Good morning, Church!
On March 9th, Mark sent a text to the elders where he alluded to the idea that he might be in need of some time away for both rest and restoration. In the text, Mark mentioned about taking a sabbatical. At White Stone our bylaws state that for every 7 years of service, our pastoral team is to be granted 3 months of sabbatical leave. This time off is meant to be used for soul care. 

At this time, we have chosen to honor Mark’s request for just that.
Mark has been serving our body for 22 years (a very long time). For those of us who have been at White Stone for a while, we can say that we have been recipients of Mark’s abundant support, attention, service and love.
To help aid in restoring his health and his soul, we have also decided to remove all of his responsibilities at White Stone. Remember when Mark preached about “He restores my soul” from the Psalm 23 series on January 30th? It was then that he gave us some vulnerable insight about what he has been battling with the last 2 years. During that sermon he expressed how “we started on the bright side and I ended up on my back side.” We should be able to empathize that we, our world, have been going through unimaginably tough seasons. And I can say this about Mark: he has carried and walked through a lot of deep pain, immense pressure, and unpleasant situations for the last 2 years.
It is our hope that this time would give both Angie and Mark some restorative healing.
In closing, I want to share how we can support Mark through this time as a body. First and most importantly, we should surround the Zimmermans with our prayers. Have faith that God is still our healer and He is still the great physician. Pray for Mark’s health. Pray for strength for Angie as she supports Mark through this season. For Cody, Casey, Kayla and Valancia to not have worries, but have the discernment on how to support and honor their parents. Second, send him some words of encouragement by simply writing him a card or a letter. And lastly, honor Mark’s request, “I don’t want you to feel sorry for me because I have gone through a hard time, but I would love it if you prayed for me. I don’t want you judging me because I am not as strong as I thought I was. But if you help hold my arms up, I would not mind.” (January 30th)

Thank you, Church Much love and prayer,

White Stone Elders
Clark Reyes, Randy Henderson, JR Stout, Andy Coleman