Parker, Colorado … Newday Adventist Church in Parker said goodbye on February 29 to Pastor David Kennedy, who helped found the congregation in 2000 and has been its lead pastor. The sanctuary was packed for his last day, with overflow seating set up to accommodate the crowd gathered to say farewell to Pastor Dave and his wife Kim. The couple is moving to Kansas City, where Dave has accepted a leadership position at AdventHealth.

Three individuals were baptized during his final worship service–Eden Jaklich, a 6th grader at Mile High Academy; Roberto Amaya, a college student who started attending Newday at the invitation of his girlfriend; and Aura Stannard, a medical professional who started attending Newday last summer after being invited by a co-worker.

Pastor Dave’s final sermon wrapped up a series entitled “Transitions,” intended to help the congregation prepare for the transitional period ahead in which they will be searching for a new lead pastor. The final message focused on Acts 20, the story of Paul’s farewell to the leaders of the church in Ephesus. The sermon urged the congregation to remain faithful to the gospel, and Pastor Dave ended the message by following Paul’s example and kneeling to pray for his congregation.

After the service, the congregation celebrated with a fellowship lunch, followed by an emotional afternoon farewell program. Several Newday members gave brief speeches in which they shared memories of friendship with the Kennedys, expressed gratitude for the Kennedys’ service, and (in several cases) shed tears over the departure of a beloved friend and pastor.

“We have had the honor and blessing of loving God and serving our world with the most amazing community of people for 20 years. Stepping away from this group of people is one of the hardest decisions of my life, and it’s difficult to imagine serving in another city. People ask if we’ll miss the mountains, or the weather, or the Broncos.  Living in Denver is great, but we’ll really only miss the people of Newday who have loved us and served along side us so faithfully for so long,” Dave Kennedy commented for the NewsNuggets.

The service ended with Newday’s congregation joining together in unison to affirm Pastor Dave and Kim with the traditional farewell the congregation gives to departing members who have deeply impacted the Newday community: “We commend your service.”

Jamie Santa Cruz, text; photos by Agape Hammond