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Sabbatical: What is it?

This past Sunday Jimmy Wood made an announcement about my upcoming sabbatical.  Just to be clear, it doesn’t actually start until April 20th.  With two weeks of vacation added in the mix, this means I will return to GCC on August 3rd.  Practically this means I won’t be available for any normal pastoral concerns during this period.  Those concerns will shift to our assistant pastor Tag Tuck and the elders.

Someone asked if I could play golf.  My calendar is available for golf outings on weekends.  My game is unimproved, though.  I take a great many swings.   So yes, if a group of GCC people are going to a movie, feel free to invite me!  I still need friends!  But for the normal ministry needs, I’m out of the mix.  If an emergency occurred, Tag or one of the elders will let me know about it and involve me as needed. Do this: you all try to stay safe and healthy!

I want to start by expressing my thankfulness to our leaders for this gift.  A few years ago Connie Harrison and our personnel committee had a sabbatical policy put in place.  It means that every seven years pastors can count on an extended time of refreshment.  As you will see in a moment, that doesn’t equal a three month vacation.  Because of this policy, it means that sabbaticals aren’t there for when you are burned out and in trouble in ministry.  I’ve had friends experience a forced sabbatical.  That’s not the best situation!  At Grace sabbaticals are there to facilitate your longevity and effectiveness in ministry.  It was so refreshing and exciting to hear Jimmy talk about it yesterday!  I was reminded of the energy I received from my sabbatical in 2008.

This sabbatical comes at some interesting milestones in my ministry.  In August I will have served 30 years as a pastor.  I was ordained at 25 years old.  In September I celebrate my 18th anniversary at GCC.  In God’s all-wise providence, I possess good health and vitality in ministry.  I have a lot of experience, and still a lot to offer.  What does that mean for the next twenty years of ministry?  How should I think about that season?  What does it mean to be something of a father figure in ministry to others who serve?

In light of those questions, here are some of the things I hope to explore:

Leadership:  I want to spend some time thinking about leadership from a number of sources.  One source of input will be the Pastoral Epistles.   I will be reading a few great books on leadership and taking notes.  I am planning interviews with some key leaders with long service in pastoral ministry.  That could lead to an article or two in the future! Of course I plan to spend time thinking about GCC and what this all means for us.  A key question: How can I help our leaders lead our church into the future?

I plan to spend some time reading some great biographies of Christian leaders: Bonhoeffer, Edwards, and Luther are a few of the names.  Sometimes great insights come from great men; their strengths, their flaws, their glories, and their failures all teach us much.

Spiritual refreshment: Of course the word sabbatical implies Sabbath rest.  In this more relaxed schedule away from pastoral demands, I will seek refreshment from Christ for my soul.  I will do my normal devotional activities with no sense of hurry.  I plan to write on a favorite Scripture passage.  I’m attending a class on Christian Spirituality.  I have tentative plans to go on a retreat with some men for prayer and communion with God.

Service:  A pastor friend directed my last sabbatical and has agreed to do so for this one as well.  He encouraged me last time to engage in some service for the kingdom of God.  This time I have been invited to return to Japan for a few weeks to fill some holes with our Mission to the World teams in the Tokyo area.  Caron and Anna plan on joining me for this and serving where needed.  Oftentimes in that context, serving means spending time with people listening, responding, and praying.  I will preach several times through a translator.  I may be meeting with interns or teaching at the Christian school in Chiba.  I will have some time for my regular reading and study mentioned above.  Caron, Anna and I will have to raise support for that trip.  You will be hearing from us soon!

This is so exciting and I feel very loved.  I’m thankful for Tag’s skills that allow me to do this with such great freedom.   I’m not worried!  It goes beyond Tag, though. I serve with a great staff who will continue their skillful labors unabated in my absence. We have good elders who can exercise their leadership where needed. I appreciate your patience with this adjustment.  I ask your prayers for us in all of these things mentioned above.  Of course there is much to do in the meantime, with a trip to be planned overseas, work to be done now in preparation for my return in the fall.  Feel free to ask questions of me or any of your elders about this matter.

 

In Him,

Don

Don Ward

Senior Pastor

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