Pastor's E-Letter

Pastor's E-Letter

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Showing items filed under “Annette Stiles Pendergrass”

Time to Disconnect

“Come to me, all you that are weary and are carrying heavy burdens, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me; for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.” Matthew 11:28-29
 
Just reading the above verse brings a sense of peace and calm to my heart. Maybe you feel the same. There is something so gracious, so reassuring about this promise of Jesus, the promise of rest in his presence. I feel the same way about the words of Psalm 23, “The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want. He makes me lie down in green pastures; he leads me beside still waters; he restores my soul.” 
 
One of the realities of pastoral ministry is that it is a 24/7 kind of vocation. It’s not just that we can get a call at any time of day or night and need to respond, although that is true enough. But also the work and demands of producing sermons, teaching classes, writing devotions, “E-Letters” like this, are something that occupies your mind all the time. In a way, that is a good thing. I talked about my creative process for worship and sermon prep each week for our recent podcast. Because I plan out themes and topics for messages for long stretches at a time, it enables me to notice things that I read, hear on the news, or see in a movie or any ordinary experience to become potential “grist for the mill” that is theological and biblical reflection. That is one of the many exciting parts of ministry.
 
However, at the same time, it can also become draining. Doing this work week after week, year after year, can catch up with you. No matter how hard you try to maintain a healthy balance and rhythm to life and ministry, there comes a time when you need an extended period to disconnect from the demands and the routine of daily ministry and recharge your spiritual and vocational battery. Fortunately, in recognition of this reality, the Book of Discipline of the UM Church includes recommendations for renewal leaves for the spiritual renewal and refreshment of clergy from time to time. 
 
Back in December of 2019, I began a conversation with our Staff Parish Relations Committee about taking this leave and they graciously agreed this would be a good thing for me to do. Then, in January 2020, the Church Council approved this leave as well. My plan was to be gone last summer for 6 weeks. But with the Covid outbreak and all that managing that crisis entailed, it was not the right time. 
 
Now the time has come, and it couldn’t be coming at a better moment. I’m so grateful for how Suntree Church has weathered the challenges of the last year. I’m so grateful for all we have accomplished in our Finish Strong campaign over the last month. I’m so grateful for a loving and supportive church family and an amazing staff team. It has also been an especially challenging season which makes being able to step away for a bit especially appropriate and helpful. 
 
I will begin my leave officially on June 13 (my last day in the office will be June 9) which is right after Annual Conference. I’ll be away from the office for 7 weeks, with the last week being a work-from-home week, doing long-range worship and message planning for the Fall. During part of that time, Scott and I will be traveling and exploring some of our National Parks out west. There is nothing like being in the beauty of nature to restore my soul and renew my strength. We will spend some time with family and hopefully plenty of time on the water, both on Lake Hartwell and on the ocean. I will read books for both fun and spiritual enrichment! I will journal, pray, reflect and be still, listening for the still small voice of God that always speaks when I’m still enough to hear it. I will attend a silent retreat. And I will return on August 1 renewed, inspired, ready to re-engage with you in mission and ministry. The staff knows to be prepared since usually, even after just a week or two away I come back with all kinds of new ideas and inspirations for ministry. Imagine what that will be like after 7 weeks? I can’t wait!
 
In the meantime, I am so grateful for an amazing staff and pastoral team and lay leaders that will manage ministry in my absence. I trust them completely and know you will all be in very capable hands! 
 
Again, I’m so very grateful for this opportunity. It’s been 10 years since I’ve taken such a break and it is time. I know it is a privilege that I don’t take for granted so thank you for your support in this. 
 
Finally, this Sunday in worship we will be continuing in our “Immeasurably More” message series and we will celebrate the sacrament of Holy Communion. If you are worshipping at home or while you are traveling, be sure to set a communion table with bread and cup before you join us online. We will be reflecting on the prayer found in Ephesians 3:14-21, the enormity of God’s love and grace in our lives, and the power of God to do “immeasurably” more in us as individuals and as a church. We will also be announcing the total commitments to our Finish Strong Campaign and the total of our First Fruits offerings. Trust me, you won’t want to miss it! 
 
Grace and Peace,
Pastor Annette
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When Hope is Hard

“May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that you may abound in hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.” Romans 15:13
 
Many years ago, I came across this verse at a time when hope was hard. It was one of those challenging seasons, kind of like the one we have all lived through over the last year and this verse spoke to my heart. I needed hope, peace, and joy, all of which seemed in short supply at the time. 
 
