Dear First Pres,
Well, I trust that you were as blessed as I was by our Annual Meeting on Sunday. It was such an encouragement! We are so sorry that the internet crashed during worship making it nearly impossible for people to participate online. Special thanks to Ryan Dull who literally held his phone up in front of our live stream computer to facilitate the Zoom meeting. But now, even if you weren’t there, you can watch the meeting on our YouTube channel. And, Beloved, if you weren’t there, I truly encourage you to take the time to watch the meeting. Everyone who talked to me after the meeting felt it was such an uplifting experience. Praise be to the Lord. Surely, His gracious hand has been on us.
One of things we didn’t talk about at the meeting was the very special summer ahead for me and FPC Fresno. Here is a special announcement from Elder Marlene Van Brocklin on behalf of the Session:
"The session is pleased to announce that we have approved a three month sabbatical for our beloved, hard-working Pastor Jeremy. The sabbatical will take place June 1 - August 31, 2022, and is in keeping with our church's sabbatical policy. We are preparing now, with the help of staff and various volunteers, in order to cover responsibilities during his absence. We know that this has been a challenging season for him and we hope that he will be refreshed and restored by God's Spirit during this Sabbath time. Of course, this has been a challenging time for all of us, but we received encouragement last Sunday in the annual meeting as to how the LORD has been at work. Even so, we have confidence that the LORD will continue to work, and that this summer will be a blessed time for the congregation."
Some of you will remember I was originally scheduled to be on sabbatical for the summer of 2020. As the pandemic came upon us, it became clear to me that it wasn’t a good time for such a leave. And, as the pandemic persisted, I never felt peace about pursuing a sabbatical the following summer. Now, as we approach the summer of 2022, I am extraordinarily grateful for the elders, deacons, staff and ministry leaders of our congregation who are perfectly poised to continue in leadership during my absence.
It is an incredible blessing to be given the gift of sabbatical. But I don’t believe it is only a gift to me. Of course, it is also a gift to my family as we’ll get some extra time together. But, it is also a gift to the congregation on, at least, two fronts. First, having a pastor who is refreshed and restored, energized and passionate, healthy and revitalized spiritually, physically, relationally and emotionally is a huge benefit to any congregation. A regular rhythm of sabbatical every 7 years is a wonderful way to help with that. Second, a pastor’s sabbatical provides a wonderful opportunity for other leaders in the congregation to grow. It’s always been amazing to me to see how the Lord works in the whole congregation during a pastor’s sabbatical. I’m confident the Lord will do the same among us.
Now, sometimes people get a little nervous when a pastor takes this much time away. They wonder if it will lead to an imminent transition. But, Beloved, let me remind you that I have no plans of being anything other than the Senior Pastor of First Presbyterian Church Fresno for the next several years. When I came, I came with the conviction that it was a long-term call. And you might remember that one of my primary pastoral mentors is now in his 35th year of serving the same congregation. I’m not sure I’ll last quite that long (that would mean I’m your pastor at 73 years old), but as long as you and the Lord will allow me to serve, I will serve. One thing I’ve learned, though, from watching my mentor, is that a healthy weekly, annual and long-term rhythm of sabbath is absolutely critical to a vibrant and growing long-term call.
So, I pray that you’ll consider this summer an all-church moment – a moment to grow in faith (as rest always requires us to do), a moment to grow in leadership, a moment to grow in our mission together, and a moment to experience the restorative power of the Holy Spirit. As Marlene said above, the LORD will be at work this summer.
Blessings,
Pastor Jeremy
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