John Law made the following announcement Sunday on behalf of the elders…

We didn't fully know it then, but a great chapter in the history of the West Seventh Street Church of Christ began 20 years ago on June 5, 2005, with the arrival of the Randy and Celia Owens family. My how we've been blessed! During Randy's ministry here, this church family has enjoyed a great blessing from God, that of unity, peace, joy, growth in Spirit and an increased impact on our community. We have persevered in the face of some difficult days for many of our families. Randy and Celia have played a major role in all of these good and not so good times.

We all know that it is somewhat rare for a pulpit minister to be at the same place for 20 years, but the real blessing for our eldership and this church is that Randy's ministry is more impactful within our church and the community today than it has ever been. GOD HAS BEEN GOOD TO US! On top of all this, your elders are excited about the future with Randy and Celia right here with us; discipling, equipping, serving, and loving.

So let's celebrate! In two weeks, on Sunday, May 25, we'll take some time to honor and thank Randy and Celia for their commitment to West Seventh. At the end of worship, we will have some words of appreciation, and then we'll continue the celebration during Coffee Fellowship. One of the things we want to do is share your cards and notes of appreciation with them. There are boxes in the foyer, Auditorium and Information Center for that purpose. There will also be an email sent later this week for those who wish to share your encouraging note electronically. 

Also, we have another significant announcement: The eldership has strongly encouraged and Randy has accepted to use the months of June and July for a Sabbatical - a Sabbatical for rest, for family, for renewal, for reflection, and for personal planning for an exciting next chapter here with us. Seven years ago we did the same thing with Randy and Celia after 13 years of  uninterrupted service. Because a sabbatical was new to West Seventh, we shared helpful information with the church about what a sabbatical is and why we were doing it. We will do that again by email and a bulletin insert next week. Randy and Celia AND our church family benefitted from that time away seven years ago and especially when they got back. Just one example is that it was during that sabbatical Randy achieved his certification to teach the Precept classes that benefit us today.

All of the ministry work that Randy does in preaching, teaching, counseling, visiting and leading our staff as office manager is challenging and sometimes it is soul-draining work. We believe this is a good time to invest in Randy and Celia for a period of rest and renewal. Please pray and ask God's blessings on Randy and Celia and on our church as we enter an exciting summer. We have already begun to line up great speakers in Randy's absence. Some will be men in our congregation, and some will be speakers from other places. However, as good as June and July will be for us, you know it will be sweet when Randy and Celia return in August.

P.S. Don't tell them, but when we get them out of here at the end of this month, we'll share an idea how we can show them our appreciation for a great 20 years. It will be a wonderful way to welcome them back to West Seventh.