Dear Plymouth Church,

With deep gratitude and some degree of sadness I write to you to inform you that my last day as your Associate Pastor will be Sunday, November 9. This past Sunday I was called by Richmond Beach Congregational Church in Shoreline to be their next Senior Minister.

I began serving at Plymouth in August of 2018 and have served in various capacities in the intervening years. It has been, and continues to be, a great honor to be a part of the ministerial staff here. Many of you are aware that I grew up at Plymouth. When I finally listened to God’s call to ministry, it was a dream of mine to serve in ministry at Plymouth. You have allowed me to fulfill that dream and I am forever grateful to each of you for this chance to serve the Church in this setting.

Over the past seven years, I have matured and learned a great deal from each of you and especially from Rev. Dr. Kelle Brown, June Hayakawa-Fung, and Rev. Jennifer Castle. It is time for me to spread my wings and put those learnings to good use in other settings of the Church. While I will no longer be with each of you in a ministerial capacity, rest assured I will continue to pray for each of you and for Plymouth’s future because I know how important this faith community is to the city of Seattle and beyond.

Our work together may be coming to a close, but know that this place and you, the people, have left an indelible mark on my heart and soul that I will carry with me wherever I go.

Yours, in God’s service,

Rev. Kevin Bechtold