NOTE: This communication will also be mailed to FPC members through the U.S. Mail.
Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,
It has been a deep honor and privilege to serve you as your Co-Senior Pastor these last few years. When we arrived in 2019, no one knew all the crazy things that were about to happen in the world, and what kind of challenges we would face! In this time, I have tried to serve this congregation and my call to minister in the Church of Jesus Christ to the best of my ability, and I have been grateful for every moment of success, and every blessed grace for when I fall short.
In my own personal prayer life, I have been discerning something new. I believe God is changing my calling as a pastor and giving me fresh personal challenges. I have discovered that I am called to be a different kind of pastor than I am right now, to spend more one-on-one time with people who are in need, especially those in crisis. As a part of this change, I feel called to explore the ministry of chaplaincy.
As part of my pursuit of this call and to make myself available for other opportunities, I will need to leave my position at First Presbyterian Church. I notified Session on Sunday night that my last day at FPC will be Sunday, January 21, 2024.
Karen will continue to serve FPC with all her considerable energy, intelligence, imagination, and love. She plans to move to full time and remain as your Senior Pastor and our family will stay in Greenville. This will be a natural transition since I have been handing over my duties to her over the last six months. She is already doing the job, excelling as a head of staff and moderator of session even as she continues to take the lead on pastoral care and worship leadership. She is now providing staff support to all of the ministries of the Session, and I am confident that you are in good hands.
As for my future relationship with FPC, it will be a little different than many other pastors when they leave. I will still be the husband of your Pastor. I will have two kids in the children/youth programs. I will still be living in Greenville, and we will still see each other around town. While it is prudent for me to be very scarce for a while, eventually I can remain as a friend. So, this is not good-bye, just a change in the nature of our relationship.
I am excited to see what this new chapter brings for FPC. I believe it has the possibility to be invigorating for the congregation, the staff, and your newly minted Senior Pastor. I have seen God do great things through this congregation and I cannot wait to see what God does next here!
Grace and Peace,
Rev. Rob Jackson
Co-Senior Pastor