Pastor Oliver and Pastor Emily's Sabbatical
July 26-September 9, 2026
The following is a letter from Pastors Emily and Oliver about their sabbatical scheduled for the summer of 2026. You'll find helpful information about this season for our church. If you have any questions, don't hestitiate to reach out.
Dear Church,
At the beginning of this year, we shared that your Leadership Team and leadership from the Ohio Conference had approved a Sabbatical Leave for us during the month of August. Sabbaticals are typically granted after every 7 years of ministry. This fall, we will be completing our 15th year of vocational ministry and this will be our first sabbatical. We wanted to provide an update on our preparations, answer some questions you may have, and share how ministry will continue while we’re away.
Make sure you read to the end for a fun event we’re looking forward to hosting to help begin this sabbatical season.
What is a sabbatical?
Pastoral sabbaticals come from the practice of sabbath. It is an intentional time away from the responsibilities of leading the local church to practice sabbath rest. The Free Methodist Church recommends an extended sabbatical for pastors every seven years.
As a general rule of thumb, we will have no involvement with the operations of the church over these 6 weeks--barring emergencies. Later in this letter, we will provide a list of different points of contact that should be consulted during this time. The Leadership Team has also appointed Frank DeRhodes to be our point of contact as needed during this time.
At its best, a sabbatical is something the church and its pastors experience together, even while apart. This experience will help us grow as your pastors, you grow as a church, and enable us to minister even more effectively together in the years to come!
What are the dates?
Once our Sunday responsibilities are concluded on July 26, we will begin our sabbatical. We will resume our responsibilities post Labor Day (September 7) and our first Sunday back will be September 13.
Why now? Is everything ok?
The answer to the second question is a resounding, YES! We want to be clear that sabbaticals are a normal part of the rhythms of pastors and churches, and this August was simply an opportune time to schedule this sabbatical. This sabbatical is coming from a place of health with a desire to be even healthier for us and for the church at large. We are excited about coming back after Labor Day and serving the church with even greater enthusiasm and energy, Lord willing, for years to come.
What will we be doing?
We envision this to be a time of rest, relating, recreation, and replenishment. We anticipate being in New Middletown for some of it and traveling to see family as well as vacationing for other portions. Our focus will be on:
What does this mean for the church? Who will be leading in our absence?
Normal functions during the month of August will continue! A variety of staff and volunteers will be covering and overseeing the different areas that we typically do. We have incredibly capable people that make up Freedom Church and we’re excited to see how they flourish during this season.
For a general rule(s) of thumb here are points of contact:
Before we leave, we’ll start a Summer in the Psalms sermon series. Through a combination of guest speakers and local staff/volunteers we’ll see the ways in which this ancient songbook speaks to us today. We plan to spend personal time in the Psalms as well during our sabbatical.
What is your role in this sabbatical?
To keep doing what you’re doing! Pray, give, serve, invite. Keep finding freedom and helping others find it too. This season is an opportunity for all of us to trust God, support one another, and continue moving forward together.
Lastly, because this is something we’re doing together, we decided to begin the sabbatical by throwing a party! Following our service on Sunday, July 26 , join us in the pavilion (weather permitting) for lunch and some fun as we say goodbye for the next few weeks.
Save The Date: Beans’ Sabbatical Sendoff
Sunday, July 26 Immediately Following Service
It’s an honor and a joy to be your pastors. We’re not only looking forward to this unique sabbatical season, but also our return and the many seasons to come together!
For Freedom,
Pastor Oliver and Pastor Emily
At the beginning of this year, we shared that your Leadership Team and leadership from the Ohio Conference had approved a Sabbatical Leave for us during the month of August. Sabbaticals are typically granted after every 7 years of ministry. This fall, we will be completing our 15th year of vocational ministry and this will be our first sabbatical. We wanted to provide an update on our preparations, answer some questions you may have, and share how ministry will continue while we’re away.
Make sure you read to the end for a fun event we’re looking forward to hosting to help begin this sabbatical season.
What is a sabbatical?
Pastoral sabbaticals come from the practice of sabbath. It is an intentional time away from the responsibilities of leading the local church to practice sabbath rest. The Free Methodist Church recommends an extended sabbatical for pastors every seven years.
As a general rule of thumb, we will have no involvement with the operations of the church over these 6 weeks--barring emergencies. Later in this letter, we will provide a list of different points of contact that should be consulted during this time. The Leadership Team has also appointed Frank DeRhodes to be our point of contact as needed during this time.
At its best, a sabbatical is something the church and its pastors experience together, even while apart. This experience will help us grow as your pastors, you grow as a church, and enable us to minister even more effectively together in the years to come!
What are the dates?
Once our Sunday responsibilities are concluded on July 26, we will begin our sabbatical. We will resume our responsibilities post Labor Day (September 7) and our first Sunday back will be September 13.
Why now? Is everything ok?
The answer to the second question is a resounding, YES! We want to be clear that sabbaticals are a normal part of the rhythms of pastors and churches, and this August was simply an opportune time to schedule this sabbatical. This sabbatical is coming from a place of health with a desire to be even healthier for us and for the church at large. We are excited about coming back after Labor Day and serving the church with even greater enthusiasm and energy, Lord willing, for years to come.
What will we be doing?
We envision this to be a time of rest, relating, recreation, and replenishment. We anticipate being in New Middletown for some of it and traveling to see family as well as vacationing for other portions. Our focus will be on:
- Resting from the day-to-day responsibilities of leading the local church.
- Relating to one another and our family.
- Recreation by some travel and other experiences.
- Replenishment by extended time in prayer, scripture, and spiritual formation both together and separately that is difficult to do during the week-in and week-out life of the church.
What does this mean for the church? Who will be leading in our absence?
Normal functions during the month of August will continue! A variety of staff and volunteers will be covering and overseeing the different areas that we typically do. We have incredibly capable people that make up Freedom Church and we’re excited to see how they flourish during this season.
For a general rule(s) of thumb here are points of contact:
- Pastor Aaron Maurice will be handling the ministry and leadership responsibilities typically handled in our role as Lead Pastors during our absence.
- LMC Jon Flis will assume responsibilities we typically hold in our roles as New Middletown Campus Pastors during our absence.
- LMC Brandy Gingras will lead Sunday morning worship.
- Alex Domenick will handle office operations/communications.
- Other staff and volunteers (Keri Wright-Student Ministries, Jill Savaeat-FreedomKids, Ryan Gingras-Finance, Frank DeRhodes-Building and Grounds, etc.) will continue in their roles as normal and are always happy to assist.
Before we leave, we’ll start a Summer in the Psalms sermon series. Through a combination of guest speakers and local staff/volunteers we’ll see the ways in which this ancient songbook speaks to us today. We plan to spend personal time in the Psalms as well during our sabbatical.
What is your role in this sabbatical?
To keep doing what you’re doing! Pray, give, serve, invite. Keep finding freedom and helping others find it too. This season is an opportunity for all of us to trust God, support one another, and continue moving forward together.
Lastly, because this is something we’re doing together, we decided to begin the sabbatical by throwing a party! Following our service on Sunday, July 26 , join us in the pavilion (weather permitting) for lunch and some fun as we say goodbye for the next few weeks.
Save The Date: Beans’ Sabbatical Sendoff
Sunday, July 26 Immediately Following Service
It’s an honor and a joy to be your pastors. We’re not only looking forward to this unique sabbatical season, but also our return and the many seasons to come together!
For Freedom,
Pastor Oliver and Pastor Emily
