On a Jet Plane

The sabbatical has begun. It started this morning with a beautiful Sunday service at Bethel Church. During the service, the consistory members came forward and laid their hands on us (myself, Heather and our two girls) and prayed for us. After the service, we received many hugs and kind words to see us off. It was very touching and very encouraging.

Tomorrow, as John Denver put it, I'm leaving on a Jet Plane. I'm traveling to North Carolina for a seminar entitled "New Vision for a Long Pastorate" which is offered by the Alban Institute and held at a beautiful retreat center. I'll update you more about it later.

Blessings, David

Weighed in!

I weighed in yesterday morning. Since one of my goals for the sabbatical is to lose some weight, I needed to get a pre-sabbatical benchmark. I now have that benchmark--but I'm not telling. I'll keep you posted on the weight loss over the next few months. Keep me in your prayers. It will be a challenge. Thanks.

Blessings, David

A Personal Note

To the Congregation of Bethel Reformed Church:

I would like to thank the congregation and consistory of Bethel Church for granting me the time and space to rest, study and nurture my own relationship with God. These past nine years as your pastor have been a joy, and I look forward to more years of service together with you.

With much love,

Pastor David Vandervelde

What can I do?

There are several things you can do to make the sabbatical time a success:

1.    PRAY – Pray that Pastor David and his family have a safe, rejuvenating and nourishing sabbatical time. Pray also for all those who are filling in the various pastoral duties.

2.    ATTEND – Don’t forget to attend church faithfully. Take this opportunity for a change in your own spiritual scenery as you experience church from a different perspective as we welcome different preachers together.

3.    HELP – Help out when you see a need. If we all work together, the needs of the church will be well cared for while Pastor David is away.

4.    GIVE – Remember to give your fair offering. The needs of the church continue, even through the summer months. Please be generous.

Who's Preaching?

Another common question I get about my upcoming sabbatical is--who’s preaching? Our Sunday worship is important to us at Bethel Church. So I am happy to report that the the consistory (church board) and I have been busy planning the preaching schedule for my time away. That schedule is now complete. Here it is:

May 3rd - Mr. Jerry Feenstra

May 10th - Rev. Brent Mulder

May 17th - Rev. John Opmeer
May 24th - Rev. John Kaptyn

May 31st - Rev. Brent Mulder

June 7th - Rev. Brent Mulder
June 14th - Mr. Jerry Feenstra

June 21st - Rev. Brent Mulder
June 28th - Mr. Peter VanRoon
July 5th - Rev. Brent Mulder

July 12th - Mr. Jerry Feenstra
July 19th - Rev. Brent Mulder

As you can see, Bethel Church will be well nourished from the pulpit. I am personally grateful to each of these people for their willingness to serve Bethel Church in my absence. I think you will be grateful as well--both for their willingness to serve and also for the different perspective they bring in their preaching from what you are used to hearing through me. Enjoy it!

Blessings, David

What's a Sabbatical?

This is probably one of the questions I get most about my upcoming sabbatical--what's a sabbatical? The Reformed Church gives a good answer to that question:

“A sabbatical is a time to focus in-depth on things that are important to a person's work and life with the church. Sabbaticals for pastors are highly recommended in order to renew the calling and creativity of our spiritual leaders. Such sabbaticals should include intentional times for reflection, rekindling the spirit, and deepening spiritual life and family relationships. A congregation should arrange for a pastor's sabbatical because it's biblical, and because both the pastor and the church need it. The sabbatical year practiced by the Hebrew people was the final year in a cycle of seven years (Leviticus 25:3-4). It was also a time when the Hebrew people had the opportunity to renew their trust in God as the provider of all of their needs, even during the time when they did not labor. After a pastor has served a congregation for five years or more, they have a tendency to take God and one another for granted, often falling into frustrating patterns rather than finding a faithful and creative future. A sabbatical for the pastor can provide time to focus on reading, writing, preaching, and prayer, and forces members to exercise their ministries for the good of one another and the gospel.”

Well, there you have it--sabbaticals 101. If you are reading this blog, please take a look at the sidebar on main blog page to see a bit more of my particular sabbatical goals and plans.

Blessings, David