Due to your kindness and the
generosity of the Lilly Foundation for Clergy and Church Renewal, we will be on
sabbatical this summer. A sabbatical is
a time to rest, renew, and focus for the future. In my application for sabbatical I said that
Eastminster has been “rowing the boat” diligently for the last 4 1/2 years, and
now is a time “to let our souls catch up to our bodies.” It is a time to let God shape us.
The
planning process for me to leave and reenter well has been going on for some
time now. Pastors Kristy and Ron will
assume some key pastoral duties. Pastor
Kristy will moderate our Session and be responsible for overseeing the teams
that prepare us for worship each week.
Pastor Ron will serve as Head of Staff and oversee our pastoral and
congregational care ministries. Director
of Church Operations, Michelle Toms, will continue to be the primary contact
for finance, facilities and administration.
Eleni Yiapis will be leading the preschool in expanded summer
programming. The support staff has
reviewed their roles and are on point.
The
overall purpose of the sabbatical is for congregational and clergy renewal
under the theme “Rivers of Living Water.” This theme comes from John 7:37-39
which I will preach on this weekend. For
the congregation, the Lilly grant provides funding for guest preachers and a
special emphasis each month. Dr. Anna Florence Carter will lead workshops and
preach on June 9- 10. In July there will
be a weekend of “sanctified art,” including art that will be used and even made
during the act of worship. In August, we
will concentrate on our environment, particularly our “river of living water,”
the Indian River Lagoon. My hope is that
Eastminster will be prayerful and creative as the church enjoys experiencing
new voices as well as established ones and deepens in faith and vitality.
As
for me, the Lilly grant provides funds for travel to some wonderful places to
experience various cultures and to rest and reflect. I will travel with family to Vietnam and
Cambodia in June to experience some of the places my father served as a Naval
Chaplain. Then four of the five family
members will go to Bali and experience the culture and relax in later June and
early July. In mid-late July Julie and I
will be in Madagascar, where we will travel and do some mission work with
Eastminster’s partners there. When we
contribute to the 2 cents a meal offering as we will today, eighteen cents of
every dollar goes to fight hunger in Madagascar, the fourth poorest country in
all Africa. In August, we will return
home shortly, and I will go to a monastery in New Jersey to fast, study and
pray. Finally, we will camp and
houseboat in the Western USA, returning home September 2. I’ll be back for staff and worship planning
on September 4 and for Committee Night that evening and we resume life
together. Look for a story from a
different sabbatical context as it applies to Scripture each week in worship
beginning September 9.
Thanks
again for this opportunity! May this
summer truly be “opportunity time” as we grow closer to God. Know that this is only a season away. I am firmly committed to Eastminster for the
long haul. God has great things in store
for Eastminster, and God willing, this will be a refreshing summer of spiritual
growth where we more fully discern God’s will and guidance for the years ahead!
Pastor Tim
