Dear Members and Friends of First Church,

As we are now in the middle of the summer season, I hope you are enjoying these months—whether you are spending them in Southwest Florida, somewhere else, or a combination. Throughout this issue of the Epistle you will be learning the latest news from First Church, exploring in more detail the impact of modern technology on the life of the church, and receiving some spiritual food for thought. But in this brief letter I want to focus on sharing some personal reflections.

It is always special when we come upon big milestones in our lives, those anniversaries and birthdays and other remembrances that cause us to look back with rich memories and thoughtful reflections. The year 2019 is a year of many personal milestones for me.

  • In May, I marked the completion of my first 15 years as Pastor of First Church. We didn’t do anything special for that event, but it was nevertheless personally meaningful to me. It marks my longest pastorate (I served nearly 11 years in Wichita, Kansas and then over 14 years in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania).
  • In June, I reached the 40th anniversary of my ordination to pastoral ministry. One week after graduating from Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary in June of 1979, I traveled back to my home area of western Pennsylvania where I was ordained in my home church by a commission of the Presbytery that had supervised my preparation. Present at that occasion were my mother, my sister and Jeanne’s parents—along with many friends, elders, deacons and pastors who had supported me. My first mentor in ministry, Dr. Bob Mulholland, was also present for the laying on of hands. I celebrated the 40th anniversary with our congregation in Bonita Springs on June 23.
  • In the month of July, I will be traveling back to my hometown to reconnect with many old friends for my 50th high school class reunion. I attended our 25th class reunion but haven’t been to one since. It will be an interesting time of learning about the paths through life that my classmates have followed.
  • Later this summer, Jeanne and I will be enjoying a 6-week sabbatical (from early August until mid-September). This is the best time of year for me to be gone, as our fall schedule doesn’t begin until sometime in October. The Session granted my request for this time off, and the pastoral staff have planned their schedules in order to cover for my absence. I am looking forward to these six weeks as a time of reading (I have a big stack of books I’m eager to work through!), reflection, recreation and refueling—to give me energy and passion for the final years of my ministry at First Church. We will do some traveling and will also have some “staycation” time at home.
  • One other highlight of this busy summer is our bi-annual church Summer Reunion at The Cove, the Billy Graham conference center near Asheville, North Carolina. It will be such a joy to reconnect with many friends who have been away from Florida for the summer. Asheville is an ideal location for the reunion, as it is approximately equidistant from Bonita Springs and many places where church members have summer homes. I am pleased that Pastor Allen Walworth will be with us and will provide some wonderful Bible teaching during our days at The Cove.

I pray that your summer is also a time of blessing, reconnection with those you love, and spiritual renewal.

Yours in Christ,
Pastor Doug Pratt