Sabbatical Newsletter, Issue 5, June 14, 20922
A Sabbatical Prayer
Guide us, Lord, as we all journey through the months ahead together. Help us to walk trustingly in faith with our parish family and to serve one another humbly. May we always be aware of your presence and direction in all we do. Amen.
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The focus of this week’s sabbatical newsletter journeying together even when we’re apart.
As we look ahead to the next several months, the Sabbatical Team has come up with ways for us to stay connected to each other as we head into summer travel and time away, as well as shared resources to help us nourish our individual spiritual lives within community.
First, in an effort to keep in touch with each other throughout the summer, we’d like to hear about your plans! We’re hoping to fill a bulletin board with postcards and pictures of your travels. You may mail them to St. James’(1307 N. Main Street, Mt. Airy 21771), drop them off at the parish office, or bring them on Sundays. If you are having a stay-at-home vacation, give us a picture to post. If children are involved in sports or other activities this summer, let us know about it with a picture or written article. If you are doing day trips or camping in our beautiful State of Maryland, let us know.
A portable bulletin board will be on display every Sunday beginning June 26th. One side of the board will have a map of Kristin, Zachary, and Jasper’s trip to the Holy Land. The other side will be a posting of the travels and activities of our congregation. In this way, we will all journey together.
Additionally, we’re excited by the opportunity to provide everyone with some summer reading! The Lilly Renewal Grant we were awarded in 2020 covers, Kristin’s+ travel and activities, clergy coverage, events like our Leave-Taking Picnic, and also congregational resources.
Beginning June 26th we’ll have a selection of books for you to choose from to help you make your own spiritual pilgrimage during sabbatical time. Titles will include: Faithful Families by Traci Smith, New Directions for Holy Questions by Claire Brown & Anita Peebles, The Book of Joy by the Dalai Lama & Desmond Tutu, The Women of the Bible Speak by Shannon Bream, and Bad Things, Good People, and God – A Guide for Teens by Bryan Bliss. This list was curated by members of the Sabbatical Team and we hope you find one that captures your interest!
Summer is here and our sabbatical journey is just around the corner. We hope these things we’ve planned will help us stay connected and grow together over the next few months.
In peace,
Dave Rak, Annie Horrigan, Joan Fader, Lynda Ellis, Lucy & Blix Winston, Kristin+
Sign up for our Leave-Taking Sunday celebration! It will include a farewell liturgy, a catered picnic, and prayer tokens and take-home resources for all ages.
Stop by the usher cart on Sundays to sign up on the clipboard located there or click this link. We hope to see you there!