Today I had my first staff meeting after coming back from sabbatical. It was my turn to do devotions, and we watched this wonderful clip from Tony Campolo, a well-known seminary professor, evangelist and speaker. I encourage you to take the four minutes to watch it:
I am struck by Campolo’s summarization of Jesus’ message: that what he was all about was simply proclaiming that “the kingdom of God on earth is at hand,” and showing us how to engage in “kingdom living.” As the body of Christ it follows that this is also the church’s primary aim: to do our part to bring this kingdom to fruition.
I encouraged the staff to think of ways they can accomplish this in the midst of their many and diverse work responsibilities. As employees it is easy to get caught up in the “minutiae” of what our jobs require of us and lose sight of the fact that, ultimately, we are about building God’s kingdom – not ours, but God’s. I encouraged them to strive, as I do, to always keep this “big picture” in mind and let it define why and how we do things in the church. Let me invite you as members and friends of First Presbyterian to do the same as we begin another church year.
So have these three months flown by for you as they have for me? It seems like yesterday that I walked out of the church doors on that last Thursday in April. Of course, that’s not true. It wasn’t just yesterday. I’ve done a lot since then, and so have you. And I cannot begin to tell you how grateful I am for this time. Not time apart from you, but time to renew myself for you.
Time to be with my family; time to take some trips with them and not with them. Time to listen to, play and write some music; time to record my first CD in eleven years (which you can pick up at Pages Bookstore or Moby’s Coffee. End of commercial). Time to take some pictures with Mickey Mouse; to body-surf waves at the beach; to take my sons to school every day until there were no more days of school left. Time to worship at other churches in places and traditions different from ours. Time to “rest” in ways that may not seem restful to some, but are to me.
Time to get off the busy treadmill of ministry long enough to realize (not that I didn’t before) just how much I love it, and love doing it with you.
You and I both owe a huge debt of gratitude to Steve McCutchan, who served as your pastor in my absence. His presence with you these past three months truly made me feel comfortable in stepping away – I knew you were in good hands! If you haven’t already, please express your thanks to Steve. You can email him at: steve@smccutchan.com. I know he will enjoy hearing from you.
Sabbaticals can’t help but change things for both the pastor and congregation – neither of us emerge from this experience as the same people we were before it. I see this as a tremendous positive! We have been together for over seven years now at the corner of Church and Main. And now, after a brief time apart, it’s only natural that we ask ourselves: what new things may God be calling us to? How can we engage this work of ministry even better than before? How can we better serve each other and serve our God?
I may have been apart from you, but that doesn’t mean I stopped thinking about your or praying for you. And now, our new church year is upon us and all the excitement that brings. Fall Discipleship is right around the corner. So much has changed, and yet so much is still the same. Thanks be to God!
I have missed you all – I look forward to the familiar feeling of being back in church with you on August 8!
This is to inform you that the phone system has been down at the church. If you’ve tried to reach the church and not been successful the past two days, we apologize. The system is now back up and running. It appears that the storm this past weekend was the culprit.
Century Link has installed a temporary system. A new one is on order and will soon be installed permanently. All of the phones themselves were not affected with the exception of the phone in the Scout Hut. A new one will be purchased for that building.
There will be a significant cost with the installation of the new system as the church did not have a maintenance contract with Century Link. We are looking into the possibility of turning it in to the insurance co.
Offering for Hunger & Hope: Bring your Cents-a-bility & Yokefellow offerings to church with you this Sunday, June 6th. Food(s) for the month of June are: Canned Milk and Canned Meat. Remember, your small part can and does make a huge difference!
Graduate Covered Dish Lunch: Immediately following worship this Sunday, June 6th, make plans to be a part of a wonderful time of celebration of our graduates. The church will provide the meat and drinks. We ask that you provide those yummy side dishes & desserts. Come celebrate our graduates as they head out in the world!
Just a reminder that this Sunday, April 25th is Confirmation Sunday. We will have a covered dish lunch in the Fellowship Hall immediately after worship in honor of our confirmands. Please bring your favorite side dish and dessert to share – we’ll provide the chicken and drinks.
This is always a wonderful and exciting day in the life of our church! Come help us celebrate!
(Note: this was Steve’s letter in the April edition of The Grapevine. He also preached on sabbath and rest this past Sunday in his sermon, “The Seventh-Inning Stretch,” which you can read here).
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If you were in worship back on November 15, you may recall Heather Hatcher, moderator of the Personnel Ministry Team, announcing that our church had been awarded a National Clergy Renewal grant from the Lily Foundation, and that we would be taking a three-month sabbatical in the middle of 2010. If you weren’t there that Sunday I assume you got to read about it in the December Grapevine.
It is hard to believe that the time for our sabbatical is almost upon us. And I mean it when I say our sabbatical. Like so many things that make up our wonderful pastor/parishioner relationship, this sabbatical is not a solo venture. Both you and I will experience “sabbath” – a time for rest and renewal, a time to take a step back from the busy-ness of our lives together and ponder what it means to be disciples of Jesus Christ. The only difference about this particular venture is that we will do it apart from each another.
