Pastor Sue Koenig
Graceham Moravian Church
(2/1) I would like to express my appreciation to Mr. Michael Hillman, Editor of the Emmitsburg News-Journal, for offering me this space on The Pastor’s Desk Page to share a "farewell" with the community. I am writing this letter in the last week of my call as pastor of the Graceham Moravian Church in Thurmont. I am also writing as this year’s Week of Prayer for Christian Unity draws to a close on January 25, 2021. The theme this year is from John 15:1-17, "Abide in my love…you will bear much fruit."
It has been my joy and humble privilege to serve as pastor of the Graceham Moravian Church for the past nine years, to minister to and serve alongside dear and beloved siblings and friends in Christ, and to share in the life and ministry of the congregation – a ministry marked by active Christian service in the community. I am filled with love and gratitude for the Graceham congregation and for the Holy Spirit that will continue to bind us together in love.
It has been a privilege to be part of a congregation with a long heritage – including more than 100 years of serving Turkey & Oyster Dinners! The Graceham Moravian congregation was organized in 1758 and has served Christ for 262 years. In all that time, there have been many changes, far too numerous to remember or count – everything from changing the language for worship from German to English, to welcoming sixty-six pastoral families over the years, to moving plumbing indoors, to the exciting addition of a vibrant Vacation Bible School with audio-visual effects, to virtual worship on Facebook Live and YouTube. All of us have experienced profound changes in our lives since the pandemic began a year ago. Many of our congregations have used the words, "Cancelled" and "Suspended," first one time, and then another, putting on hold some of the ministries that have borne much fruit over the years.
One great loss for us, and me, has been the suspension of our Served with Grace Community Meal on the first Monday of every month. This ministry began in October 2012 and continued through March of 2020. It was a great joy to welcome everyone to the meal each month, to share joys and concerns, to pray, to grieve the loss of loved ones, to celebrate birthdays and recoveries, and to catch up on how things were going with everyone’s life, as well as to enjoy a delicious meal. We were a "Monday night community" that cared for one another every day, a community that I was deeply blessed to be part of, and that I have deeply missed. We grieve the recent loss of a dear one who was part of this community, who came with her husband and sat with friends in the same spot every month. We give praise and thanks to God for the generous gifts we have received from those who wished to fulfill Jesus’ command to "Feed My People." At my leave-taking, I am
grateful for this space to say "thank you for the gift of your friendship," to all who attended our Served with Grace meals, and to pray God’s peace and blessing over all of you. We are praying for the day when we can gather again as this special community.
It has also been my joy, as part of the congregation’s ministry, to share in the ecumenical life of our community through relationships with the Thurmont Ministerium, the Seton Center, the Emmitsburg Council of Churches, the Catoctin Community Medical Fund, and other congregations, that revealed the truth of Jesus’ words: "Abide in my love…you will bear much fruit." We have planned and participated in joint Week of Prayer for Christian Unity, Lenten, and Thanksgiving worship services; engaged in ministry and service together; and gathered in prayer in times of crisis. We worked collaboratively with staff of Mount St. Mary’s University to identify the underlying causes of poverty in Northern Frederick County, and to develop and offer anti-racism training to the greater community. The Thurmont Food Bank and the Catoctin Community Medical Fund are ministries of the Thurmont Ministerium, supported by its congregations, and members of the
community. The Seton Center administers the Medical Fund on behalf of the Ministerium. The Seton Center worked with the Graceham congregation in 2014 to arrange volunteers to do renovations on a house that became a home and a ministry of affordable housing called Angie’s on the Bend, which continues today; and it has been our delight to support the Getting Ahead Program at the Seton Center. I am deeply thankful for and will greatly miss the friends and colleagues with whom I have served.
Though some ministries have been "on hold," the church has not been closed. We are still abiding in Christ’s love and bearing much fruit. We have been willing to try new things, to be flexible and adaptable; we have found new ways to worship, to offer prayer and spiritual encouragement, to reach out and serve those in need. Jesus’ desire that we abide in his love, that we love another, is that we may bear the fruit of unity grounded in love and justice, working to overcome all that prevents abundant life.
As my ministry at Graceham Moravian Church, and this year’s Week of Prayer for Christian Unity ends, there is much to do together in the years ahead, work that done together in love will bear much fruit as you share the gospel of Jesus Christ in word and in action. There is still poverty to overcome – an attainable goal; and one step to help make that a reality – effective public transportation. There will be much to do after the pandemic to increase the health and wellness of everyone in the community; and to advocate for the infants and children negatively impacted by the pandemic, to ensure that they have all the supportive care and services needed to thrive. There is the work of racial justice and healing to continue. There will be planning and building of a hospice facility here at the gateway to the mountains, a place of peace and beauty with an interfaith chapel to provide comfort and hope. There will be an abundant harvest of fruit
from abiding in and sharing Jesus’ love as you serve and work together toward becoming "Beloved Community."
In February, I will begin two new ministry calls. I will be serving as pastor of the First Moravian Church of Easton, PA, and directing the work of racial justice and healing with the Moravian Church Northern Province in Bethlehem, PA. I have roots here, and I will look back with humble and heartfelt gratitude for the years of serving Christ as pastor of the Graceham Moravian congregation, and as a member of the ecumenical witness of this beloved community.
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