As we enter this season of gratitude when many of us more intentionally practice lifting up what we are thankful for, I want to express my deep gratitude for this church – the ways you have nurtured connections and kept the church going during the pandemic, the ways you have come back together with such joy and care for one another, the ways you are working to bridge the in-person and virtual communities within our congregation, and the ways you have supported our leadership throughout this challenging time as we learn and innovate together.

One of the spiritual practices that sustains ministers and enlivens our ministries, especially in times of great change such as this, is the sabbatical. Every six years ministers take a sabbatical (one month for every year of service) as a time to learn, replenish and renew, and return with fresh ideas and spirit for our shared ministries. I want to thank the Board for approving a sabbatical for me – my first since beginning in ministry and since becoming one of your ministers 7 years ago.

From January 1 to July 1, 2022 I will be engaged in a number of opportunities for learning, practice, and reflection in four areas – parenting as a spiritual practice, faith development and curriculum innovation, justice and equity, and personal spiritual practice. I will use the time to strengthen my regular spiritual practice and self-care, to discover and re-discover new readings/poetry/prayers to share with you, to be fully present to my role as parent and grow and deepen by approaching it as a spiritual practice, and to explore innovative models and curricula for faith development and family ministry especially on topics of racial justice and equity. When I return I look forward to sharing with you some of the insights and resources I found and conducting a comprehensive review of our faith development curriculum in light of our church’s new mission and ends.

All of these sabbatical projects will equip me to do our work together better when I return, and will make me a more spiritually grounded minister, refreshed and ready to prepare for the new church year! Thank you for the gift of this sabbatical time.

I look forward to celebrating the holidays with you in the coming months, and then catching up with you again next summer. May a deep peace and expansive love grow in you, abide in your heart, and guide you on your way until we meet again!