Pastor Jason's Sabbatical

A pastor’s calling reaches far beyond Sunday mornings. While preaching and teaching are an important part of ministry, much of their work happens behind the scenes — praying, shepherding, leading, planning, counseling, and walking alongside people in our church family. There are always people carrying heavy burdens: health struggles, broken relationships, grief, uncertainty, and personal pain. We are deeply grateful that God has called and equipped our pastors to care for people in these moments. But faithfully carrying those burdens week after week can also be emotionally, spiritually, and physically demanding.

That’s why seasons of sabbatical are so valuable. Sabbaticals are deeply biblical. Throughout Scripture, God calls His people to rhythms of rest and Sabbath, and even Jesus regularly stepped away from the crowds for prayer, rest, and renewal. A Sabbatical is not a vacation, rather it provides an intentional time for rest, renewal, reflection, and reconnection with God so our pastors can return refreshed and strengthened for the work God has called them to do.

Pastor Jason will be on sabbatical and away from Wayside June 13 - July 27. During this time he will not be able to receive or reply to emails or phone calls, and he and his family will not attend services at Wayside on Sundays. This will give him a chance to worship with his family away from the responsibilities of Wayside. We want him to be fully unplugged so he can return fully refreshed and rested.

In keeping with Wayside's sabbatical policy, Jason was eligible for a sabbatical last summer; but, in discussions with the Elder Board, they decided to delay for one year so he would be here during the first year following the leadership transition last spring. 

Wayside has been blessed with an amazing team of elders, pastors, and directors. This team has been planning and preparing for this sabbatical season for many months. Ministry will continue as normal throughout the summer, and our team is fully equipped to care for and lead our church family during this time. If you have a ministry-specific need, please reach out directly to the pastor or director who oversees that ministry. If you need to contact someone on something that isn't specific to a ministry, you can email info@waysidechapel.org and our Executive Team will handle all inquiries or needs. 

For years, Wayside has had the summer rhythm of doing a shorter, topical series and allowing some of our pastors a chance to bless our church by sharing the pulpit. This summer will be no different, and we are excited for our summer series in Proverbs as we get to hear from these pastors!

One of the greatest things you can do is to respect our Elder Board's request that Pastor Jason be able to fully have a sabbatical rest this summer. As Pastor Jason takes this sabbatical, please be in prayer for him and his family, that they would be refreshed and renewed spiritually by this intentional time away. You can also jump in and be fully present this summer as we walk through Proverbs as a church - we have a great teaching team and Pastor Jason's heart for Wayside is that we would dive into the Word this summer. 

To help protect this intentional season of rest and renewal, Pastor Jason will be fully disconnected from all ministry responsibilities, including emails and phone calls. If you specifically want his response, please wait to send your email until August 1. Any emails sent to his email during his sabbatical will be handled by a member of the Executive Team on his behalf.