Fairwell Letter to Zion from Vicar Mars

Dear Members of Zion Evangelical Lutheran Church,

I want to thank you all for the encouragement and support you have given me and my family during this vicarage year. It has been wonderful to get to know you all and to be a small part of Zion’s work to proclaim the Gospel to the world. We will miss this congregation. I will send my bi-annual newsletter to Zion so that you can hear how our last year of seminary is going.

I have learned a lot over the course of this year. First and foremost, you all have strengthened my desire to be a pastor. I would be blessed to be called to any church that is as well-catechized and vibrant as Zion is. Second, you have sharp-ened my skills. Many of you have told me how much better and more confident my sermons and Bible Studies have become. As the saying goes, “Practice makes perfect,” and I am grateful to both Pr. Hromowyk and you for all the practice you have given me this year. As with all learning, there are definitely things I wish I had done better, especially at the beginning of vicarage. But I will take this experience and hopefully improve if and when I get my call next year.

I also want to thank you for being so supportive of my family. Zion is a very welcoming congregation to young children, and I would encourage you to keep that. Kids are loud, and some churches simply aren’t used to that and so, intentionally or unintentionally, discourage children being in church. One tangible method of support is the meal train. Hannah and I have greatly appreciated the meal train after Miriam’s birth, and I have heard from other families that they are very grate-ful for this support you offer. So, thank you again for welcoming me and my family into your lives, even if only for a few short months. The year flew by so quickly for us.

Zion is a wonderful congregation, and you have a great pastor leading you. I was very blessed to have been chosen to be your vicar, and I am sure that your next vicar and any others after him will likewise be blessed by you. Thank you again!

Yours in Christ,
Nathaniel E. Mars