December 2019
Dear Family and Friends,
Christmas 2019 will be a most unusual celebration for us! This Christmas will be our first since Chuck’s retirement on July 31. We enjoyed 23 years of holiday festivities with the Seminary family, our family, and many friends in the NOBTS President’s Home. While we will not host multiple events or bake dozens of pumpkin spice cakes this year, we are looking forward to making new traditions and new memories with family and friends.
The year began with Rhonda’s diagnosis of salivary gland cancer. After surgery, she battled through seven chemotherapy infusions and thirty-three radiation treatments during January and February. March was a month of recovery, then frequent follow-up appointments until August when the PET scan identified “no evidence of cancer.” We are so grateful to the Lord for His healing touch and to you for your prayers and support!
Our transition began in earnest in the spring as we built a cozy cottage in Fairhope, AL, packed our personal belongings, and moved from New Orleans for the first time in forty-four years. We joined First Baptist Church of Fairhope, Alabama, only our third church during our marriage. We are so grateful to NOBTS for the wonderful retirement celebrations and the gift of our campus apartment. Our connections with NOBTS will continue as we support our beloved Seminary in every possible way.
After the SBC, we closed on our home in June, moved in July, and settled in August. In September, we enjoyed a special trip to Ireland and England celebrating Rhonda’s cancer victory, our 45th wedding anniversary, and Chuck’s retirement. On October 1, we relaunched our ministries and have both been busy teaching, speaking, and writing. Chuck has enjoyed having time to work on a major research project about Southern Baptist evangelism. You can follow him on Facebook/Twitter and his new website: www.drchuckkelley.com. Rhonda is active on Facebook and launched her new website on December 16: www.rhondakelley.com. Our home and cell numbers as well as our email addresses have remained the same.
Gratitude fills our hearts for God’s grace and the encouragement of loved ones as this year comes to a close. We eagerly anticipate God’s work in our lives and ministries in this next chapter and the New Year. Trusting God to bless you richly!
Much love and many blessings,
Chuck and Rhonda Kelley