After months of preparation, prayer, and patient waiting, I’m overjoyed to finally be writing this message from Australia! Dennis and I touched down on Monday, and while we’re still settling in and catching our breath, our hearts are already full. We’re deeply thankful for the welcome we’ve received and are excited to begin this new chapter of ministry alongside you.
Leaving home was not easy. Saying goodbye to dear friends, family, and the faith community that helped shape and sustain me through the years was emotional. Those parting moments were filled with hugs, tears, and the kind of love that leaves an imprint on your soul. Yet even in the midst of those difficult goodbyes, I felt a quiet peace and a sense that we were stepping into something meaningful and Spirit led, held in God's loving care.
I believe that God calls each of us into lives of meaning, purpose, and humble service. That call is not always loud or dramatic. Sometimes it comes as a gentle nudge, a quiet longing, or a deep sense that we are being drawn toward something more. Other times it surprises us, inviting us to let go of what is comfortable in order to step into something unknown.
That calling may lead us to unfamiliar places. It may stretch us in ways we never anticipated. It may invite us into new relationships, new challenges, or new ways of seeing the world and ourselves. But no matter where it leads, that calling is always rooted in love—God’s love for us and God’s love for all of creation.
Calling has brought me here, to this community, to this moment in time, but I did not arrive on my own. I arrived carried by the Spirit, supported by faith, and grounded in the belief that God is guiding my journey. I have no doubt that God is already present and at work among us, moving in ways seen and unseen, preparing the ground for what we will discover and become together.
It is my deep desire to serve with you and among you. I hope to listen well, to learn from you, to dream with you, and to help create spaces where God’s love can be experienced, shared, and lived out in meaningful ways. I come with a hopeful heart, trusting that the Spirit is guiding us into a future filled with possibility and promise.
What excites me most is not just what lies ahead but the opportunity to discover it together. I believe in the unique gifts of this community. I believe in the power of shared ministry. And I believe that when we respond to God’s call, both individually and collectively, transformation becomes possible.
Thank you for the warm welcome and for the love and faith that already surround this community. I look forward to walking with you, serving beside you, and growing in faith together.
With hope and gratitude,
Meredith Carr