THE UNITED METHODIST CHURCH

HARRISBURG AREA – SUSQUEHANNA CONFERENCE

303 Mulberry Drive, Suite 100 • Mechanicsburg, PA 17050-3198
Phone (717) 766-7871 • Fax (717) 766-3210 • Email: bishoppark@susumc.org

Christy Mackey Rev. Gregory C. Myers Rev. Dr. Thomas Salsgiver Sarah Filizzi
Executive Admin. Asst. Clergy Assistant Clergy Assistant Admin. Assistant
Bishop Jeremiah J. Park cmackey@susumc.org gmyers@susumc.org tsalsgiver@susumc.org sfilizzi@susumc.org

January 11, 2021

The apostles gathered around Jesus and told him all that they had done and taught. He
said to them, “Come away to a deserted place all by yourselves and rest a while.” For
many were coming and going, and they had no leisure even to eat.
And they went away in the boat to a deserted place by themselves.
(Mark 6:30-32)
… crowd of people came to hear him and to be healed of their sicknesses.
But Jesus often withdrew to lonely places and prayed.
(Luke 5:16)

My Dear Sisters and Brothers,

Grace to you in the name of Jesus Christ, Prince of Peace, Healer of our Brokenness,
and Hope of the World!

The Full Cabinet and I are deeply touched and moved by the faithfulness of our clergy,
our congregational leaders, and our members in these difficult and perilous times. During
the last 11 months, we have heard, witnessed, and experienced your amazing creativity
in meeting the demands of providing new ways to worship and minister in the midst of the
COVID pandemic. You continually surpass expectations in order to meet the needs of
God’s people in our churches and neighborhoods.

In our most recent meeting, the Cabinet expressed profound appreciation for the depth
of our people’s dedication and commitment. Please accept our sincere gratitude for your
presence and leadership among us and partnership in ministry with us.

As this unprecedented pandemic continues, we know that our clergy, as well as church
and worship leaders, are stretched. You continue to provide ministry even when you are
exhausted. As you struggle with finding ways to minister safely with God’s people, you go
to greater lengths than anyone can expect. The emotional toll can be very oppressive on
those who shoulder the burden of caring for congregations under these circumstances.
We on the Cabinet must admit that we are deeply concerned that our pastors and church
leaders are in danger of burnout.

The Gospels remind us of the many times that Jesus, weary from his ministry, left the
crowds to renew his body, mind, and soul. There were many times when he needed to
be alone, sometimes just to be with God and other times to be with those closest to him,
to rejuvenate and recharge his life.
As the Cabinet talked and prayed, we sensed God’s leading us to provide as best we can
the gift of sabbath for our clergy and worship leaders. We believe that like Christ, our
clergy need time away regularly for prayer and renewal. Therefore, the Cabinet and I
propose that our clergy take five Sundays off (and a few days before and/or after) as
sabbath to renew their body, mind, and soul during the months of January to May. We
ask our churches to encourage this. Under the current extraordinarily demanding
circumstances, these times away are not to be counted as Disciplinary required times of
renewal or vacation.

To help make these sabbath times possible, the Cabinet wants to relieve some of the
workload by creating complete worship services that will be ready to stream on these
designated Sundays. We hope that all of our churches will use these services on the
same day, joining in a common worship service. If the recommended Sundays are not
practical for your church, we hope you will be able to use the services at another time in
the season.

The suggested Sundays and their themes are:

January (a Sunday of your choice): “Rest for the Heavy Laden.” Rev. Gary
Shockley, preacher
February 14: “The Power of One Samaritan.” Joyce Davis, preacher
March 14: Youth-led service theme, "We are Disciples." Julia Briselli, preacher
April 11: “Healed by His Wounds.” Rev. Judy Walker, preacher
May 23: Pentecost. Bishop Jeremiah Park, preacher

Two weeks before these Sundays, we will publish the link to the materials on the
Conference Worship Resource page: the complete service video or the sermon-only
video, the order of service (including prayers, music, and liturgy), and the sermon
manuscript. You may use any or all of these components. You can now find a link to the
January service at susumc.org/worship-resources.

As your Bishop and Cabinet, we cannot thank God enough for all our clergy and
congregational leaders do for such a time as this. We pray that this small offering will
provide some much-needed spiritual rest. May all of us as God’s people join as one to
glorify God.

In Ministry With You,

Jeremiah J. Park and the members of the Full Cabinet