November 1, 2024

 

Dear Members and Friends of Harbeson Methodist Church,

 

I am writing to let you know about a transition in my life and ministry which will affect all of us in the next 9-12 months or so.  It is a transition I’ve been feeling led to make for some time.  Even before moving to ‘retired-part time’ status with the Methodist Church in 2021 and coming to serve as pastor at Harbeson, I had been feeling a nudge in this new direction for about the previous 15 years.  

 

Over the course of my pastoral calling, I’ve had numerous opportunities to help individuals or groups navigate legal challenges (both secular and church related).  I found I could provide a caring presence most attorneys are not able to provide, but also some practical comprehension of the legal complexities beyond what most clergy typically are able to offer.  I don’t plan to become an attorney, nor surrender my ordination credentials.  However, I am feeling strongly led to a new kind of missionary service that uniquely combines both of these areas of concern.    

 

The thought that first came to mind over 15 years ago was that it would be good stewardship of my gifts in retirement to work with an attorney or agency doing pro-bono work helping people in need.  As I have continued to think and pray and seek God’s leading, the “nudging” in this direction  has never gone away, and only grown over time.  In order to pursue this most effectively, however, I’ve also discerned the need for more formal training in the legal area.  While going to law school is not feasible at this point in my journey, pursuing paralegal certification is.  

 

Therefore, beginning in August 2025 I plan to take a full-time course of study at Del-Tech in order to transition into this new calling.  Though I am generally in good health, a number of concerns make my serving a congregation (even part time) and being a full-time student more than I can handle effectively.  This is the particular mission I sense a call to in retirement, and I feel I must act on it at this time in order to be obedient to God.

 

To this end I have informed our Church Council and our Global Methodist Church presiding elder, the Rev. Kari Jones, that I would like to be relieved of being Pastor in Charge around July 1, 2025, with the understanding that I can be flexible in a number of ways in implementing any pastoral transition plan they discern might be best for Harbeson Church.

 

I am grateful for all we have experienced over the past 3+ years and look forward to all that is to come in our time together.  As a congregation you are to be commended for your Christ-like welcoming spirit, and for a willingness to try new outreaches into the community and world.  This is a wonderful strength on which to build for the future and I am more pleased than ever to remain part of it with you in the months ahead.

 

Grace and peace always,

 

 

David B. Humphrey
Pastor