A message from our Senior Warden, Ben Paden:
It is with mixed feelings that we part ways with The Reverend Larry Walters this week. Father Larry has served this congregation for the past five months during the tail-end of our search process for a new Rector. We have great joy and respect for having had the pleasure of serving with him for so long as he’s done a phenomenal job. We are also sad that our time has to come to an end. Mix in a large amount of excitement surrounding our new rector, and you get a complicated bundle of emotions.
The service of priests like Father Larry often goes under-appreciated as his time could be viewed as a stop gap, a lull, or a period we all just look beyond. However, I believe that his time with us was anything but that. I hope that during these past five months he has empowered you, shown you a different perspective and style, and prepared you for the next phase of our journey together. Father Larry did far more than fill in the gap. He shared with us deep and thoughtful sermons, he was provided the opportunity to really get to know us and serve with us personally, and he continued to challenge the way we had grown accustomed to. No, he wasn’t just a fill-in priest at all. He has become another part of our history which has made us who we are today and has helped prepare us for who we are to become.
From the bottom of our hearts, we thank you, Father Larry and your wife, Teresa, for all you’ve shared with us. And with that, we will not say “Goodbye”, but instead “Until next time!”
Following our 10 AM service on March 18th, Holy Family hosted a farewell reception for Father Larry and Teresa. We also thanked the members of our rector search committee for their work during the past year.
