28 Jun Pastor’s Sabbatical

Well, we did it—we had a “Monumental” VBS (Awesome God)! It was wonderful having so many children take part in this week of worship and learning. Thanks so much to Lauren for her leadership and energy, as well as our staff and volunteers for all your time, energy, and preparation.

We welcomed people into our Family Life Center that had never been in a church building and invested in the lives of precious young people. I’m hopeful we’ll see families connect with our church as a result of this experience with us.

For the month of July, I will be on sabbatical. I realize this may be a new concept to this church, so I’m aware it could be an unfamiliar topic for some of you. Sabbaticals are common in academic life, and churches have for some time now been incorporating this practice into the life of the fellowship.

The Southern Baptist Convention and Cooperative Baptist Fellowship have been elevating the importance of sabbaticals, especially in light of the stressors on Pastors connected with the COVID19 pandemic. Sabbaticals can be helpful not only for the minister but also for the congregation. It also offers a good example for other churches to follow.

According to my Pastoral Call Agreement, I’m eligible for a one month sabbatical after my first three years. I’ve obviously been a Pastor longer than three years and my prior church had a sabbatical policy. So, I am very grateful for your understanding and support. Depending on my length of tenure, I would receive future sabbaticals along similar lengths of time.

Our church staff along with our Deacon Chairman will coordinate and handle any ministry and pastoral care needs. And, you’ll hear different proclaimers from the pulpit each Sunday. I appreciate each of them and know you’ll support their efforts. 

Per our church council, we won’t meet for Wednesday night Adult Bible Study but will have our monthly business meeting. It’s also not unusual for us to take a break like this during the summer months.

I’ll be spending some time with family, taking part in some wellness related activities, doing some reading, and completing sermon preparation for the remainder of this year. I’m also excited to have received a scholarship to attend a conference at the Billy Graham Retreat Center. I’ll also be giving attention to the Lord’s leadership as it relates to FBC Clinton as we embrace a post-pandemic mindset and approach to ministry.

Again, thank you for your prayers and support as I seek to re-charge a little bit. I’ll look forward to being with you all again soon–DC