Speech Title: The Strength of Sabbaticals A local pastor, Mark was raised in a Cleveland, OH, suburb as the oldest of three children and has been a resident of Kansas for the past 23 years. He was born a Buckeye but has been married to his Jayhawk bride Sarah for 27 years. They have spent the last 17 years pastoring FLAG Church in Pittsburg, KS. FLAG Church has grown from 30 attendees in 2000 to averaging 525+ in 2017. After crafting a sabbatical policy in 2009, Mark has seen it adopted by numerous churches across Kansas. Recently, Mark has taken up running marathons. He would also love to be a contestant on Jeopardy. Together Mark and Sarah have a 19yearold entrepreneurial son who would love to mow your grass. A local pastor, Mark was raised in a Cleveland, OH suburb, and has been a resident of Kansas for the past 23 years. Born a Buckeye, Mark has been married to his Jayhawk bride Sarah for 27 years. They have invested the last 17 years pastoring FLAG Church in Pittsburg, KS. FLAG Church has grown from 30 attendees in 2000 to averaging 525+ in 2017. After crafting a sabbatical policy in 2009, Mark has seen it adopted by numerous churches across Kansas. The oldest of 3, he has recently taken up running marathons, and would love to be a contestant on Jeopardy. Together Mark and Sarah have a 19year old entrepreneurial son, who would love to mow your grass. This talk was given at a TEDx event using the TED conference format but independently organized by a local community. Learn more at https://www.ted.com/tedx