Sabbatical

The question I get asked most often these days is, “What is a sabbatical anyway?” Most people know that a sabbatical is a period of paid leave. Traditionally, like for university professors, it is for one year, every seven years. Mine will be for only three months and I’m not proud to say that it is my first. But that’s not really the question people are asking. They want to know, “what will be different?’

Well, I will be away from mid-May to mid-August in 2018. The Parish Council and the bishop have given their permission. The funding for the course of study comes from the Continuing Education funds of our Pension Contributions. I could have taken all sorts of courses and studied lots of subjects that would have added nothing useful to my ministry or my sermons. Instead, I will try and learn how to play the guitar. It too may prove to be useless or futile, but I remain hopeful. I may never haul out the guitar in public or you may come to dread seeing me pick it up during a sermon.

So, to the point of what will be different, my hope is that you’ll will hardly know I’m gone. As one person put it, “the parish got along just fine for 235 years before you, we can do 3 months easily.”

I am confident that the Rev. John Ferguson and the Rev. Jay Macdonald will care for you and for the Sunday morning worship with the greatest of skill and love. I am not travelling far, so I might show up to worship once and a while. John and Jay will be the point people for funerals, but if I’m in town I can’t imagine myself just staying home… I would want to be there and help in the care of those who mourn.