Word from the Pastor – Sabbatical Beginnings

Hello Church! If the Apostle Paul can send epistles to churches he loved, then I can send an e-pistle to ours. So as I write my letter of 1 Weavervillians, I echo the greeting Paul used: “Grace and peace to you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.” 
The sabbatical has started wonderfully. I stayed in town a few days to participate in the September 11th ceremony, which was meaningful and inspiring to be a part of. Then I arrived in Durham. The kind staff at Duke Divinity School showed my Duke’s beautiful chapel, helped me access the library, talk to professors, and sit in on classes. Most of the time, though, I’ve been planning my pilgrimage to Scottish Celtic monasteries—pouring over maps, determining the exact route, researching lodging, and field testing my hiking gear.Since I was free Sunday morning, I worshiped with the wonderful folks at Temple Baptist Church here in Durham. Wayne & Debbie Lee, who worship with us once a month when they visit Debbie’s sister in town, are members there. It was a place of welcome and encouragement, so it reminded me a lot of our church. It felt like a real community of Jesus followers there. And ever since the hurricane, they adopted us as a sister church to support us as we continue to recover and work. They were all so glad I could be there and give updates on how the recovery is going. Plus, it was great to sit and enjoy a lovely worship service without being in charge of it! I know their pastor, Randy Carter, is a truly hard-working and heartfelt person. His sermon that day was both wise and inviting. And he’s such a cool guy that he didn’t need to wear a sports coat. He even preached with  his sleeves rolled up! 😃
 
In the sermon on my last Sunday before heading out, we read from Psalms 146, “Put not your trust in princes.” I should also have added, “Put not your trust in pastors either!” Because pastors, too, are mortal, temporary, and passing. So the church, the Body of Christ, will long outlast them. The power for the church’s work comes from the Holy Spirit, and the mission comes from Christ. The pastor just does some sheep herding to keep things headed in the right direction. So while I’m gone, I know that good things will continue to happen. In fact, when a great opportunity arises, no need to wait for me to get back; just pray about it and go for it. I look forward to coming back and hearing fun news about the neat things that the church has been up to while I was away.
 
I hold you all in my heart as I walk in the spirit of love.
 
– Pastor Stuart