So, for several weeks, I kept going back to this verse, praying, meditating over it, memorizing it. It was like an anchor, a touchstone. Each time I read it I was reminded that God is a God of hope. I was reminded that God has the power, through the Holy Spirit at work in me, to inspire hope, peace, and joy in me. I didn’t need to wait for the world to give these gifts to me. I didn’t need to wait for my circumstances in life to change to experience these gifts. I needed to look to God for these gifts. And ever so slowly, as I prayed over these words, the light of hope began to burn brighter in my spirit. Peace began to take root. Joy began to grow. My circumstances hadn’t changed. But my heart began to lighten amid those circumstances, and I knew they wouldn’t last forever. The God of hope was inspiring hope, joy, and peace in me and that was enough. 
 
Last Christmas, someone gave me a plaque with part of this verse on it. She had no idea what this verse meant to me. Last week I moved it from my bedroom where it was hanging to my kitchen where I would see it before I left the house each day because I want to be a person who abounds in hope, joy, and peace. I want to call on the God of hope every day to make these gifts a reality in my life, no matter the circumstances. 
 
There have been so many hard things that we have all experienced over the last year. But what has carried me and all of us through, is the fact that we worship a God of hope – a God of resurrection and life who can and does do in us and through us, immeasurably more than we can ask or imagine. That doesn’t mean things aren’t hard. It doesn’t mean we don’t know pain, hurt, disappointment. It means that God, in Christ Jesus, and through the Holy Spirit, has the power to inspire hope in us right alongside all the other very real challenges that we face. God has the power to bring us joy and peace. God has the power to breathe those gifts into us even in the challenges that we face every day. 
 
When we started the Finish Strong campaign, the most asked question was, “Is this the right time for such a campaign?” I understood that question. We were certainly embarking on a big challenge in the middle of unusual circumstances. But the leaders of Suntree UMC, along with the staff had prayed for months about this and while there is rarely such a thing as “perfect” clarity, in the end, we believed we needed to move forward with this, for the long-term health and future of our mission and ministry. We felt that we couldn’t afford to wait any longer. We did wonder at times whether it was the right decision. I realize that some may still wonder about that. That is ok. 
 
But what I’ve experienced through this whole effort is the power of the God of hope to fill me with hope, joy, and peace. I’ve been inspired with incredible hope about the future of Christ’s work in this place. I’ve had so many conversations with folks who have been blessed, transformed, encouraged, empowered by the presence of Christ’s love and grace at work at Suntree. I’ve been so inspired by their stories. I’ve learned lately of people who are coming to our new member orientation in May that had never even been on our campus before. They found us through our online worship and have been so blessed, they are ready to explore becoming a partner with us in ministry. Others who joined a couple of months ago were led to make that commitment because they were so inspired by our outreach ministries even during a pandemic.
 
I’ve been inspired by the incredible, faith-filled generosity of so many who have already made commitments to the campaign. We have currently received commitments of over $750,000 for the next 3 years towards our goal of $1,000,000 or more. Folks have made those commitments because of the ways that God has blessed them through the ministry of Christ in this place and they want to ensure that ministry is vital and healthy and can continue to bless others for years to come. 
 
Hope, peace, joy. I would never have imagined that a debt reduction campaign could produce those gifts in me and the life of God’s church. I know now, I should have had more faith. Nothing is impossible for the God of hope that we worship. 
 
This Sunday we will take the next step in the Finish Strong Campaign by dedicating our commitments to God and the work of Christ through Suntree UMC. You should have received a card in the mail. If you are attending worship in person, bring your card and place it in the commitment basket during worship at the appointed time. Then after worship, go by our celebration tent to receive a treat and a special thank you gift. 
 
If you are worshipping online with us, you may either fill out a card online through our website, mail your card to the church office or, the more fun option, join us at our drive-thru celebration of ministry. You can drop off your commitment card anytime between 10am and 1:30pm and receive a treat and your special thank you. 
 
We hope you will fill out and return a commitment card even if you are not able to make a financial commitment at this time. We know not everyone can do more than they are already doing, and we are grateful for what you currently give to the ministry of this church. Just put $0 under total commitment and write “praying” across the card. That way we will know you are committed to praying over our mission and ministry and we won’t send you any reminders about the card in the coming weeks. 
 
As we close out this time, we will be focusing on the story of Jesus and Zacchaeus found in Luke 19:1-10. It is a story of the power of grace to save us and transform our attitudes and our actions. We are reminded that salvation is not just a change of heart, but results in changed behavior. Zacchaeus’ first response to the welcome and acceptance of Jesus was to give out of joy and gratitude. May the same be true of us as we experience the love and grace of Christ in our lives. 
 
With hope, joy, and peace,
Pastor Annette
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