The date is set

January 1, 2017.  It's set. That will be my retirement date.  It's a little over a year away, but rather than count down I want to savor these final months with Preachers' Aid Society.

I don't think I ever stayed at one job for more than three years prior to working with PAS.  I went from tracking tugboats to a department store advertising department, from selling art prints to working in the hunting/fishing business, from activities assistant in a nursing home to a case worker with the elderly.  And here's the amazing thing - the wide variety of jobs prior to PAS helped to prepare me for my work that has continued here for almost 25 years.  (Okay, maybe not tracking tugboats, though in a way it did prepare me for the tedious work that sometimes has to be done to keep a database up to date and find errors).

In 1991, with some fear but more with excitement, I started visiting our retired clergy, their spouses and surviving spouses from the former Southern New England Conference who lived in the six New England states.  After about ten years I was feeling called to something different and in working with our new Executive Director, Thom Gallen, in 2001 along with the Board, I set out to see how PAS might work with our active clergy.   Starting programs with the Foundation and bringing Barb Lemmel (then with the Troy Conference) and Tending the Fire to New England were two major parts of my work as I gradually left behind the visiting.

As I reflected on completing my time with PAS I was hit with a thought - wouldn't it be nice to return to visiting retired clergy.  However, we already have staff making the visits in the New England states, so I turned my focus to those we do not usually visit, our retirees who live outside the United States (other than FL where we have made visits from time to time).  I put together a proposal which our Board approved early in November and I am now spending quite a bit of time with a U. S. map trying to see how I might make visits throughout our country.

I'm looking forward to making these connections in my final year.  I'll start with parts of California and Arizona in January and move on from there.  I'll share about my time on the road through this blog and I would ask for your prayers as I travel in unfamiliar places.  I'm also hoping to get permission from those I visit to post pictures and greetings on the Preachers' Aid Society Facebook page.

The Road to Retirement will be my 2016 pilgrimage to prepare for the next stage of my life.  Unlike the Camino, instead of walking I'll be traveling by car, train and airplanes!  May God be my guide as I embark on this journey.

Remembering Charlie

Last Saturday the Board of Preachers' Aid Society met and one of the agenda items was a discussion about my retirement.  A proposal was approved and more details will be coming.  Right now I want to begin by expressing my deep gratitude that our Board is allowing me to enter into a transition period as I prepare for my retirement.

While I worked on the proposal I couldn't help but remember my entry into PAS.  Rod Goulding, a member of Trinity UMC in Springfield MA, was serving on the Board of PAS.  One day in early 1991 he handed me a job description and asked me to pass it along to anyone I thought might be interested.  I didn't pass it along; rather I kept it and showed it to my husband.

As soon as I glanced over it I realized it was for Polly Taylor's job at PAS.  I had read about her work a few years earlier in the Zion's Herald.  She was doing something brand new for PAS, visiting retired clergy and surviving spouses who lived in the New England states.  When I read the article I thought it looked like the best job ever!  Now I had the chance to interview for the position.

So, on a sunny, chilly day I first met Charlie Fowlie at the Friendly's on Sumner Ave, just down from our church.  We had lunch, we talked, and by the end of the interview I was even more certain this was the right job for me.  After an interview with the Pastoral Care Division I was hired and in July 1991 began my work with Charlie Fowlie and the Preachers' Aid Society.

From the beginning Charlie was a good colleague with whom to work.  He was always available for a conversation, he affirmed the work I was doing, he was open to new ideas.  He dearly loved PAS and spent hours traveling the conference to let people know about its ministry.  Charlie ushered in our emergency grant program and was often the person who discovered the needs of some of our retirees and surviving spouses as we continued to improve the visitation program.

At some point in our conversations Charlie would ask about my family and share about his.  We were regularly sharing stories of teenagers and encouraging one another.  He also loved his ministry dressing up as a clown and entertaining children in the hospital.  I felt like his time spent with children in hospitals was very close to his heart.

As Charlie approached his own retirement I could hear some doubts in his voice, maybe a little concern about what he would be doing in retirement.  On the occasions I saw him after his retirement he would tell me about a number of things that filled his life in Lovell ME including the Chaplaincy of the Fire Department, working on a history of PAS, and visiting with his family.  As often happens our communications slowed down over time though I always looked forward to his Christmas letter and made sure he received ours so could share our year with each other.

Unfortunately, when I first heard that Charlie's health was failing I took it to mean that there would be a gradual decline; I did not understand the gravity of his being diagnosed with pulmonary fibrosis.  So I along with so many others was shocked when I learned of his death on September 26.  Preachers' Aid Society lost a part of ourselves that day as who we are today was built on  years of service given by Charlie to this organization.  Thank you Charlie, thank you for the gift of your years with PAS.  While you will be missed, the generosity of your ministry will live on with us for years to come.