Dear family, friends, and supporters,
Over the last couple of months, many of you have prayed with us as we have sought clarity about our future—specifically, whether we would return for another 18-month cycle of ministry after our Croatian residency ends on September 15.
When I first mentioned this in an update, I said we expected to have a decision within two weeks. Instead, it has taken the better part of six. We have gone back and forth praying, reflecting, and weighing what is best for the church, for our family, and for the future.
This has not been an easy decision. But after much prayer and conversation, Vicki and I have decided that we will not return to Europe after we leave this fall.
We will be finishing our time at New Life Vicenza, the church I was called to serve by Ministry to the Military and Internationals (MMI)—a commission of Southeast Alabama Presbytery in the Presbyterian Church in America (PCA).
When I first talked with Vicki about this call in early 2022, she told me she could commit to three years. And we have done that.
By the time we return to the U.S. in September, we will have served three and a half years—initially through a tourist visa and then through Croatian residency, combined with weekly cross-border travel to Vicenza.
We have made that unusual arrangement work, but we were never able to obtain Italian residency. The arrangement allowed us to manage the visa limitations, but it also meant we were gone from Vicenza most of the week—and created several other temporary situations, traveling between three countries and living in two—that we have been juggling ever since.
In addition to the residency challenge, there are a few other key reasons we have made this decision:
1. Family – Vicki’s mom has been dealing with ongoing health challenges, particularly with her knees, vision, and hearing. More recently, she had other challenges that have left her feeling unsettled and vulnerable in new ways.
It reminded us of what we went through with my own mom, when our family began rotating in to stay with her full-time.
This is not the only reason for our decision, but it has helped us recognize that now is the right time to step in and be closer to family—and to help shoulder that responsibility together.
We also want to spend more time with our grandkids and reconnect with family after several years overseas.
2. Health – I have some ongoing health issues, and navigating care between two countries has been complicated—especially with our insurance based primarily in the U.S.
If we take another overseas call in the future, we will need to approach healthcare and residency with greater stability and intentionality.
Vicki returned to the States this past weekend. It was a hard decision.
Our dear friends here, Val and Jeff, are preparing to welcome a new baby this week. Vicki really wanted to stay to support them—and I was ready to help with their sons, Sasha (4) and Misha (2), which I have grown accustomed to and have truly come to enjoy.
But alongside that desire was a growing concern for her mom. When I found a reasonably priced flight just before Memorial Day, we booked it. I dropped Vicki off at the Venice airport early Saturday morning.
By Sunday, Vicki had driven from Nashville to be with her mom.
It was hard for Vicki to leave, but I could see the relief in her face. It was the right thing to do, and we are grateful she could get there when she did.
Vicki plans to return to Italy on June 22 with our daughter Mary Helen and our granddaughter Carolyn, who will stay with us through the end of July.
Then, before the school year starts back in the States and summer help becomes more limited, Vicki will return to the States in early August to be with her mom.
Her brothers, Keith (and his wife Carlene) and Dan (and his wife Liz), have carried virtually all the weight of caring for her mom while we have been overseas. Vicki’s presence over the summer will allow them some much-needed breathing room during a full and demanding season.
I will remain in Europe until our Croatian residency ends on September 15.
Lord willing, my final Sunday preaching at New Life Vicenza will be September 14.
That final stretch will include not only saying goodbye but also wrapping up life here logistically including selling our Croatian-registered car (a 2023 Hyundai Tucson with less than 75000km if you are interested), which we bought to help with the cross-border travel that made this ministry possible.
We know that this decision brings significant disruption for New Life Vicenza and MMI as they begin the process of seeking a new pastor in Italy.
We are especially grateful to the people of New Life Vicenza, and to MMI and Southeast Alabama Presbytery, for the opportunity to serve during this season. We have been welcomed, supported, and greatly encouraged. It has been a joy to walk alongside this church and to partner in gospel ministry together.
If you are a pastor (or ordainable) in the PCA—particularly someone with a military background, Italian heritage (including through marriage), or a stable, provable retirement or pension—and you sense a call to serve overseas, please feel free to reach out to me or to MMI. I’d be glad to talk with you about the ministry of New Life Vicenza.
Even with several months still ahead, the impact of this transition is already being felt. We have seen that in conversations with leaders and in sharing the news with the church on Sunday.
It is hard to describe the sadness of preparing to leave people we have come to love and a church we have delighted to serve.
Having only served two churches in 25 years of ministry—both of which we have poured our lives into and they to us—this kind of transition is never just logistical. It is deeply personal.
That is what makes discerning God’s call so costly and the decision to leave so hard.
Once we return to the States, we will begin the process of selling our house in Mount Juliet, which may take some time.
We will also spend some extended time with family—especially Vicki’s mom and our grandkids—to reconnect and catch up after several years overseas.
This is not a “retirement announcement.”
I am still actively working on The Dayton Graham Project; a writing effort focused on the life of my father. I have also continued publishing essays with The Jack Miller Project, though I have not made any final decisions yet about whether and how to continue that work long-term.
I will revisit that once we are back in the U.S.
I have also been asked recently whether and where I would consider accepting another call.
The answer is: Yes, and wherever God sends us. I hope He is not yet done with us in gospel ministry. We are looking at both pastoral and teaching roles, depending on where the Lord leads.
We want to be mindful of Vicki’s ability to care for her mom, and of residency/healthcare availability—but most places in the U.S. would be far more accessible than Novigrad or Vicenza.
If you have insight, encouragement, or even suggestions as we discern where God may be leading us next, we would love to hear from you.
We will continue sharing more in the months ahead.
I will also be reaching out to many of you personally after we return.
Thank you for walking with us, supporting us, and praying with us through this unique and meaningful chapter of ministry.
We are grateful more than we can say.
How you can pray with us:
As we walk through these next few months, we would be grateful for your prayers in these areas:
- For New Life Vicenza and MMI as they navigate this transition, seek new pastoral leadership, and make decisions for the future. Pray especially for Joe as he, more than anyone, has carried the weight of these transitions in the past.
- For Vicki’s time with her mom—for energy, peace, and presence. And pray for me as we are apart. I am so much better when Vicki is partnering alongside me in ministry.
- For our final months in Europe—to finish well and serve faithfully in Italy to the end, and as we wind down life in Croatia as well.
- For wisdom and provision as we prepare for the next season of gospel ministry.
- For clarity and endurance as I continue the writing projects, I would like to finish sooner than later.
With much love in Christ,
Mike and Vicki
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