Stanborough Park Church has bid farewell to Pastor Terry Messenger after five years of service in Garston.
Pastor Terry spoke to GARSTONnews to reflect on his time at the church.
He said: “I have mixed feelings in a way. I was always going to retire about this time, but I will miss pastoring the church.
“It has been a very exciting church to pastor; there are always things going on.
“I have found that the local community are all very friendly people – everyone has been so warm and welcoming to me.”
Reflecting on his Garston tenure, Pastor Terry is most proud of the work the church completed during the COVID-19 lockdown in delivering food parcels to those in need.
When speaking about how he came to be in this line of work, he said: “I was always very shy – I didn’t speak all that much. But when I joined the church, it gave me confidence.”
He began reading scriptures during church services, which helped to bring him out of his shell.
A couple of years went by, and Pastor Terry felt a higher calling. He decided to take a leap of faith and, after six years of study, he emerged with a BA, a master’s degree, and a new career as a pastor.
Thirty-six years later, he is now moving on to a different chapter in his life – retirement.
Pastor Terry, however, does still plan on being involved in the church. He would like to volunteer as a chaplain at Luton and Dunstable Hospital and is also hoping to do some work with Parkinson’s UK.
Pastor Terry was diagnosed with Parkinson’s a couple of years ago and now wants to do what he can to help others affected by the disease.
Aside from these goals, Pastor Terry is also looking forward to more ‘traditional’ retirement activities, such as spending time with his family, travelling and, of course, going to church.
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