Ahhhhhhhh!

Hi folks, sorry I have been off-line for a couple of weeks now. Apologies to anyone who has been checking in for my inspiring, motivating, humourious while thought-provoking posts! On April 1st I began a sabbatical from my work. I have been taking the notion of rest and renewal seriously for these first days of April.

The United Church of Canada began to encourage Sabbaticals for ministers a few years ago. When a minister has been in a pastoral charge for five years she is then eligible for a three-month sabbatical. In 33 years of ministry this is my first sabbatical, not counting the year that I took off ministry for travelling way back in 1992.

Sabbaticals replicate “sabbath time”. Sabbaticals recognize that there is something very sacred about time. After all, the first thing God created was not matter but time – the ‘evening’ and ‘morning’ of the first day. From that we are encouraged to see time as “holy”. But, unlike ancient religions that valued time, well, right up until the culture of the last century that recognized sabbath as a time of rest from labour, our culture has capitulated to the secular concept of time. We see “time as money”; we “spend” time and “waste” time. Even “time out” is associated more with punishment than renewal. I admit I buy into this approach to time. I make relentless lists of thinge to do, places to go, and people to see. I live with the notion that busyness connotes validation. Consequently, I have found it hard to slow down, to withdraw, and to disengage from the busy day-to-day and instead take the time to think and reflect.

Ministry is a funny life. Generally congregations want their minister to be busy, active, and involved in every aspect of congregational life while conducting meaningful services and leading insighful study groups. At the same time, they also hope that their minister will be a deep-thinker and able to reflect with faith-filled insight on the issues of life and faith. But some weeks it is hard to have time to think deeply and reflect with faith-filled insight when one is dashing about to meetings and events all the time. This is one reason sabbatical is such a gift.

There is also a practical side to sabbatical. There was a time that ministers moved with such frequency that we just kept the moving boxes in the basement. With the opportunity to have a time out to restore our souls we can return to the office after a few months ready for a fresh start in the same place. This has proven to be far less disruptive for both ministry personnel and congregations and, in the end, is of benefit to everyone.

Not every pastoral charge has the resources to support their minister in the taking of a sabbatical and so I feel particularly blessed by this congergation for this time away from pastoral duties to affirm the significance of sacred time.

From now until August 1 I will continue to write my blog and, along with reflecting on the day-to-day, will keep you posted on how things are going in my sabbatical.