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Karl Gets a Sabbatical

Dear friends,

I’m excited to announce that I will be taking a three-month sabbatical beginning May 1st.

It’s such a privilege to serve at a church that truly values rest and self-care, and I’m grateful to Fred and our leadership for giving me an opportunity to step away for a season of rest.

After 11 years here at City Church, Wendi and I are looking forward to taking a short break from ministry to slow down, spend time in prayer, and spend time together as a family. We’ve heard there’s something called “brunch” that people do on Sunday mornings. We’re gonna look into that. I’ll also be recharging creatively, spending some time exploring different musical ideas and projects that I don’t typically have time to cultivate during the year.

As you know, we have a talented group of musicians and vocalists at City Church. They’ll be filing in for me while I’m gone. My friend Bruce Benedict will be here in June to lead for me as well. Bruce is the Chaplain of Worship Music at Hope College and is a wonderful musician and liturgist. I know you’ll enjoy worshipping with him. While Bruce and his family are here in San Francisco, my family will be staying at his place in Holland… Michigan. We’ll be exploring the wonders of “summer” in the Lower Peninsula (which, I’m told, is experienced without scarves and hoodies) in and amongst the beaches of Lake Michigan.

Lastly, I want to briefly mention the elephant in the room… I’m sure there are many reasons people take sabbaticals from ministry: maybe they’re restless or discontent and want to look around, maybe there’s a serious personal or family issue to address, maybe they’ve got a book to finish or are simply burnt out. For me though, this sabbatical is about “preemptive burnout maintenance.” It’s about wanting to recharge and pray and dream about what God has in store for us at City Church. Wendi and I have never been more excited about the direction of City Church and still marvel at what a privilege it is to worship with you all and live in this city that we love so deeply. Yes, we’re certainly looking forward to getting some time away, but we can’t wait to get back in August to continue in ministry alongside you.

Please be praying for us while we’re away. Pray that God would refresh us and renew in us a desire to be present and attentive to each other. Pray that we won’t die of heat. Pray that we’ll put down the distractions and be still. Pray that our kids will be bored at least once a day, and learn that it’s okay. And please pray that God would create a healthy rhythm of sabbath in our family that would continue and sustain us long after we return.

See you in August,

Karl Digerness
Director of Worship Arts

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