This is the letter sent to Kerr Presbyterian Members and Friends on October 13, 2021 from Rev. KJ Norris.
Dear Kerr Family,
I am so thankful for you. You are a loving, welcoming, thoughtful group of people. It is a joy to serve as your pastor, and I’m grateful for the past 5 years together.
Prayerfully, I have decided to accept a full-time pastoral leadership position in Bolingbrook, IL, just outside of Chicago. I write this sentence with both great excitement and great sorrow in my heart. I believe this is the call of the Holy Spirit for me and for Kerr. It is time for me to take a full-time ministry role, and I believe that Kerr will continue to thrive under new leadership. But I will miss you all dearly.
You have truly become my family over these 5+ years. As in all families, we have shared in moments of great celebration and great sorrow. The Holy Spirit has lead us to do so many wonderful things together. We started and participated in programs like Junior Journeys for our kids and Super Studies with our adults. We discerned together best practices for the Kerr House and set a path for the Kerr House Counseling Center and received grants for our work. We have reached people through an abundance of new technology including websites and an overflow room. We have been together through celebrations of God’s goodness including Animal Blessings, Homecomings, Christmases, and Easters. And we have mourned at the funerals of beloved family members.
In all of it, I am so grateful for the ways you love God and love one another, including me. I hope to see you at our upcoming Fall Festival Saturday, October 30 from 2 – 4 PM, and my last worship service with you will be Sunday, October 31, 2021.
Thank you for partnering in the work of the Jesus Christ during these years.
Love and Blessings,
Pastor KJ Norris
*Listen to Pastor KJ’s sermon on Sunday, October 17, 2021, after sharing that she will be leaving Kerr.