In Cape Elizabeth for 14 years, the Rev. Jonathan Twitchell gave his last sermon Sept. 20.

Though Jonathan Twitchell’s time as a pastor in Cape Elizabeth has abounded with memories and learning experiences, what he’ll miss most after he steps down from his post at the Church of the Nazarene on Oct. 1 are the members.

“This congregation is everything a pastor would want in a congregation,” said Twitchell. “I will miss the people more than anything else.”

According to a brochure honoring the church’s 35th anniversary, Twitchell is the church’s eighth and longest serving pastor.

After serving as Cape Elizabeth Church of the Nazarene’s pastor for 14 years, the longtime Cape resident is leaving his post Oct. 1 to move to San Diego, Calif., with his wife Melody, a private piano instructor in Cape Elizabeth and a worship leader at the church.

Church of the Nazarene Foundation recruited Twitchell recently to serve as the organization’s vice president of gift planning. His last day in the Cape Elizabeth pulpit was Sunday, Sept. 20, and was followed by a farewell luncheon.

The church also celebrated its 48th anniversary last weekend, beginning Saturday with a picnic at Two Lights State Park pavilion.

Sunday school and worship services will continue at the church and in small groups at parishioners’ homes every week while the church board searches for a new pastor. In the meantime, an interim pastor may be appointed. According to Twitchell, the board will soon meet with the Rev. Cecil Jones, superintendent for the Maine District Church of the Nazarene, to determine the next steps.

Dianna Yosua, a church member since 2012, said Twitchell is a warm and welcoming pastor, whose sermons are clear and to the point.

“They always hold my attention. Sometimes they challenge me, but always inspire me,” she said.

In addition to his sermons, Yosua has enjoyed Twitchell’s willingness to work with the congregation.

“I will miss his boundless energy, his compassion and love for people, his attention to detail, his sense of humor, great singing voice, and his passion for Jesus,” she said. “He truly is one of the most dynamic preachers I have known.”

Before becoming youth and music minister in Cape Elizabeth in 2001, Twitchell, 39, served as youth pastor at Brunswick Church of the Nazarene for two years. He became the pastor of the Cape Elizabeth Church of the Nazarene in 2002.

At the time, the church was predominantly an aging congregation and few members were Cape Elizabeth residents. But that’s no longer the case. More young families, including those who live in other surrounding towns, have also become regular church members.

“We’ve strengthened the (church’s) connection to the Cape Elizabeth community,” said Twitchell, a graduate of the Eastern Nazarene College in Quincy, Mass., who through the years has learned to love others, trust God and to never give up.

Another big shift in the last decade is the church embracing the use of technology, said Twitchell. In 2006, his Sunday sermons became available through online podcasts.

“We had one of the highest-rated Nazarene sermon podcasts in the country,” he said.

That’s a fairly big deal for such a small church in Maine, said Twitchell, since Church of the Nazarene runs eight schools across the United States, and several of the Nazarene churches nationwide include more than 1,000 people.

The Cape Elizabeth parish has about 40 members, which Twitchell described as “wonderful, open and accepting, supportive, creative and willing to try new things.”

In April 2014 the church also started to stream Twitchell’s weekly sermons through its website at www.capenazarene.org. A couple from Arkansas, and a woman from Costa Rica who knows a member of the church, are among the dedicated listeners, he said.

Twitchell has also helped boost community outreach efforts. For about nine years, from Memorial Day to Labor Day, Twitchell and his wife have led a Sunday evening worship program for campers at Wassamski Springs Campground in Scarborough, one of Twitchell’s efforts that a longtime church member, Nancy Rogers, admires.

“It was a boost for him and the church,” said Rogers, who attended the camp service with her husband, Coley. “It was a nice way to reach out to people who were traveling.”

Rogers, a church member for 45 years, said Twitchell will be difficult to replace.

“I’m devastated,” said Rogers. “It would be nice if we could get a duplicate.

“He’s grown to be such a great speaker. He’s also very good with the people. He’s very loving and caring,” she added. “He’s able to make any person feel comfortable and accepted. It doesn’t matter who you are or where you come from.”

Last winter he and other church volunteers also ran a three-month meal ministry in the basement of the church called Loaves and Fishes. Every year, he and other members create “crisis care kits” – 2-gallon Ziploc bags containing personal items – to send to people involved in a natural disaster or other tragedy anywhere in the world through Nazarene Compassionate Ministries headquartered in Pennsylvania.

“For a small congregation, they do a lot,” he said. “They have a great heart for ministry and service, and they are very generous.”

Twitchell has also led about 70 funerals in the past seven years in the Greater Portland area as a funeral chaplain. As a result of his experience, he wrote a book called “Presence: A Pastor’s Guide to Funerals,” which was published October 2014.

According to Twitchell, the Church of the Nazarene Foundation provides personal assistance to those who want to support the work of the Nazarene Church, such as donating to their local parish or sponsoring a child in another country.

“In a nutshell, we help donors maximize their gifts by utilizing the tax code to their advantage,” said Twitchell, of his new position.

In California, Twitchell will continue to serve as a pastor, but he will not have a local church like the one in Cape Elizabeth.

“We’re looking forward to traveling and supporting the Church of the Nazarene in an administrative role,” said Twitchell. “I will still have opportunities for preaching and filling in for pastors in that part of the country, and speaking at conventions.”

For Twitchell, leaving the church in Cape Elizabeth, where his career as a pastor developed, is bittersweet.

“We’ve just loved our time at Cape Elizabeth Church of the Nazarene and serving the Greater Portland area,” he said. “We look forward to new things. We are excited to move on, but we’re sad to leave.”

The Rev. Jonathan Twitchell stands behind the podium at Cape Elizabeth Church of the Nazarene on Ocean House Road. Twitchell is leaving his post on Oct. 1 to move to California with his wife, Melody, where he will work with the Church of the Nazarene Foundation.Staff photo by Kayla J. Collins