It's Sabbatical Time

Well, it’s finally time…after more than a year of planning, my fourteen-week
sabbatical starts this month. Sunday, April 16th is the last Sunday I will be
with you before my sabbatical begins.

You all will be in very good hands under the leadership of your bridge pastor, Mark
Douyard. Mark is excited to be with you all this spring/summer, and I hope you all enjoy your
time together. I look forward to seeing you all when I return from my sabbatical on July 24th
.
I know that some of you may be feeling anxious about my being away for this period, and
that is a perfectly natural thing to feel. To ease some of the anxiety, I’ve provided information
about all the details of this sabbatical so that you can stay informed about everything that is
happening with it. If you have questions about any aspect of the sabbatical, there are several
places where you can go to find answers. First, we have published detailed information about
the sabbatical planning process, financing, logistical details, and FAQs in the annual report and
the March and April newsletters. I’ve also created two bulletin boards: one in the Narthex,
and one across from my office (the Pastor’s Study) in the Christian Education building. These
bulletin boards contain all kinds of information about my sabbatical, including dates, timeline,
FAQs, and even maps to show where I’ll be traveling. If you have a question, the answer is likely
on the bulletin boards, which can be accessed at any time.
You can also follow me on social media to see pictures and posts of my travels. My
Facebook and Instagram handles are in this newsletter. Please also read over my social
media policy to be aware of the boundaries I’ve created for this aspect of my sabbatical.

If you haven’t done so already, please carefully read over all the information about my
sabbatical in this newsletter, as well as recent past editions. To make it fun, I’ve devised a
quiz where you can test your knowledge about the upcoming sabbatical. See this month’s
newsletter for the quiz and instructions. Complete the quiz correctly and enter for a chance to
win a special prize!
In closing, I want to thank you all again for giving me the wonderful gift of this sabbatical. I
am truly grateful for this opportunity, and I’m grateful for all of you and your commitment to our
church!
A few weeks ago, I preached on Psalm 121, which historically is one used as a prayer and
affirmation of God’s protection and care on all of our journeys through life. My prayer and
affirmation for you comes from this psalm:
“The Lord is your keeper;
the Lord is your shade at your right hand.
The sun shall not strike you by day
nor the moon by night.
The Lord will keep you from all evil;
he will keep your life.
The Lord will keep
your going out and your coming in
from this time on and forevermore. (Psalm 121:5-8)