A Letter from Canon Kitch:
Dear friends and colleagues,
I write to share the good news that I have accepted the call to become the next rector of St. Luke’s Church in Phillipsburg, NJ, Diocese of Newark. While I enter with joy this next season of my ministry, it is with a heavy heart that I leave the Diocese of Bethlehem.
This diocese has been home to me and my family for the past twenty years, and I have thrived sharing ministry with all of you. In particular, it has been my privilege to walk through the past few years as the Diocesan Transition Ministry Officer and Canon to the Ordinary.
I am particularly grateful for the ministry of Bishop Kevin these past few months, as he has walked with me through my discernment and supported me with prayer and counsel.
As with any clergy transition in our diocese, I want to honor the importance of setting healthy boundaries with clergy, lay leaders and parishes as I begin my new ministry. I will not be in touch with you for an extended period of time. Any questions you or needs you have about diocesan ministry can be directed to Bishop Kevin.
I am grateful for the many ways you have nurtured me and invited me into vibrant ministry with you as we have shared the Good News. As I exercise my gifts for congregational visioning and leadership development in a new context, I will carry my love for the Diocese of Bethlehem with me.
As always, Peace,
_____________________________________
A note from Bishop Kevin:
It is indeed a bittersweet moment for me as I bid farewell to the Rev. Canon Anne Kitch who will be departing as the Canon to the Ordinary as of March 31, 2019. I am deeply grateful for all that Canon Anne has offered to God’s mission in this Church of Bethlehem. Soon the people of St. Luke’s, Phillipsburg and the Diocese of Newark will come to discover Anne’s myriad gifts.
I invite you to join me in expressing your gratitude to Anne at a festive evensong followed by a reception to take place at 5pm on Sunday, April 7 at the Cathedral Church of the Nativity.
Please pray for Canon Anne, and her family as they embark on this new journey and the transition that is before them.
In God’s Love,
The Rt. Rev. Kevin D. Nichols
Bishop of Bethlehem