Goodbye Pastor Dave

Today at church I will wish I wore waterproof mascara.

I know I'll cry during Pastor Dave's "tribute service" or whatever the term is....it's his last service to lead worship before he leaves OCC. In honor of his 27 years there, the choir and orchestra will be reuniting and worshiping one last time together. I got a sneak peak at their rehearsal on Wednesday night and was bowled over by the amount of people on stage...amazing!! Amazed to think of that amount of people once having been a part of the OCC family... and now... gone - that's how I read the full stage.

I'm trying to be a big girl and recognize this moment as a glimpse of heaven - that when we are there, we will be reunited with faces that were precious to us, and we will worship together and it will be good and crowded and musical. (no tears then though!)

Anyhow, I think I grieve Pastor Dave's departure on a few levels. One, the immature level of me that hates change. :) Two, the level of me that recognizes a Good Man and the benefit of having one around. You really can't ask for a more righteous man than Pastor Dave, and sitting under his teaching or basking in his presence is really a blessing. I am SO GLAD that Katie got to work under him this past year as the choir pianist - God really saw ahead of the game on that one and knew to put her in that spot for a brief but blessed season! Thirdly, I think genetically I have a grief for losing part of the arts at our church - choir and orchestra. I think, being the granddaughter of a choral conductor, that my appreciation for a broader range of music transcends into a broader range of worship style (said conductor grandfather was also a worship pastor).

So, on all those levels - the immature, the respectful and the genetic - I will be wishing I had waterproof mascara today at church.