01/13/2025
ALL--here is the text of an email going to the congregation later today:
Dear UCC Member,
I know many of you by now have heard the news about my leg and the possibility that it will be amputated in the near future. This is true—I had to be evacuated from Nicaragua last week due to a recurrence of the infections that I have been battling for the past two and one-half years.
I am working on getting additional opinions, which includes trying to get a consultation at the May Clinic; however, I want to assure you all of the following:
• I am not going anywhere! I am committed to this congregation, and if I need a few weeks to heal or travel or whatever, UCC Leadership and I have begun making plans for that.
• I feel pretty good, all things considered. I am on some powerful antibiotics to keep the infection at bay while we look for alternatives. My pain level is manageable at this time, and I avoid taking any narcotic medication until the late afternoon and evening because that is when my leg starts to tire and then hurt.
• UCC Leadership and I have already begun developing plans for possible eventualities. We’ve discussed simple adjustments we might need to make to accommodate me in a wheelchair for a while. If you will recall, I preached several times in a wheelchair in the summer of 2023, and it worked out fine.
• Let’s not speculate too much about possible outcomes. I will inform you all of my status through regular updates, and I know many of you have been keeping abreast of my condition on Facebook. Please, please, please confirm with me any rumors you may hear. My cell phone is 316.304.6058, and my email is [email protected]. That is one of the best things we can do as a congregation right now—let’s dispel rumors and speculations—and this can be accomplished by picking up the phone and calling or texting or sending me an email. You may also check with Heidi, Christy, or any member of the UCC Leadership team, as they all have permission to discuss my status. Leadership for 2025 is Marcey Gregory, Mert Buckley, Tim Duncan, Susan Barrett, and a member-at-large to be identified. Mary Ellen Conlee is also a good resource for you as she knows the latest about my status as well.
I am grateful for your concern and continued prayers.
I am surrounded by a partner, a family, a host of friends, and this congregation. I know I am loved and cared for, and I want to assure all of you that we are going to be okay. No matter what happens, we will move forward in the way that best befits this congregation: boldly, assuredly supported by the Holy One, and with wisdom and love that tells us that everything will be okay.
Yours, as always, in peace,
Rev. Paul Ellis Jackson
Senior Minister
University Congregational Church
9209 E. 29th Street North, Wichita, Kansas 67226
316.634.0430
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