Before our sabbatical...

Hey, Beloved… The next two months will look a little different around Mt. Hope, but God is at work, and this will be super-valuable to us all. As a part of our Elder Team’s efforts to ensure the highest levels of healthy ministry, connection to God, and sustainable leadership habits, we are incredibly grateful that the Elders are sending Sherri and me on an 8-week sabbatical to begin after THIS Sunday’s worship service. There’s a bit you might want to know and understand about this time. Let’s talk in Deeper Thoughts below… 
 
But first… a bunch of things to tell you… 
 

• As Sherri and I begin our sabbatical after church this Sunday, one important note is that we will be entirely out of touch—not reachable by email, text, or phone during this important time of unplugging (more on this in Deeper Thoughts below). 

  

• If you have any needs arise during our time away—care needs, prayer needs, encouragement, counseling, or support—our Elders are standing by to connect with you. Contact our Elder Team either by clicking here to send them a group contact, or call/text Kristie Zoller at 703-999-3156 who can coordinate contact with an Elder. Or email [email protected].  

 

• Our Summer Teaching Series kicks off this Sunday, and we have an exciting line-up of great teachers who will be leading us through the prophets as we conclude our 70-week study of the Old Testament called “Knowing God.” More on this in Deeper Thoughts below! 

 

• Youth Group after Service, 11:30-1pm 

• Snacks, connection & seeking God together as we process loss. Let Jess know if your student needs a ride home. 

 

• Ladies: Mark your calendars for our annual Women’s Retreat, September 11-12 in Sharpsburg, MD. More details to come! 

 

• And… Don’t forget to use our new Women’s Ministry Facebook page to support relational connection and promote events throughout the summer! 

 

• Awesome stuff in our Kids Connect Ministry! There is a lot going on this summer: 

 

• Kids Camp: Our kids are headed to Furnace Mountain Camp near Lucketts, VA, July 13-17, daily 9:00 a.m. – 3:00 p.m. There is still room, so sign up now! Click here to email Alison McLaughlin for more info or to sign up! 

 

• WE NEED YOUR HELP! Join us for an informational luncheon and volunteer meeting on Sunday, July 12, following the service to hear our plans and practices that will make for a great summer and new school year. Whether you are volunteering already or just curious about what’s going on, come from free lunch!! 

 

• Everyone… come hungry on Sunday… We’re having a bake sale right after church to help raise money for kids going to summer camp! Great yummies will be available for cash, checks, or phones ready to donate. Or, if you just want to donate, click here and set the “TO:” pull down menu for the Children’s Ministry fund. 

 

• New Summer model for The Daily Six!! Join us for six minutes each day in your own time alone with God during our three-month production break through September. We will have no new Daily Six videos during this break, but our Daily Six reminder emails and webpage will continue throughout the summer to provide written content and guidance to be in the Word of God together, studying through the Old Testament prophets!  Click here for our Daily Six webpage to find new content each Monday morning, OR… click here to sign up for email reminders that will go out once a week on Mondays (if you’re not already a Daily Six subscriber!).  

 
OK… that’s it for you email skimmers and those who hate long emails…  
 
BUT… 
 
 
Some Deeper Thoughts… 
 
A pastoral sabbatical could be misunderstood as a super-long paid vacation. It is much more than that, and the activities of a sabbatical have far more important dimensions for the health of spiritual leadership than just taking extra time off.  
 
Several professional lanes—such as academia, ministry, and some medical, research, or law professions—have practiced sabbaticals for centuries as a means of sharpening their leader’s skills, preparing for seasons of heavy-lift, renewing and refocusing the mind and spiritual habits of the leader, and preventing professional fatigue or burnout. Among many great informational resources out there, click here an excellent article published by Focus on the Family that details the history, purpose, and uniqueness of pastoral sabbaticals.  
 
In our context, Mt. Hope Church has long had periodic pastoral sabbaticals as a part of our organizational by-laws. Benchmarking with several local churches in Northern Virginia and the Northstar Church Network that Mt. Hope is a member of, our Elders have researched and developed with me and Sherri some important goals we would like to share with you. 
 
First, we are breaking our time into three distinct goal-sets. They are: 
 

• Family reconnection and rest—this is the more traditional “vacation” element of our time away. We will be visiting both of our families through an Eads family reunion in Florida, a few days with Sherri’s family in West Virginia, and a trip to visit my ailing father in his nursing home in Colorado.  

 

• Personal spiritual growth and development—we will focus on renewing our minds and spirits, developing enhanced spiritual life habits, intensely studying the scriptures, connecting with God in fresh ways, and hearing fresh words from the Lord for both you and us. We will be investing quality time each day in seeking God not only for His revelation to us, but also for each of you. We will be focusing on developing new rhythms in our marriage that protect against the “occupational hazards” of working in the same ministry or business as a couple, which can often lead to difficulty establishing healthy boundaries between work and marriage. 

