It’s a great privilege to be given a sabbatical this year and I’m incredibly grateful to the Elders, Trustees and Staff Team for allowing me to take this time out. Thanks of course also goes to City Church as a whole, who have been a huge part of our lives as a family, and have been such an encouragement to us over many years, and are enabling me to do this as well.
Sarah and I joined the church in 2009 and later on, I joined the City Church Staff Team in 2015 when I took on the leadership of the students and young adults ministry. Since then I’ve pretty much been involved in every ministry in the church, and for the last 3 years have been leading the Cotham site which has been a great joy. It has been hard work, particularly recovering after the pandemic, but a thrill to serve alongside such wonderful ministry leaders and teams, and to see the Cotham site growing and flourishing, alongside Bradley Stoke and Fishponds, is hugely exciting.
As I reflect on the last year or so, it has been a series of battles and blessings where I’ve seen God at work in people’s lives in incredible ways, but also running alongside all of that has been the experience of walking through grief, dealing with difficult leadership and pastoral situations, and throw in being a dad of young kids and trying to finish a Masters, all makes for quite the ride, so the break comes at a good time!
Given all of that, I’m grateful to God (and for Sarah who absorbs so much!) that I don’t come into this sabbatical on my knees but rather sensing an opportunity to hear from God regarding the next few years, to rest and have time with the family, and to learn from some churches and leaders that I really admire.
One of those church leaders that I’ve enjoyed listening to over the last few years has been Jon Tyson, who has also written several excellent books, and leads a church in New York City. They seemed to have found an amazing rhythm of prayer, gospel centred preaching and mission in one of the busiest and most secular cities in the world and are having a significant impact there and beyond. I’ve been given the opportunity to go and visit that church (Church of the City), to meet with some of their leaders and see first hand what God is doing there. NYC isn’t short of churches so I’m also visiting Redeemer Church, formerly led by Tim Keller, and meeting with his successor, amongst a couple of other churches too. Please pray that what I see and experience, and who I meet, would have a significant impact on me as a leader and would spur us on as a church towards all that God has for us in the coming years.
We're also hoping to go on holiday as a family as well as take some time to rest, hear from God and read some enriching books.
Practically speaking, I'll be off from Sunday 2nd June until Commission Festival at the end of August. Ben Welchman will be covering my role in the interim alongside our wonderful site team (Julia Binedell, Dan Coe and the Dalziels) so if anything arises do speak to them.
I'm looking forward to catching up with you all at Commission Festival or the beginning of September.