Back From Sabbatical

Dear people of Christ Church,

I’m back after a wonderful sabbatical. First, I’d like to thank you all very much for your prayers while we were away, as well as your continued participation in the body of Christ here. After spending time this week with Chuck, the wardens, and the staff, I’m incredibly encouraged. It sounds like the summer at Christ Church was richly blessed.

My hopes for sabbatical were three-fold: physical rest, spiritual renewal, and intellectual stimulation. Honestly, I believe that all three of these hopes were, to a significant extent, realized.

There are a lot of great things happening at Christ Church, and I believe that, over the next several months, we will make many important decisions about our future. I’m looking forward to meeting with the vestry next week, and then sharing at our congregational update in early October.

In the meantime, a couple of quick reminders: please remember that we are returning to our two-service format this Sunday, with coffee time and adult education and Sunday school between the services. Also, please do sign up to attend the parish retreat, which is scheduled for the weekend of September 25-27. There will be cool air, pine trees, worship, teaching, prayer, and a lot of time to play! Our guest speaker, Bishop Mark Zimmerman, is a wonderful man and gifted teacher.

Again, thank you all so much for the gift of my sabbatical. The time away was so nice that, honestly, I wondered if I’d even want to come back! However, I woke up on Tuesday morning much like a student on the first day of school – filled with all kinds of energy, wondering what things would be like, and, most importantly, 100% ready to go. So, here’s to the next season of life and ministry at Christ Church. I’m looking forward to reconnecting with you, and anticipating God continuing his good work among us.

Peace,

Chris