Over the past few months some of you have approached me with specific questions about “our” sabbatical, for which I’m grateful. I imagine others have questions they haven’t voiced. As someone who believes in the importance of “full disclosure,” let me take a moment to address some of the commonly-asked questions:
WHY ARE YOU TAKING A SABBATICAL? By design, sabbaticals are times of renewal for both minister and congregation through an intentional short-term period of separation. Churches and ministers who participate in sabbaticals find it is a wonderful experience for both pastor and church, enriching their relationship and service together.
WHEN IS IT? May-July 2010. My last day in the office will be Thursday, April 29th. I will return to my normal pastoral duties on Monday, August 2.
WHO WILL BE OUR PASTOR WHILE YOU’RE GONE? Steve McCutchan, a familiar face from his time with us during our 150th celebration, will be your pastor in my absence. He will be here Sunday mornings and in the office 2-3 days during the week. He’ll be responsible for all pastoral duties: leading worship, managing staff, visitation, funerals as needed, etc. – he’ll do everything I would do if I were here.
WILL YOU BE INVOLVED WITH THE CHURCH IN ANY CAPACITY? The sabbatical is best for both parties when there is total disengagement. So while you will be in my thoughts and prayers as you always are, I will not be coming to worship here, hold office hours, or be available for weddings or funerals. Steve McCutchan will handle all of those duties and do a wonderful job. Heather Hatcher and the Personnel Ministry Team will be the ones to decide if there are any extenuating circumstances that merit letting me know.
HOW WILL THE CHURCH PAY FOR THIS? It won’t! The Lilly Foundation, which awarded the church the sabbatical grant, is paying for everything – from my sabbatical expenses to Steve McCutchan’s salary/travel expenses to what the congregation gets to do (more about that later!)
WILL YOU STILL GET PAID? Yes, the church will continue to provide my regular salary, as required by the organization funding the sabbatical grant.
SO WHAT WILL YOU BE DOING? I’ll be exploring the spirituality of music. I’ll start songwriting again and hopefully do some recording. I’ll take trips to Austin, Philadelphia and Harrisonburg, VA to engage music in different ways. I’ll also get to enjoy a lot of time with Lorie and the boys doing neat things from special trips to just being together!
WOW! SURE WISH WE COULD HAVE A SABBATICAL! Well, the truth is, you will! The sabbatical grant provides some special things for the congregation. Each church family will get a copy of Soul Feast, a wonderful book by Marjorie Thompson, that looks at the importance of the Christian spiritual life. I’ll be reading this on my sabbatical and encourage you to read it on yours. You will also be treated to two special concerts by Bryan McFarland and Melva Houston – all funded by the sabbatical grant.
IS THERE ANY WAY WE CAN KEEP UP WITH WHAT YOU’RE DOING WHILE YOU’RE GONE? Yep. I’ll be writing about my sabbatical experiences at my blog, http://thoughts-musings.com. Feel free to read as I post them or subscribe so you can have things emailed directly to you.
One final thought that typically arises when a minister goes on sabbatical: as Heather Hatcher so aptly conveyed to the session when the plan was approved last year, this sabbatical is about me being “on leave,” not leaving. I want to be very clear about this because you all deserve to know the truth. I am not taking this sabbatical because I’m burned out (in fact, sabbaticals are designed to prevent that); nor am I taking it because I’m uncertain about my calling to this church or to ministry in general. I am taking this sabbatical because I recognize that taking time to tend to myself, my spiritual journey, and my family will only help me be a better pastor to each of you in the long future we have together. My hope is that you’ll find this sabbatical time to be just as renewing for you, too.
I trust this has answered some of your questions – but if there are others, please don’t hesitate to call me or drop by the office this month for a chat. Life is full of good transitions, even if they’re only three months long. I give thanks to God every day for you and continue to be excited about the time God has in store for us together as pastor and church! Let the journey go on!
Because last week was Easter (and what a service – 267 worshippers!), we decided to hold off on our Hope & Hunger offering until this coming Sunday, April 11th. The basket is already set up in the sanctuary to receive your food offerings for Yokefellow ministries – this month’s food items are cooking oil and dried beans. And our youth will be collecting your pennies and other monetary donations for our Cents-a-Bility offering, to assist our presbytery’s and denomination’s efforts to put an end to poverty and hunger, both here and around the world.
THANK YOU, the Easter people, for living out the hope of the resurrection by participating in this Sunday’s Hope & Hunger Offering!
Don’t forget about our Spring Discipleship Dedication lunch this Sunday after worship! Everyone is asked to bring their favorite covered dish and dessert. At this lunch, members of our session will be on hand to tell you everything you need to know about the work of their ministry teams and how you can get involved. Come ready to fellowship, eat, and discern God’s calling for you as you commit yourself to God’s mission and vision in our church!
Also – it’s hard to believe, but Easter is only a few weeks away! As we did last year, we will not have Sunday school on April 4 and will have worship at 10:00am, an hour earlier than normal. PLEASE make sure to mark your calendars accordingly!
