As you know, this is my first call as a senior pastor. I served for three years as a part-time intern in Chicago while working multiple other jobs, which concluded with three months as an interim as the Sr. Pastor took a sabbatical. After a week to move and get settled, I began my ministry here at Point Place UCC. That was almost seven years ago. In those seven years, we have been on some adventures as a community, and I have not only been learning on the fly what it means to be a pastor, but also what it means to be a father (of 3 now!), and other life lessons as well.
Sabbath means “Cease” or “Stop,” and that is what it is time for me to do. To take stock of the last seven years. What have I learned? How has my understanding of my vocation as pastor grown in good ways? How has it gotten off track? What is God calling me to  as a leader in this moment? In essence: How can I serve GOD better? How can I serve YOU better? How can I serve the Point Place/Toledo community better?
I will indeed be taking time to enjoy my family in a special way. And I will also be taking time to interview and learn from other leaders I respect locally and more broadly via personal meetings over meals or virtual meetings through the wonders of technology. I hope to glean from them (and God) wisdom concerning  my own spiritual life, pastoring and leadership, and about the work of the church in an ever-changing society.
So this sabbatical is not just about me. It is about us.  And it is about where God is calling us to GO in this moment.
One of my concerns about being gone for a month (beyond just missing y’all!) is that any momentum we have in ministry or Sunday worship will be lost. Be assured, I will be finding opportunities to worship locally with sister churches. And the Leadership Team has lined up a wonderful  set of preachers and leaders to lead you in worship and gift you with some different voices while I am away: Pastor Emeritus John Rainey, Elaine Page from Grace Community Center, the Rev. Becky Przybylski formerly of New Harvest Church, a Gospel Choir that Susan Korecki is a part of, and the Rev. Joycelyn Degener.
If you have a pastoral care emergency while Pastor Jon is on sabbatical, please contact Cindy Franklin at the church during office hours, or Donna Serviss, 419-290-8134. She will then connect you with either Pastor Cindy Getzinger  (7/3-7/16) or Pastor Mike Delong (7/17-8/7)
Finally, I have been asked a few times: Does this mean you’re leaving us? The answer is “No. That is not what this sabbatical is about. This is an opportunity for all of us to refresh our spirits, hear different voices, and allow God to guide us into the next leg of our journey together.
In Christ’s Love and Service,
The Rev. Jon Komperda

This is Pastor Jon's letter from the June Parish Paragraphs:

These hymn lyrics from “For All the Saints” get me every time. We usually sing them on All Saints’ Day, but it seemed fitting to sing them during our 100th Anniversary worship as well this past May 7. Because indeed, we remember and honor and give thanks for those saints who fought the good fight and finished the race—and who, by God’s grace, planted and nurtured this divine fellowship that we call Point Place UCC.
I am not only grateful to those saints, but also to the saints of today, and in particular those who helped make our celebration a joyful weekend: Leslie and Chuck Geletzke, Diane Yarrito, Jim Armstrong, Lynette Thayer who organized the directory photos, Lori and Tina who emceed the dinner, and more!
I am also conscious that as many saints have “finished the race,” they have passed the baton on to us. As we have explored some “Lessons from Our Past” over the last few weeks, I want to reiterate this:
We don’t honor the past by preserving everything they created; we honor the past by imitating their creative spirit as we seek to follow God’s GO with faith, hope, and love.
This is now our work. As I take a partial sabbatical in July and as we come together in the fall, we will be asking the question, “What now?” How do we receive God’s call to “Go with God” into the next century. I hope you will be a part of that conversation. For to be among the saints is to be called.
Pastor Jon

Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight and the sin that clings so closely, and let us run with perseverance the race that is set before us.
Hebrews 12:1-2