The Rev. Dr. Brian Coulter will be saying goodbye to First Presbyterian Church in Aiken this March as he prepares for his next role in Fort Worth, Texas.
March 14 will be Coulter's last day preaching at the local church, where he has been a pastor since 2014.
Coulter said he will miss many things about First Presbyterian Church in Aiken: the people, the community, the interconnectedness of the downtown churches, the staff, the missions programs, the church elders and the deacons.
Still, Coulter looks forward to getting to know a new community and "stepping into ministry in new ways."
He said one of the tag lines of First Presbyterian is "Busy writing a new chapter in an old story."
"I think we've been doing that for seven years now, and one of the things I've realized in the midst of this, and in the midst of discerning God's call, is that it's time for me to write my next chapter with a different group, and it's time for them to have someone help them write their next chapter," Coulter said. "While it's bittersweet and sad to step out of here, I'm excited to know that God is calling me to write a new chapter somewhere else."
The church has been doing "amazing" over the last seven years, Coulter said. Among other accomplishments, he said the congregation gained 41 new members in the past two years, the church started a new in-home and in-depth Bible study and the church's budget rose higher than ever in 2019 and 2020, allowing more money to go toward missions and serving the community.
To the First Presbyterian Church community in Aiken, Coulter said, "I miss you. I love you. You're in my prayers."
