A Time of Rest

Dear City Church, 

This summer, our beloved associate pastor, Harrison Ford, will take a 12-week sabbatical. Harrison, along with Brittany and their kids (Wallace, Ivy, and Ames), will step away from City Church—from worship, from work, from the buzz and thrum of meetings, programming, and relationships. The sabbatical is a time of rest, a time of refreshment, and a time of recentering. The City Church Personnel Handbook (did you know we have one of those?) says: “Sabbaticals are an investment for the future meant to refresh those with ministry responsibilities and to strengthen the church…. Pastoral staff are eligible for a sabbatical, with full pay during the seventh year of continuous service to City Church.” 

As Harrison mentioned in a recent sermon, he and Brittany have been in Richmond for 10 years. And they have served at City Church for seven years. It’s hard to believe because on one hand, time has gone quickly, and on the other, it feels like the Fords have been a part of City Church forever. The session of City Church is glad to provide this sabbatical for the Fords as a time of rest and a time of preparation for future ministry.

It’s important to recognize that sabbaticals at City Church aren’t reactive; it’s not that Harrison is burned out or has done anything wrong. Sabbaticals are proactive. Just as we rest on the sabbath—the first day of the week—to enter the workweek from a place of strength, so we allow our pastors to rest regularly as an investment in their future ministry among the congregation. 

Earlier this year, the session asked Harrison to put together a brief description of the sabbatical. Here’s part of what he wrote: “The overall theme for my sabbatical is reconnection–to intentionally devote time to deepening my relationship with people and activities that make me a healthier person and contribute to ministry longevity.” To that end, this summer Harrison will focus on reconnection with God, with family, with friends, with life-giving practices, and with his ministry calling. As a pastor who so faithfully reminds us of our union with Christ through faith, we want him to experience that very same reality. 

Harrison’s sabbatical will begin on June 1st. The Fords’ last Sunday at worship will be May 31st, and they will leave for a month in Scotland soon after that. During the second half of the summer, the Fords will be in Richmond but not around City Church. Should you see them around town, of course, say hello and catch up. But to respect the purpose of the sabbatical, resist the temptation to reach out with church-related concerns or ministry needs. Instead, know that the staff and the session of City Church remain available and eager to cover for Harrison in whatever ways are necessary. 

The Fords will return to City Church worship and work at the end of August (August 24th to be exact). With much ministry programming starting up in early September, we will be excited to welcome back a rested, refreshed, and reconnected Harrison then. And we’re confident that all of the Fords will return with stories of their summer of adventure, their summer of rest and reconnection.

As the beneficiary of two sabbaticals during my tenure at City Church, I can testify to how important it is for us as a church to bless pastors and their families in this way. We often don’t realize how tired we are until we slow down, until we rest. But sabbaticals aren’t just good for pastors. They are good for the church, as well. They help us remember, as the apostle writes in 1 Peter, that we all are a spiritual house made up of living stones. Christ is building his church, sustaining his church, loving his church. Yes, he uses pastors to do that, but it’s Christ’s work. He’s the one in charge.

Two summers ago, when I was away on sabbatical, and Harrison covered for me, he used the summer to share about the accelerating pace of modern life and the Biblical wisdom of living at a different rhythm—the rhythm of grace. A song by The Porter’s Gate—Slow Me Down—became a touchstone that summer. 

O good shepherd, would you teach me how to rest
I’m rushing on, will you make me to lie down
Will you build a fold by the waters that refresh
Will you call my name and lead me safely out?

O Good Shepherd, O Good friend, slow me down.
O Good Shepherd, O Good friend, slow me down.

That’s our prayer for Harrison and the Fords this summer. That the Good Shepherd would teach them how to rest. That their Good Friend would slow them down.

If you have the chance over the next several weeks, let the Fords know how grateful you are for them and their seven years of service at City Church. Tell them how glad you are that they have the gift of a summer to reconnect. And pray for all five of them—that this summer of 2026 would become a cherished memory in their family life and their lives with God. 

Stay Well and Do Good,
Erik