And so it begins ...
After almost 27 years in ministry I am going on sabbatical. I have wonderful dreams, hopes and nebulous plans. I am in the very early stages of laying the groundwork for my adventure which will run from early June until early September. I am planning to use this space to report on where I am and what I'm doing, and to reflect on what I'm learning. The adventure has begun!
Sabbatical Proposal
Here's the basic dream that was approved:
Introduction
The purpose of a sabbatical is to provide the sabbaticant an opportunity to step back from the day-to-day tasks of providing ministerial services and leadership and engage in a process of renewal and spiritual development which will be useful in leading the development of the minister and the congregation. The incorporation of the three aspects - renewal, study and reflection and change of scene are all crucial to this process.
Timing: June 8-September 8, 2009
Components: Renewal, study related to the spiritual development of both the minister and the congregation, and Biblical study, and reflection time.
June – Initially, reading time in preparation for course through Conciliation Services of Canada, an offshoot begun by the Mennonite Church in Canada, which provides stimulating courses with resource people from the Alban Institute, an Institute devoted to research, development and education in pastoral relationships, development, and all other aspects of pastoral ministry. The specific course this year is called “Creating Disciple Making Communities: Congregational and Personal Transformation Go Together” This course is designed to help participants develop skills and expand their knowledge of how to help their congregations through the fundamental reorientation of community identity and life, as congregations adapt to their changing circumstances and embrace a renewed dedication to mission in the community. I will be attending this course later in June at Conrad Grebel College, an affiliated religious college on the campus of the University of Waterloo.
In light of the Luther Snow event, I believe that this course will not only reinforce the commitment to working in community with other congregations, but will also provide a deeper understanding and foundation for acting upon the initiatives that find their beginning in the Luther Snow event, and for helping Lincoln Road (and me) better understand how best to adapt so that we might continue in our commitment to outreach within our community.
There is a movement, called the “emergent church” which is producing a network of congregations started by people under 40 for people under 40. This course states that among its goals is that of helping us identify what we can learn from this group, and why mainline traditions so often fail to appeal to this group.
July – to be spent in the UK. It has been suggested that although we are geographically closest to the United States, theologically, and in our actual spiritual development and practices, and in what is actually happening within our communities and our congregations we are actually much closer to the faith community of the United Kingdom. Spending time in the UK will provide opportunities for a variety of experiences. Part of the time would be spent living in community on the Island of Iona, the home of Celtic spiritual evangelism as expressed in community. The community at Iona provides opportunities to meet with other people of faith (though a religious community, it is not affiliated with any particular denomination). Mornings are spent in discussion with people from throughout the world. The afternoons are spent in reflection, in visiting sacred sites, in further discussion, and in the chores of maintaining the community. Guests are expected to help with the work of preparing meals, cleaning, etc. working with other visitors as well as staff and volunteers who are there for longer periods of time. Iona has long been identified as one of the “thin places”, a place where people feel truly close to the divine, as though the division or distance is very small, or “thin”. The community of Iona embraces different worship practices and music which will provide me with a better understanding of alternative styles, and the freedom to embrace these before attempting to utilise them at Lincoln Road. Some of the newer hymns in Voices United have their origin in the Community of Iona. (Will You Come and Follow Me, being one that comes immediately to mind).
I also plan to spend time at the Holy Island of Lindisfarne, said to be the home of Celtic theology (Iona is said to be the home of Celtic evangelism). Celtic theology provides some of the theological roots of Presbyterianism, one of the founding denominations of the United Church. This would be a time for reflection, for meditation, as well as daily worship. Marygate Retreat House is another religious community with no denominational ties, which seeks to provide the time and the space for those who are seeking to delve deeper into their faith, and to integrate new learnings. During my time here I would be seeking not only that space for reflection in general, but also more time for the reflection and integration of my experience on Iona, with a view to how it might impact my own spirituality, but also how the practices of both Iona and Marygate might enrich our worship and spiritual practices at Lincoln Road. I've just discovered through further research that there is another retreat centre there that has an extensive library related to "The Emerging Church" in the UK. It seems to be a centre for this movement and I am excited to think that I might be spending time there, and hopefully learning things that will be beneficial to Lincoln Road.
In addition, there will be time for further reading, and since both sites attract international visitors (some 650,000/year to Lindisfarne), there will also be opportunities to learn from those whose culture and practices may well be very different to ours, and yet might also be suggestive of new and rewarding approaches for us.
Any additional time in the United Kingdom would be used to visit other sites as appropriate and available.
August – In early August, I would like to attend the Network of Biblical Storytellers Festival, held in Asheville, N.C. This Network uses Biblical storytelling to reach those who are not in the habit of reading – much of our population. There is in-depth study of texts tied to the theme, worship centred around the texts, and then a variety of approaches to meaningful ways of presenting the text, as well as ways of introducing the text and then commenting, as a storyteller might. There is also a time when there is an “Epic Telling” – where Genesis Chapters 1 - 11 will be told by a variety of storytellers following one after the other, which will not only provide insight into the text, but also will illustrate how different storytellers approach the actual relating of the text , but how the different approaches impact the way it is heard. There are other sessions, and the main texts are Genesis 2:4-9 - The Garden of Eden, Genesis 15:1-6 - The Promise to Abram (and Sarai! – that would be Abraham and Sarah before God changes their names), Mark 4:1-9 - the Parable of the Sower. These have been chosen to further develop the theme which is “Provoking Creation: Saving the World Through Holiness and Tenderness.”
The reality is that twenty-seven years ago, theological colleges did not ever anticipate that technology might so change our world that the written word would no longer be the most viable means of communication. Beginning with Biblical Storytelling will equip me, I trust, to take the first steps to learning more effective ways of telling the story so that we might share our faith in ways that others might hear. It seemed to me to be a way of rounding out and balancing the learning experiences of the previous two months, bringing the fulness of outreach, spirituality and meditation to its proper base in scripture and how we share the foundation of our faith.
In addition there are books related to the changing face of the church that are on my “to read list” which will be perused during this sabbatical time.
Benefits:
The overall benefits will be spiritual renewal and refocus for the minister in preparation for the possible reorganization of the United churches in Windsor. The learning from both the courses, and the retreat time will equip the minister to bring new insights to ministry with the congregation, and perhaps inspire congregational members in both Biblical study and in the practice of retreat. And from the cross-cultural experience, bring new ideas about our spiritual roots and their relevance to us today.
