Dear Summit Church Family and Friends, I am so grateful to be able to take some time away after serving here in Durango for 21 years as your pastor. Ordained pastors in the Methodist tradition are typically offered 3 months of renewal leave every 7 years. It’s been 8 since I was able to take my last leave, plus we had a pandemic in that stretch which felt like it added another few years! As part of my leave, I will be traveling to the British Isles and spending some time in the birthplace of Celtic Christianity, visiting some family, spending time with other pastor friends, hiking and some golf, I’m sure. I also will be putting in a new floor in parts of our house, so I’ll have plenty of time on my knees! We do have great preachers who will be leading us in a wonderful sermon series, “Spiritual Olympics,” in which we’ll learn some ancient spiritual practices to nourish our faith in today’s world. I’ll be doing these practices with you for my own spiritual life, and then rejoining you for our next sermon series called “Mission Possible” focusing on what our leadership has discerned God is calling Summit Church to in the coming years. We have had a great 21 years together so far and I look forward to the next chapter of our church life together. I do also turn 60 during this leave and we’re planning on a party to celebrate that when I return the weekend of November 3-4. Our Director of Caring Ministries, Julia Griffith, will coordinate any pastoral emergencies that come up, and our Senior Leadership Team (Robb Bourdon, Jake Forsythe, Stacey Franco, and Ely Cartwright) will be available for other urgent matters. Thanks again for the willingness to offer this time for me and my family to breath and experience rest in God’s presence. Grace and Peace, Pastor Jeff
Pastor Jeff on Renewal Leave