 

• Professional development and vision—with the support of Pastor Jeff Good and his wife Cindy (from Acacia Church in Ashburn) who have agreed to serve as “sabbatical coaches,” we will be working an extensive process to develop our professional skillsets and obtain fresh ideas and vision from the Lord. Sherri will be working on completing some professional educational goals. We will be strategically visiting at least three local churches in the D.C. area to benchmark with their staff and leaders. And we will be seeking God for His vision for our next steps in intensive discipleship efforts at Mt. Hope. 

 
Secondly, to properly accomplish the rest, refocus, and development goals of the sabbatical, it is important for us to fully unplug from our ministry, which includes committing to no contact and involvement with our Mt. Hope family during this time. While this will be incredibly difficult for us to be disconnected from you whom we love dearly for this length of time, it will allow us to reset our rhythms and focus all our attention on growth and renewal.   
 

• If you have any needs arise during our time away—care needs, prayer needs, encouragement, counseling, or support—our Elders are standing by to connect with you. Contact our Elder Team either by clicking here to send them a group contact, or call/text Kristie Zoller at 703-999-3156 who can coordinate contact with an Elder. Or email [email protected]. 

 

• We have a fantastic line up of teaching pastors who will be leading our Sunday services each week that you won’t want to miss. See the details below my signature line. 

 
Finally, we ask you to join with us in prayer for God’s vision, His fresh word in our lives, and clear guidance and wisdom for the next chapter of Mt. Hope’s ministry that we are excited to see unfold this fall. We return to be with you on Sunday, August 30.  
 
I will be teaching THIS Sunday at our 10:00 a.m. worship service and then begin our sabbatical after church. We will continue our study of the prophets with Micah. Don’t be late… bring your Bible and a pen!! 
 
Much love to you all…  
 
Chris Eads 
Mt. Hope Pastor 
Friend 
[email protected] 

 ​

Mt. Hope Summer 2026: A Ten Week Journey with the Prophets 
 
God’s people had been given a land and a name: “Israel,” which means “Struggles with God.” Century after century, the Israelites struggled to keep their faith and commitment to God. They abandoned the Lord and turned to idols, worldly ideology, and false religion. So, God raised up prophets to call them back to Him. These men of God offered both warning and promise, challenge and blessing. If we will hear their words as the Word of the Lord for us today, we too can receive the promised blessings as we stay faithful to our God! 
 
Our Summer Sundays Teaching Line-up: As Pastor Chris and Sherri Eads are away on sabbatical for rest, renewal, and refocus, we are blessed with a tremendous line-up of gifted teachers who will lead us through the Word of God each Sunday: 

• July 5 – Jonah: teaching by Pastor Will Cravens 

• July 12 – Isaiah: teaching by Elder Jameson Zoller 

• July 19 – Isaiah: teaching by Pastor Samuel Sierra  

• July 26 – Growing in Prayer: by Pastor Chris Campbell 

• August 2 – Growing in Scripture: by Pastor Chris Campbell 

• August 9 – Malachi: teaching by Pastor Phil Holliday 

• August 16 – Jeremiah: teaching by Elder Jameson Zoller 

• August 23 – Jeremiah: teaching by Pastor Samuel Sierra 

• August 30 – Daniel: teaching by Pastor Randy Richardson 

 
Our Summer Teaching Pastors 
 
Pastor Chris Campbell – Born and raised in central West Virginia, Chris Campbell spent several decades as a youth pastor and teaching pastor, to include four years as co-pastor with Chris Eads at CrossCurrent Ministries (now Acacia Church) in Ashburn, Virginia. Today, Chris Campbell serves as a licensed therapist and founder of Resolutions Counseling in his hometown of Bridgeport, West Virginia. 
 
Pastor Will Cravens – For many years, Will Cravens pastored Bridge Community Church in Ashburn, Virginia, before moving to Florida to serve full-time as a missionary and founder of Endurance Leadership. His wife, Sandra, revitalized our Mt. Hope children’s ministry while serving as interim director in 2023.  
 
Pastor Phil Holliday – The Holliday family led our own Pastor Chris Eads to faith in Jesus when he was a teenager in Vienna, Virginia. Phil had a long corporate career as an executive with Mobil Oil before “retiring” to serve as Executive Pastor and leadership consultant to several Northen Virginia churches. 
 
Pastor Randy Richardson – His greatest passion being relationally driven spiritual growth, Randy has served as pastor of small group discipleship and lead pastor for multiple churches in Massachusetts and Virginia. Today, while his vocation is in the corporate cyber security world, he and his wife, Debbie, continue to powerfully lead small groups at Mt. Hope Church and beyond. 
 
Pastor Samuel Sierra – Married to his beloved Evelyn, Samuel Sierra has a powerful story of healing and redemption as he found Christ and overcame profound addictions in his young adult years. Today he serves as an Elder at Mt. Hope and founder of Real Life Counseling, providing pastoral care to scores of individuals seeking a healed life. 
 
Elder Jameson Zoller – Son of our retired Pastor John Zoller, Jameson and his wife Kristie have been pillars of our church for decades, leading in multiple ministries throughout the years such as youth, children, and worship. Jameson is a high school English teacher in Loudoun County and serves as an Elder at Mt. Hope Church.