in Austria. Add to that fitting into a new church community, getting to know all of you, lots of new names to remember – the list of changes goes on and on. 

This transition is a constant reminder of how quickly circumstances, surroundings, and routines can change. And in it all, we want something to hold on to; to anchor us; to give us a sense of stability and security, because without this, we feel very much adrift, swept into this whirlpool of change. However, in the midst of the boxes, the emptiness, cultural shifts, and the natural uncertainty that comes with moving and relocating, I am continually drawn back to a single, steady truth: God does not change! In Malachi 3:6a, God declares:

"I the Lord do not change..." 

The well-known hymn Abide with Me (UMC hymnal 1989) in stanza 2 captures what I am trying to express:

"…Change and decay in all around I see;

O Thou who changest not, abide with me!"

While everything around us is in motion, He remains our anchor. While everything around us changes, God remains the same. Hebrews 13:8 echoes this reassuring truth, reminding us that "Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever." Thanks be to God that we have this assurance.

So we approach these changes, as hard as they are, with full confidence in the one who never changes. Another great hymn that expresses this truth is This, This Is the God We Adore (The Faith We Sing, No. 2001):

This, This Is the God we Adore,
Our Faithful, Unchangeable Friend;
Whose Love is as great as His power,
And neither knows measure nor end.

Thanks be to God that we are held secure in his love and by his power, both of which are endless. We have an anchor that holds. And because of this, we can face the changes in the sure knowledge that the Unchanging One has called us from the UK to serve him amongst you. In Vienna. And even if that means major changes for us, even life-changing ones, God is our Rock, our Unchangeable Friend.

As we navigate these final days of preparation and travel, please pray for Sarah and myself: 

• that throughout every turn, delay, or moment of uncertainty, we will remember God’s eternal changelessness and faithfulness—knowing that while our surroundings and routines change, His love, promises, and character remain completely steadfast.
• for grace, patience, and joy as we adjust to living in a new culture, build relationships, and settle into a new environment.
• for safe travel on 3rd November, for God's protection, a safe passage, and peace over our journey to Vienna and as we establish our home in Austria.

Thank you all so much for your prayers for us during this season of change. You are all in our prayers. We can all take comfort from that truth – whether we are locating or not. Wherever we live. Whether in the UK or in Austria. This one fact remains the same. Everything around us changes – because change is the essence of all things. But, God is faithful. God does not change.

"Be present, O merciful God, and protect us through the hours of this night; that we, who are wearied by the changes and chances of this fleeting world, may rest upon your eternal changelessness; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen." 
^{(From the “Order of Compline”, Church of England, Book of Common Prayer)}

Grace and peace,

Pastor Mark