August 22, 2024
This week we welcome our Associate Pastor Gina Brock on the Pastor’s Blog. Gina will be taking a sabbatical this Fall and here she tells us a little about what she will be studying, how she will be seeking to be refreshed, and how grateful she is for this gift to her and her family:
Beginning September 3rd I will go on sabbatical leave. Sabbaticals are meant as a time of refreshment and renewal along with the opportunity to pursue an interest or two which benefits the minister and the congregation. Ardmore grants a sabbatical to each minister after every seven years of service. In February 2024, I marked my seventh year.
During these eight weeks in September and October I plan to focus on both professional interests and time with my family. On the professional end, I will focus on potential ministries with our senior adults as well as consider how Ardmore might provide aid and pastoral care with regards to mental health in our congregation. I will also attend a leadership seminar led by professors and staff from Columbia Theological Seminary in Decatur, Georgia which is where I received my doctorate.
On the personal end, I will begin my time with a silent retreat at St. Francis Springs Retreat Center. Later in September, Chip, Rebecca, and I will attend our nephew’s wedding in Charleston., SC. Afterwards, Rebecca will head back to NC State while Chip and I spend some time at Kure Beach and I get to do one of my favorite things – sit on the beach and read! In October, Chip and I also plan to visit the Outer Banks. I am a North Carolina native and this will be my first visit to that beautiful part of our state with all its lighthouses and wild beauty.
This 8-week period is a great and gracious gift and I am elated to be on the receiving end. I have served in full-time ministry for 28 years. This will be my first sabbatical. I look forward to returning refreshed and renewed and ready for the next seven years! Thank you, Ardmore! Thank you!
