February 29th, 2024

 

Aloha Waikiki Beach Gathering, 

 

Pastor Brady’s Letter of Call to serve the Gathering as pastor states that he will be offered a paid sabbatical every seven years of service. He has now been faithfully serving the Gathering for 7 years and 4 months. He has requested to take his sabbatical for the months of April, May, and June and the leadership team has approved his request. During his sabbatical, Pastor John will cover the majority of Pastor Brady’s preaching and administrative duties. The rest of this letter will provide further detail on what a sabbatical is and what Pastor Brady will be doing during this time.

 

What is a Sabbatical?

 

Pastoral ministry can be demanding and, over time, can take a spiritual toll on a pastor. A sabbatical is an extended break from ministry to allow the pastor to rest and spend time with God. A sabbatical is not an extended vacation for the pastor. Rather, it is dedicated time to rest and reflect on the last seven years of ministry and prepare for the next seven years. The pastor is able to reflect on how God has blessed the church, challenges that were faced, dream about the future of the church, and spend extra time seeking guidance from the Lord. He is also able to delight in the Lord in scripture without thinking about applying what he is reading to a sermon or a lesson. This ministry break will allow the pastor to delight completely in God and ensure his ‘spiritual cup’ is overflowing with joy in the Lord and the fruit of the Spirit.

 

What will Pastor Brady be doing during this time?

 

During his sabbatical, Pastor Brady will be focusing on all aspects of his health, investing in friendships, resting and spending time in prayer. Here is a message from Pastor Brady on what he will be doing during his upcoming sabbatical:

 

“I plan to become the healthiest version of myself spiritually, physically, mentally, and emotionally. I’ll be spending time investing into my relationships with my friends and family. I’ll be traveling and removing myself from the grind of everyday life. I am looking forward to having lots of intentional time to pray and dream about the future vision of our church. I am so thankful that the Gathering has blessed me with these three months of extended Sabbath where I can stop, rest, delight, and worship God. It’s so encouraging to be blessed with this sabbatical and I believe it will refresh me for my next season of pastoring the Gathering.” 

 

Please keep Pastor Brady in your prayers over the coming months as he prepares for the next season of ministry! If you have any questions, please feel free to email Pastor John at john@wbg.church.

 

 

God Bless,

Waikiki Beach Gathering Leadership Team

John German, Associate Pastor

Steven Peterson, Leadership Team Member

Natasha Ordóñez, Treasurer & Secretary