Pastoral Sabbatical Information
Dear Christ Church Family,
Thank you for your strong participation in a festive Holy Week at Christ Church! It was a gift to worship and fellowship together in celebration of the grace of God that is ours through Jesus Christ.
In accord with our ministry plan for this year, our pastor, Chuck Colson, will begin a fourteen-week sabbatical next week (April 25—July 31, 2022). After eight full years of ministry at Christ Church, we are excited for the Colson family to enjoy an extended break and thrilled to partner with the Lilly Foundation’s clergy renewal program to facilitate this.
Ahead of Chuck’s departure, we want to offer some guidance and help set our congregation’s expectations for the next three months of life together. Please carefully read the following items:
We have a full summer of fellowship and spiritual renewal planned for our congregation while the Colson family is away. Please join us on Sunday mornings for worship and mark your calendars for the special events planned throughout the summer! We ask everyone to be intentional about their investment and involvement at Christ Church during these months. Our goal is for our entire congregation to enjoy a season of rest and renewal together. \
During Chuck’s absence, we will walk through Paul’s letter to the Ephesians on Sunday mornings. A slate of friends—new and old—are scheduled to teach and preach through these months; it will be a spiritually rich summer for us.
Per the Clergy Renewal Program’s requirements, the Colson family will not be worshipping at Christ Church during the sabbatical. This provision exists simply to afford them the opportunity to step away fully in order to return with renewed energy to serve at Christ Church.
The Colson family has been generous to share their cell phone numbers and contact info so that we have access to them. During the sabbatical, we ask that you not contact Chuck or Melissa directly! Chuck will also not be monitoring his email or voicemail. Our desire is to provide both Chuck and Melissa with a break from being “on-call” and we ask for your assistance in this matter.
If an emergency arises, please contact our Associate Pastor, John Lawler, or our Assistant Pastor, Alec Cotton. Our Session has formed a small working council to advise John and Alec through the summer months. If Chuck’s attention is required on a matter, our Session has a direct way to contact him.
We appreciate your help with these matters. Please join us on this upcoming Sunday for an evening of Johnny-Q, fellowship, and water fun as we send the Colson family off. We’ll look forward to seeing you and we are looking forward to a rewarding summer together.
Grace and Peace in Jesus Christ,
Dave Lowe, Chair of Staff Committee
Jim Dickenson, Clerk-of-Session