Litany used at Pastor Bruce Sandy’s departure from Community Baptist Church, Manchester Connecticut. April 26, 2009
PASTOR: Believing that God had brought us together for ministry, on April 14, 1997 we shared our first service together celebrating our new ministry. During these twelve years we have accomplished much for the Lord by providing exciting (hot and humid!) Vacation Bible School program, volunteering at the MACC shelter, participating in some nine trips to the Dominican Republic, leading in our town’s ecumenical efforts and in our denomination, sharing the sadness of funerals and the joy of baptisms, weddings and infant dedications, enjoying Southern Gospel performers and professional puppeteers, transforming the courtyard into a peace garden, upgrading our facilities with new carpeting, a new sound system, more recently a new audio-visual system and now a new driveway. I have delivered over 600 sermons based on The Word of God hoping to guide you spiritually, and I have counseled individuals and the church to the best of my abilities. We have shared thousands of prayers together. I have had the privilege of visiting you in your homes, in the hospital, even at work. As with most families, we have also had our share of disagreements and consensus, times of peace and times of turmoil, occasions of hurt and times of forgiveness and healing. Together we have weathered a six year war in Afghanistan and Iraq, the tragedy of 9/11, and a national recession. Throughout all of this, we have tried to remain faithful to the Lord!
PEOPLE: The Lord brought us together; now our journey together has come to an end. Praise God our journeys of faith continue on, just in different directions. May our past memories remain a precious and meaningful foundation upon which to build in the future. May we grow stronger by the trials we endure, and may we grow more and more humble before the Lord as the years go by.
PASTOR: Dear friends, you have allowed me to share the responsibilities and privilege of the ordained ministry in your midst. Today my pastoral role comes to and end. After today we continue to be brothers and sisters in Christ wishing one another life’s best.
PEOPLE: We realize your code of ethics prohibits you from coming back to officiate at weddings or funerals, offer pastoral care for members at the hospital, or to counsel any church-related individuals or families. We respect your boundaries and do not desire to put you in an awkward ethical position. We do, however, look forward to lifting you up in prayer.
PASTOR: During the years of our ministry together, you presented me with symbols that express my special role among you. Now it is time for me to return to you that which you have lent me. I have tried faithfully to proclaim the Word of God among you. Here is a Bible which expresses this.
PEOPLE: Praise be to God for His Holy Word! We thank you for helping us apply the Scriptures to our lives. Thank you for teaching us about God and His love.
PASTOR: I have shared, through God’s grace, in bringing some of you through the waters of baptism, welcoming you into the Christian Church and into God’s eternal kingdom. Here is water that symbolizes the new life in Jesus Christ and His grace that washes away our sins.
PEOPLE: Praise be to Jesus Christ, our Lord and Redeemer. We thank You Jesus for taking our sins upon You, dying to pay the wages of our sins, burying them in the tomb, and offering each of us a glorious resurrection. We thank you for all your baptism and membership classes that helped us understand our eternal commitment to Christ.
PASTOR: As your pastor I have also been responsible for guiding the other staff, for making sure the administration of the church functioned effectively, and that our Constitution was honored. I give to you a copy of our Constitution, with all it’s revisions, especial since the new team ministry approach. May you continue to honor the spirit of the Constitution. May you never serve the Constitution in a stifling way; instead may the Constitution serve you and your ministries.
PEOPLE: We free you from any administrative responsibilities to this church.
PASTOR: One of my most sacred tasks was officiating at communion. What a privilege to handle the symbols of Christ’s body and blood, the bread and the grape juice. Being one in Christ is such an honor. It is an eternal bond which never can be broken with one another or with God. I give to you this chalice and plate, handing back to you the sacred honor that once was mine.
PEOPLE: We accept this chalice and plate, appreciative of Christ’s atonement for us. Through Him we may now be one with Almighty God.
PASTOR: During our time together we sang many hymns of faith. I estimate at least 2,000! What a wonderful way to praise God from our very soul. This hymnal also represents something else quite important—our Church Covenant. The Covenant on the back cover describes quite eloquently our responsibility to God and to one another. This covenant in not a contract; it is a pledge between Christians. In fact this covenant supersedes and contract since it defines who we are, what we are to do as Christians, and how to relate to one another . This pledge to one another reminds us that we take care of one another throughout all the ups and downs of life, that we represent Christ here on earth, and that there are certain expectations spelled out for membership. So…I return this hymnal to you, celebrating all the music we shared together. And in doing so, I release you from our covenantal relationship.
PEOPLE: We accept this hymnal, appreciating all our hymn sings, praise songs, hymns, choir anthems and handbell music. We too release you from the covenant of this church.
PASTOR: Lastly, I return to your church keys. I appreciate the trust implied by giving me access to every part of this House of Worship. Whether the heat did not come on, or the toilets overflowed, or the roof leaked—this House of Worship is a great building that has served us well. May your doors always be opened wide to all who are awaiting you to share with them the Good News of Jesus Christ. I return all these keys so that your next pastor will have full access to the ministries of this church.
PEOPLE: We accept these keys as your final goodbye.
PASTOR: I leave you knowing that God is still in your midst. I leave knowing that you will soon have an interim minister to be with you while you take time to select a new pastor. And I leave you knowing that the Holy Spirit will guide you in the future. May your new pastor be a blessing to you—and you a blessing to him or her.
(During the litany, members of the congregation came forward to receive the Bible, water, chalice and plate, hymnal, and keys.)