Pastor Casey will retire in June, 2019

During the Sept. 23 service, the Rev. Casey Collins announced to the congregation, at the end of her sermon, that she will be retiring in June of next year and that we will have a new minister at the beginning of July.

Pastor Casey’s decision to retire is the result of a relatively rare, progressive genetic eye disease which she was diagnosed with last spring. She previously had an eye condition known as Macular Pucker. The combination of the two could render her blind in 5-10 years.

In her own words, she said, “The decision to retire was a simple one, a time to spend with all the colorful landscapes, birds, dahlias, fabric, and most of all faces that I love so much. I hope to travel, spend much of the summers at my island cottage, do a lot of quilting and appreciate every drop of eye sight I presently have.”

Pastor Casey began serving our church in July 2017, replacing the Rev. Ruth Morrison who retired in June 2017. Pastor Casey’s ministries began in 1993 as a student pastor serving two small churches. She has served churches in Milford, New Hampshire, Lewiston, Maine, and on Peaks Island, Maine. Additionally, she was the founding pastor of the Good Shepherd Church in Gray, Maine.

Pastor Casey also is an elder with the New England Conference of United Methodist Churches and serves on its District Committee on Ministry.

Our prayers and hopes for a fulfilling retirement go out to Pastor Casey and her family.