the january recap
thoughts on leaving ministry/my church; a soy sauce/syrup/soda mocktail?; cello vs country playlists
welcome to the first rad recap (of this new format!). i’m so, so grateful you’re here. your support means more than you know.
“new year, new me” is such an overdone phrase, such a worn out idea, but i’m beginning 2023 with a whole lot of newness, and it feels apropos.
in december, i quit my job at my church, giving two weeks of notice after more than a few months of hurt and hard struggles and overwhelming expectations, and a lot of other things too. in leaving the church as my place of work, it was clear to me that it was time to leave it as my place of worship, too.
and so, christmas eve was my last hurrah, ending my time in a full circle way, back in the same massive downtown theater where my time on church staff kicked off nearly four years ago, surrounded by thousands of people as we celebrated jesus. (i mostly cried behind a camera, though, to be honest.)
when it came to putting thoughts on paper this month, this was front of mind to write about, this whole “leaving my job and my church and feeling all the feels about it” thing.
i feel so strongly about sharing what it’s like to leave a church and a community that doesn’t feel right anymore, whatever the reason, because i know so many have gone through it. the hardest part of it for me has been feeling like i’m losing my people, losing my place, my community where i’m so known and so loved and so a part of something, and it’s my hope that in sharing my journey, there will be new connections and new community built with others who can relate.
