Our Savior Lutheran pastor to hold farewell service

Our Savior Lutheran Church will hold a farewell service Sunday for its longtime pastor, John Moore, who has served at the church for 15 years.

The community of Newton is invited to join the people of the church in giving thanks to Moore and his ministry at 9 a.m. as they say farewell to his wife, Karen, and daughter, Kailey, as they will be moving to Houston, Texas. Ian Moore, their son, will return from mission work in Houston to lead the people in worship Sunday.

Moore will be resigning from his paid position to become a volunteer missionary to the community of Houston. The Moores will join Oikos, a missional community that seeks to follow the ways of Jesus in finding, loving and serving broken and hurting people.

Oikos comes from the Greek word that means house, household or family. The Moores will join the Oikos family as they open up their home to those God puts in their lives to love and serve as family.

Moore said one particular memory stood out to him during his time at Our Savior Lutheran Church.

“One day a few years ago, a fellow called the church asking me if we would welcome an boisterous, outspoken atheist in our church. I told him I would hope so, that I was certainly eager to meet him and welcome him — he told me he didn’t believe in God, but he thought that religion would be good for his wife. That day I visited he and his wife in their apartment,” Moore said. “The next Sunday they both attended church together. Very soon I was spending time with him answering questions and telling him about Jesus. By the end of the summer, he wanted to be baptized.”

What made this particularly meaningful Moore said was the church decided to baptize Curtis in the prayer garden, using the water flowing from the rock, to bring him into God’s Kingdom, and uniting him with The Rock, Jesus Christ, Moore said.

“What made this even more meaningful is Curtis ending up dying only a few months later, but gained his eternal life in that prayer garden that August evening,” Moore said.

Moore said he has written a farewell in a newsletter that was sent out to the congregation.

“I want to thank you for the privilege of serving you as your pastor for the past 15 years. It’s hard to believe that this chapter in our lives is drawing to a close — it’s hard to believe that the house we lived in on East 17th Street North is the one home that I have lived in the longest of my life,” Moore said. “Half of my pastoral ministry has taken place here in Newton — our children grew up and matured as children of OSL.”

“Where I have failed you as a pastor, as a brother in Christ, as a neighbor and resident of Newton, I ask for your forgiveness. I cherish the grace and forgiveness of our Lord Jesus, who covers all of our sins, and redeems all our failures and brokenness — as the day of my departure from Our Savior, my love for you, God’s beloved children, has increased,” Moore said.

“I am also excited to see the plans God has for Our Savior unfold. You are in good hands,” Moore said. “Pastor Joel Picard, your vacancy pastor, and Pastor David Brandt, your visitation and preaching pastor, are two of the best followers of Jesus I know.”

Contact Kayla Langmaid at
641-792-3121 ext. 6513 or
klangmaid@newtondailynews.com