Pearl Hoover sabbatical

While God commanded Moses on Mt. Sinai to take a sabbatical every seven years (Lev 25:2-7), Pearl Hoover had to wait for ten. Hoover, former pastor at Northern Virginia Mennonite Church, Fairfax, Va., recently completed a seven-week sabbatical at Associated Mennonite Biblical Seminary, marking her first ten years of ministry in the Mennonite Church.

The sabbatical was funded by the Engaging Pastors program at AMBS, which offers several programs designed to connect the seminary, its faculty and resources with Mennonite pastors, congregations, and church leaders.

Hoover focused her time at AMBS on three areas: writing, connecting and resting. Her writing project focused on the letters and life of the Apostle Paul, with the intent to use Paul as a model of how to pastor in diverse contexts. By using the library and faculty resources at AMBS for her research, and by participating in lunches and other activities on campus, Hoover was able to connect with the AMBS community and form new relationships.

While research and writing were important to her sabbatical, Hoover valued most the ability to take time for physical rest. “Rest was a crucial and foundational part of my time at AMBS,” said Hoover. “It gave me the personal and reflective space to consider what the future could hold.” That space had been difficult for her to find in the last couple years, as Hoover was involved in direct pastoral care and counseling to people affected by the September 11, 2001 plane crash at the Pentagon, the sniper shootings that occurred in D.C. a year later, the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, and the hostage and murder of Christian Peacemaker Team worker Tom Fox, a friend of the congregation.

Hoover was very grateful for the support of the AMBS community during her sabbatical, and would recommend the experience to other pastors, especially those in settings where there is little room for rest.