To The Ministry Partners of Christ the King,
It is with equal parts excitement and sadness that I share with you that I have accepted the call to serve as the Director for Evangelical Mission/Associate to the Bishop for the East Central Synod of Wisconsin. Along with that, I am resigning from my call as Associate Pastor for Youth and Innovation at Christ the King.
Sometimes in life the Holy Spirit can really toss us some things that weren’t in our plans, and I would say that is certainly true in this case. Just as we were all starting to get settled and comfortable in the post-quarantine days, the winds of the Spirit blew mightily within me, and now we have landed in this place. I look forward to the days of serving ahead, while at the same time I lament that our time together is soon coming to a close.
I want you all to know: I have loved being your pastor here at Christ the King. It has been among the greatest
honor and joys of my life to serve with and among you. You are a community who truly embodies what it is to bring God’s love to life through your warmth, your passion for service, and your boldness in extending hospitality and love to all God’s people. Additionally, I have so much gratitude for Pastor Nate and our staff for their partnership and collegiality. It truly is difficult to be leaving such a great team.
The weeks ahead will be a time of immense transition, and it will take all of us to come together and make that transition as smooth as possible. Pastor Nate has already been in conversation with the pe
rsonnel team and synod leaders to explore different options for leadership going forward. My final weeks will be spent connecting with leaders among all of you to fill in support for our young people involved in our flourishing youth programs. As we work to make this transition smooth for our students of Christ the King, I ask that you consider lending your faith, your time, and your gifts so they can continue to grow into the faithful servant leaders they are already becoming.
So what’s to come? I will give my final sermon on Sunday, October 9th (real talk: I won’t at all be insulted if you stay home from church to watch the Packer game that day…it’s admittedly cool that they’re playing in London). My final worship service will be Sunday, October 16th, then my last hurrah with all of you will be on Saturday, October 22nd for our Trunk or Treat/Tailgate Cook-Off event.
Beloveds, my heart is so full of gratitude for our time together. I think the Apostle Paul sums things up well: I thank my God every time I remember you. In all my prayers for all of you, I always pray with joy because of your partnership in the gospel from the first day until now… (Philippians 1:3-5)
As our paths begin to diverge, I am confident you will continue to be a community who brings God’s love to life in this world!
Peace be the journey,
Pastor Dara Q. Clifford
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