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| From the Pastor's Heart.... |
SABBATICAL
June
1 – August 31, 2010
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I count
it a great privilege to have the opportunity to go on a sabbatical. I think of
those before me who could have benefited greatly from a rest but who never had
the opportunity. There are also other pastors who are in congregations that will
never receive such a fine gift as this. It is with that in mind that I reflect
on the sacrifice and care that PMC has shown to me and my family in granting us
this sabbatical. I don’t take it for granted nor believe it is deserved.
Notwithstanding, I believe that it is needed.
Although there are some anxieties that obviously accompany something like this,
they certainly are manageable. I hope to do some inward “spelunking,” and
that is always a little precarious. I will do so knowing that the Redeemer must
go before me and be present with me. I will abide in Him.
The
sabbatical will last from June through August, and even though it is three
months, I know it will go by very quickly. One of my fears in all of this is
that I will plan too much and be too busy to accomplish what a sabbatical is
intended to do. I’m not just planning on sleeping twelve hours a day (not that
I could anyway), but a sabbatical is meant to be a time of ceasing from former
activities and responsibilities. It is not a time of doing nothing! I want to
spend part of my time answering some questions concerning ministry, vision,
gifts, and passions for ministry. Some of the things that I hope will bring
spiritual refreshment are reading books (Bible included) and also visiting other
churches. I look forward to visiting other churches to get a better
understanding of what it feels like to be a visitor in a strange church. I also
hope to spend a few days in a monastery for a quiet, personal retreat. Also, our
family would like to take a couple of days and spend them somewhere together.
One of the things we are excited about is the opportunity to revisit our friends
in Belarus. We are still anxiously waiting to hear if they will give us visas. I
am also going to take time to go back to Illinois and revisit friends and
relatives that I have not connected with for many years.
So with some anticipation and yet feelings I can’t yet describe, I am
taking a three-month break from the church that I appreciate so much! I will
miss you all greatly and will think of you often and wonder what is going on at
PMC. I look forward to returning, and I am certainly a blessed pastor.
Please pray for my family. Pray also for the leaders who will be filling in for
me in my absence. They are taking on things that they didn’t “sign up” for
when they agreed to be elders and leaders. Please give them your support and
encouragement. There is no expectation that God will take a sabbatical from PMC!
I expect the church to grow and to experience God in great and mighty ways. I am
already feeling “bummed” that I will miss some of that!
May the grace of our Lord Jesus engulf you as
you experience the workings of the Holy Spirit in fresh and unbelievable ways.
I
can hardly convey my love and devotion to PMC!
Tim Kennell, pastor.
Elders
Sid
Moyer, Head Elder
Miles
Pruett
Sam
Powell
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