A “Joys and Sorrows” display is filled with messages Easter Sunday, many expressing the congregation’s sadness at the Rev. Jodi Cohen Hayashida’s departure as the First Universalist Church of Auburn: Unitarian Universalist minister. Andree Kehn/Sun Journal

The Rev. Jodi Cohen Hayashida, right, hugs parishioner Dana Rickman at the end of the Easter Sunday service at the First Universalist Church of Auburn: Unitarian Universalist. Hayashida’s is leaving as the church’s minister, having served since 2000. “I’ve never met anyone like her,” Rickman says. “She does the work, always with love.” Andree Kehn/Sun Journal

The congregation comes together at the end of the Easter Sunday service at the First Universalist Church of Auburn: Unitarian Universalist. Well-mannered, leashed pets are welcome at the worship services. Andree Kehn/Sun Journal

The Rev. Jodi Cohen Hayashida wipes away tears Easter Sunday as she begins her final sermon as the church’s minister. Hayashida, who has been the minister at the First Universalist Church of Auburn: Unitarian Universalist since 2000, was emotional during the service, interrupting herself several times to hold back tears. Andree Kehn/Sun Journal