In this weeks Summit we are sharing information regarding the recent decision made by your Church Council. Before sharing specific information regarding this decision, I’d like to share with you a letter that Pastor Dan provided to the Church Council.
“Dear members of the Alpine Church Council
I wish to express my deepest gratitude for all the support, warm wishes, and prayers that you have given to me during the recent death of my mother. I truly appreciate the heartfelt care that you have expressed. Caring for my mom during these last months and the continued care for both my dad and the two children that have been placed in our family, who have often hidden but very real special needs, has taken its toll on me. I have seen God’s grace on display in my life time and time again over the past 18 month. But at the same time the deep needs of my family, and the responsibilities of my ministry during an extraordinary time in history, have left me exhausted and worn out. I am concerned that the next several weeks ahead will be consumed with caring for my family and my own mental wellbeing, and that without a break, I will be further exhausted and burnt out.
For these reasons I am hereby requesting leave in order to attend to my own emotional, spiritual, and mental health, as well as the needs of my family. My intention is to find both rest for my soul and body, and to invest time helping my family (especially our children) to move through the grief and tumult of this moment and find healing.
I anticipate that a time of rest and restoration will not only serve me and my family well, but enable me to return to my role as your pastor with more creativity and energy than I have at the moment.
I am truly grateful to be part of such a compassionate group of people. I so appreciate your prayers and your prayerful consideration.
Pastor Dan Wynard”
After receiving this letter from Pastor Dan we called together the Executive Committee to discuss his request and build a plan to discuss with the rest of our Church Council. The plan brought to our Council was the following:
- Pastor Dan would begin a leave on November 23rd (his mother’s funeral)
- Pastor Dan’s leave would continue through January
- Pastor Dan will use this time to rest, take care of himself and his family, and to spend time addressing his mental well being
- Our Church Council will meet both in December and January for continuing discussions
- Our Annual Meeting will be held January 30th when our Congregation will join the discussion
- Our Executive Committee will meet with Pastor Dan on January 31st to follow up on his leave
- On February 1st Pastor Dan is scheduled to return full-time to Alpine
The above plan was discussed with the Alpine Church Council at our November meeting and was first shared with our congregation at our November 28th worship services. Our Council has approved leave for Pastor Dan and the above plan. Pastor Dan had requested Pastor Rick Meier to preside over our services in the month of December. He was asked and Pastor Rick graciously agreed to do so. We will share our January plans for a pastoral substitute with all of you soon.
Our Executive Committee has met with Pastor Dan to discuss many areas related to this leave, some private, some that Pastor Dan has shared in his letter. We are happy to share that Pastor Dan and his wife Pastor Lucy are working together on everything related to this leave. Their strong relationship and love of their family is at the center of all they do. If any member of our Alpine Family has any questions regarding this plan, please contact a member of our Executive Committee: Scott Dabson, President; Pam Lojewski, Vice President; DiAnne Beynon, Secretary; or Al Geeser, Treasurer.
Thank you all for being a valuable part of our Alpine Family.
Scott Dabson
President
Alpine Lutheran Church
Please click here to view the full Summit