SABBATICAL COMMISSIONING SERVICE
Celebrated on June 28, 2015 at Cannon Beach Community Church
Sabbatical Vision & Purpose
This week we enter into a 4-month season of spiritual growth together in Christ, as our Lead Pastor, David Robinson is away on 4-month pastoral sabbatical. Our Leadership Team and Staff have been preparing and praying for this Sabbatical Season of Growth for months. The theme of this Sabbatical Season we share is “Cultivate the Vineyard: A Journey Together into Fruitful Church Growth.” The purpose of this Sabbatical is to encourage spiritual growth in Christ for us and for our pastors, as together we commit ourselves to Christ to grow us deeper in faith, hope and love.
Invitation to GROW
We invite you to make a commitment to GROW closer to God these next four months. Four ways we GROW together include:
- God’s Word: commit to regularly read, study, meditate on and share God’s Word.
- Relationships: commit to help one another to grow in Christ together.
- Obedient living: commit to obedient living, by loving God through witness and service to others.
- Worship: commit to loving and worshiping God daily and weekly together with others
How to GROW this Summer and Fall:
- Reflect on ways to GROW
- Respond to God’s invitation to GROW
- Recommend ways we can GROW
- Review your journey to GROW
It is our hope and prayer that this commitment will help each of us GROW closer to God and deeper in faith as a church so that together we can help fulfill God’s mission in the world.
Tied together in Christ and the Cross
On this Sabbatical Commissioning Sunday, people received a Celtic Cross and Green Tie. These green ties come from Laurel Hood’s vineyard where Pastor David has been working each month, learning to cultivate the vineyard. People were encouraged to tie this cross to their backpack (see image of this post, Pastor David’s day pack he will travel with on this Sabbatical Journey), to a keyring, to your car dashboard, or some other place you will see daily, to remind us to pray for our Pastor David during this Sabbatical, and to pray asking the Lord of the Harvest to produce in our lives and in the Church more fruitful growth for eternity. Our lives are tied together in Christ and in the Cross of Christ, that we too will bear more fruit for Christ. Our lives are interwoven, just as this Celtic Cross is interwoven. May we continue to abide in Christ, allowing our Lord to ties us closer and interweave in our lives His fruitful growth.
Responsive Commitment to GROW
Leader: Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good!
People: God’s steadfast love lasts forever.
Leader: We dedicate ourselves to you, Lord Jesus Christ.
People: Help us grow through the daily reading and study of your Word.
Leader: We dedicate ourselves to you, our Lord.
People: Help us to grow through our loving relationships with others.
Leader: We dedicate ourselves to you, Holy Spirit.
People: Help us to grow through our witness, service, and mission for you.
Leader: We dedicate ourselves to you Lord God.
People: Help us to grow as we worship you moment by moment, making you first in our lives.
Sabbatical Commitment questions for our PASTORS
Buzz & David, it is both an honor and high responsibility to serve as Pastors in the Church of Jesus Christ. As we together enter into this Sabbatical 4-month season of growth, please answer the following question: Do you promise to remain in Christ, to daily draw your spiritual life from our Lord Jesus Christ, to pray for this congregation, to work with intelligence, wisdom and love to build up the Church through your study in God’s Word, through relationships, through obedience to Christ, and through Worship of God?
If so, say “I do.”
Sabbatical Commitment questions for the congregation
Members and friends of Cannon Beach Community Church, this work cannot be done alone. Will you promise to support, pray for, encourage, and cooperate with these servant leaders our Pastors being faithful to the work of God in this Church and community as we together journey into fruitful Church growth through Jesus Christ? If so, say, “We will.”
Prayer of Sabbatical Commitment
We bow before you this morning O God knowing you are with us. You are our God, the one who gives us life, who loves us, forgives us and guides us. Thank you, Lord Jesus, for giving us the opportunity to know you, and to grow closer to you. We thank you for your living Word, which guides us and draws us closer to you. We thank you for those you have put in our lives who have lovingly nurtured us in our faith. We thank you for opportunities you have given us to serve and to witness to those both inside and outside the walls of this church. And we thank you Holy Spirit for bringing us to faith, for helping us to grow, and for drawing us here to worship you this morning. Help us this sabbatical season as individuals, as families and as a church to grow closer to you and to remain faithful to the commitment we have made to you today. We pray this in the name of Jesus.
Amen
GROW brochure handed out during Sabbatical Commissionin Service on June 28, 2015