Note: If you’d like read transcripts of a few messages Pastor Curt has shared over the years, we have published six of them here.
This weekend will be my is my last “official” Sunday with you before I retire. I can hardly believe that this time, which we’ve planned for years, is finally here.
It seems when we start out, life is a series of “firsts.” First day of school, first dance, first car (and first car troubles!). First job, house, child.
I still vividly remember my first day in the church office in 1988. There were only a few of us on staff, and I felt overwhelmed. With a small business background, what did I know about being in ministry? And there were other firsts – the first time Pastor Bill asked me to speak on a weekend, my first elder meeting, and being ordained.
In the fall of 2020, I began a new phase: a series of “lasts.” The last weekend I shared from the pulpit, my last elder meeting (at least for a few months), my last staff meeting. And Sun., Oct. 10, will be my last time speaking to you as your Lead Pastor.
But not all lasts are bad – a few weeks ago was an amazing “last.” I had the privilege of facilitating my last baptism: baptizing a 70-year-old man in the beauty of the Wolf River. Hearing him proclaim his commitment to Christ in full view and hearing of all creation was an honor I will carry with me for the rest of my days!
While I am retiring my position from the church, I’m not retiring from life! After a time of sabbatical, you’ll still see me around CTR. And I will continue doing things I love. For 16 years, I’ve had a side business building log and rustic furniture. I will be able to expand that business in retirement. If you’d like to keep tabs on what I’m doing, feel free to follow Dry Creek Custom Log Furniture on Facebook.
It seems fitting that God, the Alpha and Omega, gives us beginnings and endings. I am deeply grateful that God gave me the opportunity to serve Him and to serve you these past three and a half decades! I can’t thank you enough for your patience, grace, and mercy. My wife Marian and I consider you as much family as our own blood brothers and sisters.
Christ The Rock is and always will be God’s church, so please continue to pray for Joel Zeiner, the Elders, the Senior Leadership Team, and staff as they work with you to fulfill the calling God gave us so many years ago. I do believe that our best years are still to come!
I am and will always be “in it with you.” With much love,
Pastor Curt