August
Nearly three months ago, I was wondering how we were going to survive without our mentor, confidant, guide, and general do-everything, be-everywhere, connect-all-the-dots pastor. Now, with Sharon’s return only a couple of weeks away, I see that we were able to survive and even thrive with a little help from our friends. When Sharon returns refreshed and renewed, she will find her church family strengthened and even more cohesive than when she left.
How did this happen? Were we just lucky? I don’t think so. In fact, I think there are three secrets to our success.
First is SERVICE. We are blessed to have so many ready, willing and able people who serve in ways that come from the junction of their talents and the community’s need. I can’t begin to name everyone who provided service (just check the entire church directory for a full list from A to Z!), but here are a few examples. Sally Burton gave hundreds of hours for pastoral care, leadership and keeping all the loose ends from fraying. Eric Naftzger and the Sabbatical Committee made sure services, events and activities were planned and executed. The church staff stepped up in major ways, often noticing the things that needed doing and doing them without being asked.
Second is FLEXIBILITY. I’m sure you’ve seen this in many ways, but here are a few of my observations. Sally and Taylor dealing with last minute changes in the service and taking it in stride. The Board coming together for an extra meeting to resolve emergent business. Committees realizing their plans were out of sync with other groups and quickly rearranging without complaint.
Third is PATIENCE. No … make that LOVE. No, PATIENCE. Well, let’s just make the third one PATIENCE and LOVE. The people in this church will cut you a lot of slack. They’ll help you when you think you need help and not laugh when you think you know all the answers. They’ll cry with you in your pain and celebrate with you in your joys. And believe it or not, no one’s ever told me “I told you so.”
So, there you have it. Three secrets to a successful sabbatical: SERVICE, FLEXIBILITY, PATIENCE and LOVE. Well, I guess that’s not three … but then again, they’re also not secrets. We see them every day and in every interaction with our brothers and sisters at Redlands UCC. They strengthen our faith and are wonderful gifts from a loving God.
Welcome back, Sharon. We’ve missed you and we look forward to your gifts being back in the mix!
With optimism and hope,
Loring Fiske-Phillips
