I am so thankful to have the opportunity to take a sabbatical this Summer for the months of June and July. I believe the purpose of a sabbatical for a pastor is to rest, learn and spend time with Jesus – so I am going to do just that!

The Mill City Church leadership team approved this sabbatical not because I am burned out – of which I am so thankful – but because we don’t want any staff member at Mill City Church to get to that point. Sabbaticals at MCC are proactive for pastors and staff to choose the discipline to take time to rest, learn and spend time with Jesus.

The Mill City Staff Team is more than capable to lead our church while I take time away – what a gift! I’m so excited to come back to MCC with energy from the rest and passion to apply what I have learned.

For those who are curious here are some of my plans:

REST:

• Of course I get to go to my very own River Retreat! (we still have dates this summer and the rest of 2022 but they are going fast so be sure to book soon!)
• I will head to Tampa to visit the one and only Keisha Polonio!
• I’m my surrogate grandparents Nel and Jerome live in Atlanta so I’ll stay with them for a few days.
• My friend, Pastor Paul from Colorado offered me his cabin the mountains for a week.

My commitment during this time is not to “produce anything” – I won’t be writing any sermons, recording any podcasts, writing any books or articles, writing any job descriptions, preparing any meeting agendas, creating any courses or lectures, or producing any business plans 😉   (if you know me… this will be a challenge! Please pray for me! Ha!)

LEARN: I am going to focus my learning on Racial Justice – most of you know that this is a passion area for me!

My husband and I had the incredible opportunity this Spring to visit South Africa, which gave me an opportunity to engage this topic at an international level. We got to visit important sites and do a deep dive on the history of apartheid.

During my sabbatical I am going to engage on a national level with racial justice by going on a tour of historic sights of the Civil Rights movement in the Southern part of the country. JD and I will travel with our friends Sharon and Andrew who are sponsoring our journey!

Finally, I am going to do a deep dive regarding racial justice on the local level in Minnesota. I plan to read/listen/watch some resources about our history and also travel around the state to learn! I am hoping to focus in part on the indigenous community and their history in our state.

I will share my resource list and where I visit along the way! Keep track of my learning here: @PastorSteph

When it comes to spending time with Jesus – I see my relationship with him coming alive in both the rest and solitude, as well as the learning and growth! I will continue my daily practice of listening the daily scripture reading from “Pray As You Go” – I will also get a chance to journal and reflect more than I typically get to do. My friend Christian Ann even got me a special sabbatical journal!

I will also read the book Strengthening The Soul of Your Leadership by Ruth Haley Barton.

I am honored to have the privilege of this sabbatical, and I am grateful for how much time I get to spend with my favorite person, my husband JD, and some of my good soul friends.

Anyone who has spent any time around me will now that I will be so excited to get back to work in August because I so deeply love the work God has called me to!

With love,

Steph