Northfield Methodist Church

LETTER FROM SCHALK AND MARLENE PIENAAR

Our move to Pretoria (Brooklyn Methodist Church) is now upon us. Tomorrow morning the truck will arrive and the next part of our journey as Christ-followers will begin.

A few months back I posted an entry wishing Trevor well in his next move after Northfield. It turns out now, after much discerning and discussion, that Trevor will remain a part of the Northfield team next year. Some of the website readers inquired as to how they could stay in touch with Trevor. Well, now it's quite easy ... his telephone number and email address will remain the same :)

Trev, perhaps you'd like to tell us a little more of what your involvement next year will be, by way of a comment to this post?

This weekend's services greeted us with the news of Trevor's departure from Northfield at the end of 2008. It is sad news in the life of our church. How does one begin to take stock of the impact someone like Trevor has had on our community and faith?

Partings like this are always difficult - for all parties concerned. There is a natural grieving process, that in my experience, never manifests itself in the same way. Every minister's departure is difficult, but I suspect that after 17 years of service to Northfield, there will be immensely difficult goodbye's to be said.

I guess a congregation member also needs to remember that Ministers come and go in the life of a church. It's part and parcel of the Methodist Church of South Africa's (MCSA) approach to ministry - that after a period of time (usually 5 years I think), the eldership and minister need to review the invitation for another period of ministry.

A departure of this nature is also a very difficult personal journey - I remember the pain I went through when the minister at my first church left (I don't think he'll remember, but I made an appointment with the Circuit Superintendent, Bill Meaker, to protest the departure. ah, the vigour of youth!).

One of the best approaches in a time like this is to deal with the pain openly. A close friend, Rev Barry Marshall , chronicled his last departure from Edenvale Methodist church in his blog, Leaving Home.

Apt words I suspect, "leaving home" ... this will no doubt be the feeling we all have as Trevor moves on.