Schoolfield Sabbatical!

Today (September 1) is my first day back at work after our family was blessed with the opportunity to take a 12-week sabbatical this summer, and we made the most of it, and are so grateful.

What is a Pastoral sabbatical?

“A sabbatical is an extended time away from the routines of normal ministry and daily life for enrichment, rest, renewal, and personal growth… The purpose of a sabbatical is for mental, physical, relational, and spiritual replenishment to extend the length of time a person can be in ministry and to make his time in ministry more fruitful and energized.” – taken from our Fellowship Raleigh sabbatical policy

What did the Schoolfield family do?

CAMP! Our oldest daughters, Abigail (12) and Claire (9), got to spend a week in the North Georgia mountains at a Christian girls camp. Winshape Camp is the non-profit arm of Chick-Fil-A. This camp was so fun and spiritually & relationally wonderful for our girls.

DISNEY! While our older daughters were at camp, Kristin and I went with our twin daughters (Anna & Brooke – 6) to Disney World!!! Anna blew bubbles on everyone and Brooke may be the shortest child ever to ride Space Mountain.

GREECE! OUR WHOLE FAMILY WENT TO GREECE FOR 15 DAYS!

• Enjoyed amazing food
  
• Checked out the beaches and mountains in one of the most beautiful places in God’s world
  
• Learned about the rich Christian history and ancient history of Greece
  
• Walked in the Apostle Paul’s footsteps (Philippi, Thessalonica, Athens, Corinth, etc.)
  
• Spent time with Greek friends from seminary
  
• Made family memories that will last forever!

BEACH! We went to Destin, FL for a week as a family! Here we spent time with our 4 girls in the same condo where Kristin and I honeymooned 17 years ago.

Family Wins

The life-long memories our family made through travel was a huge win for which we are so grateful.

This summer we also celebrated some milestone birthdays (Kristin 40, my dad 70!)

Kristin and I celebrated our 17th wedding anniversary.

We attended a family reunion in Boone, NC where we enjoyed seeing family and spending time at our wonderful home away from home.

We established a new family dinner Bible reading rhythm as well as helped all 4 girls begin having daily “quiet times” reading God’s Word.

Personal Enrichment

I spent time looking into Doctoral programs for future further study for myself.

Kristin and I each spent some alone time away for fun and rest.

Our family worshipped with Open Door Church in North Raleigh on Sundays this summer.

I experienced sweet reconciliation in the Lord with a dear friend and ministry partner.

I planned out the fall preaching calendar and spent some time reflecting, planning, and praying.

Overall:

This sabbatical time had a needed overall focus on quality family time. We were able to make up for missed time together due to the demanding schedule of ministry. We were also able to spend needed time preparing in a thousand small ways for the next critical season for our family and ministry.

Appreciation:

Many have joked with me that they wish “they could get a sabbatical” or that “they need a sabbatical.” I usually respond back pretty quick and tell them I hope they stay in their current job long enough and do eventually get a sabbatical too. While being a Pastor in one place for a long time is a uniquely joyful, glorious, and exhausting burden, I strongly believe everyone needs this type of rest and renewal, not just Pastors! God calls us all to rest and we are so thankful to get the rest we needed!

Kristin, the girls, and I are thankful to our parents for watching our pets while we traveled and for being an encouragement to us and to their grandkids. We are thankful for generous friends and family who let us use their homes. We are thankful to our church Elders and their wives (Jack, Jayne, Josh, Lindy, Jonathan, and Nicole). We are thankful for our church family (Staff, FG members, and friends). Thank you all so much for praying for us and overall being really encouraging about us taking this time to get rest and renewal. We do not take your encouragement toward this for granted! Much thanks to the friends and Pastors who served as guest speakers while I was away (Josh W, Jeremy, Armando, Dan, Jamie, Tommy, Duce, and Adam). Last but not least, a special thanks to Pastor Jonathan Reyes for stepping up this summer.

I am so excited to get back to working hard alongside our church family at Fellowship Raleigh. OUR FAMILY HAS MISSED YOU ALL! We can’t wait to hear all that God has been doing this summer and join back in with you to make passionate disciples of Jesus!