by The Rev. Dr. Stephen Applegate, Interim Rector

Dear Friends,  

This coming Sunday, August 17, will be my last as your Interim Rector. 

When I was a kid, the Mickey Mouse Club was one of the few programs on the even fewer television channels we were able to get through our rooftop antenna. The original run featured a regular, but ever-changing cast of mostly teen performers. ABC broadcast reruns weekday afternoons during the 1958–1959 season, airing right after Dick Clark’s American Bandstand. Each Mickey Mouse Club show ended the same way, with the song that began, “Now it’s time to say good-bye to all our company….”

 My siblings in Christ, now it’s time for me to say goodbye to all of you at St. Paul’s.

Thank you for the opportunity to serve this amazing faith community during a time of transition. I’m thrilled that a new phase in your common life has begun: the calling of The Rev’d T.J. Freeman as your next rector. Your Search Committee has done a terrific job of navigating the process, and the outcome of their work—the call of such an experienced and gifted priest—is reason to rejoice. I can’t wait to see what God has in store for you all!

I am grateful to everyone whose combined efforts have helped St. Paul’s grow stronger during the transition—Bishop Anne, Canon Jessie, and the Diocese of Ohio; those who have served and now serve on the Vestry; the people who participate in the various ministries of the parish; the many who make St. Paul’s inspiring and beautiful worship possible; and especially the staff whose gifts and dedication have blessed you during the past year (and will continue to bless you after T.J. arrives). I would be remiss if I didn’t also recognize your “interim” interim, Bishop Jeff, who graciously passed the baton on to me back in January. I’m leaving the same baton on the desk in the Rector’s Study for T.J. (hopefully the baton won’t be mistaken by T.J.’s children, who are in awe of the resemblance between the Rector’s Study and Headmaster Dumbledore’s office from the Wizarding World of Harry Potter).

Above all, I am grateful for the Holy Spirit, whose gracious presence has sustained St. Paul’s these last several months. I’ve been reminded again and again that God’s power working in us can do infinitely more than we can ask or imagine (Ephesians 3:21-22).

I look forward to watching St. Paul’s go “from strength to strength.” I’ll be observing your progress from a distance. Interims don’t come back to worship with the congregations they serve, nor do they stop by for visits. As is always the case when I leave an interim assignment, I will miss the relationships formed and the friendships made most of all.

After leading six congregations in a row through their transitions, I now have one of my own to face. I’ve been away from home for almost two years. It’s time to take a sabbath from the intensity of interim ministry. 

Like all transitions, mine will include time in what the author William Bridges called “the neutral zone,” that time between endings and beginnings. Bridges believed that the neutral zone is a stage where people affected by change are often confused, uncertain, and impatient. He also said that despite these feelings, the neutral zone can be a time of great creativity, innovation, and renewal. I count on God to guide me in the days and weeks ahead, just as God has guided me throughout my priesthood.

My hope is that the recent work we’ve done together of building relationships at St. Paul’s will continue to strengthen the “ties that bind,” and that all who need human love and fellowship, and a loving God’s care, will experience a deep sense of belonging here. Thank you for the privilege of serving as your Interim Rector.

Blessings, 

Stephen Applegate