Pastor, Teacher, and Guitar and Motorcycle Enthusaist
What is a pastoral sabbatical? And how can it be a “magical” sabbatical? Let’s hear the perspective of our guest Blogger: Christina Fairman (FYI, Christina was a Senior Editor for the blog babygizmo!).
We’ll get back to theology, and pneumatology, and church mission/vision stuff in a little bit. But first, let’s answer the “magical” question!
-HEF
During this first weeks of Sabbatical, I’m spending time reflecting on the growing places within the church. In May 2023, Convergence (formerly the Center for Progressive Renewal) hosted a summit of ten Progressive Christian Magi, asking each to respond to the question:
“Can the Church Change?”
These are my reflections on the summit sessions. I give thanks to Spirit-guidance, and the squirrel-thoughts and butterfly-flights that caused me to pause and write, and pause and seek, and pause and ponder. And I trust that the Spirit will do the same for you as you have time and desire to share in the Summit.
I’ll also offer a “And So…” section at the end of each reflection titled Enter/Depart. It will look to connect the five Sabbatical themes to the reflection.
I think it’s important to understand how we embrace change and embody our growth as people of faith. Change is, by its nature, disruptive and cause fear and doubt to rise in us. Change is also, as Heraclitus noted, the only constant in the universe. The question that returned from our Magi is this:
As much as we have agency, what is it that we want the church to change into?
Today’s wisdom is shared by two of the summit’s wise ones: Japhet Ndhlovu and Miguel A. De La Torre. A word of thanks to Cameron Trimble and Jim Keat for their dialogue and guiding questions!
The Rev. Dr. Japhet Ndhlovu is an admittand from the Reformed Church in Zambia, recently served The United Church of Canada / L’Église Unie du Canada as a member of the Global Partnership Program Team in the Church in Partnership cluster of the Church in Mission Unit, as the Regional Program Coordinator for Southern Africa & South Asia (Philippines and India).
Dr. Miguel A. De La Torre is an international scholar, documentarian, novelist, academic author, and scholar activist. His academic field is social ethics within contemporary U.S. thought, specifically how religion affects race, class, and gender oppression. He presently serves as Professor of Social Ethics and Latinx Studies at the Iliff School of Theology in Denver. A prolific author, you can read more about him at drmigueldelatorre.com.
Both wise ones speak from a position of prohetic witness from their cultures. They each sharedThe question, “Can the church change?” received two very divergent answers from these two passionate people.
Miguel said simply:
“Can the church change and become more justice based? Then I’m quite Hopeless.”
Japhet’s answer was more nuanced:
“The church is changing, but in each part of the world it is different.”
To the former, I said, “Wow. That is the first perspective that said, “No.” I need to know more, and understand his candor.
To the latter, he continued that in the Northern/Western church, the focus is on decline and death. In the Southern church, living beyond the effects of colonization, the focus is on love and transformation. Again, I need to know more: choosing love over decline, and transformation over death.
This reflection will be a bit different from the others. It took me a couple of days to prayerfully digest and reflect on the two pillars. And some more time to witness to God’s still-speaking voice.
To change for the better, means the church must crucify itself. It must crucify its sin of whiteness; its sin of classicism; its sin of racism; its sin of homophobia.
Dr. Miguel A. De La Torre
Paraphrasing Miguel’s thoughts: If the church’s calling is for justice (a belief that I hold as true), it will more likely be despised. If the church is found challenging the systems of power and oppression in their community, they’re going to get negative pushback.
If the church’s understanding of its mission allows the church to “be the church at rest,” I think it’s fair to ask how God’s transformative Spirit is preached there. Allowing the sins of power and privilege to control the dialogue takes us back to Matthew 4’s indictment of the temptations: abuse of power, safety of privilege, and seeking personal glory. And those take us back to the issues of heresy, and blasphemy, and idolatry (the foci of my reflection on Diana Butler Bass’ summit session).
Discipleship… It’s costly.
Rev. Dr. Japhet Ndhlovu
To be able to have this belief, it’s the faith that inspires me to be involved in seeking justice. It’s the faith that inspires me to seek transformation-to seek change…
We have to make very serious decisions to lift up our heads and say, “I believe.”
This is where Japhet’s belief of living a “life before death” takes over. It’s not a heaven-on-their-minds moment (Thanks Jesus Christ Superstar!). He says this need requires the prophets of today to “seek life now.”
The hymn calls to us: “We are God’s house of living stones…” even when temples are falling. Centering our thoughts, prayers, actions and advocacy around a triune love–love for the divine, Love for God, and Love for the church (God’s people)–forces that serious decision to say “I believe” and then live out the convictions that define that belief.
Follow this link to look back on the five Sabbatical Themes
Both Miguel and Japhet challenge us to live beyond ourselves—beyond our places for safety—and to be open to the Spirit’s witness of how others encounter the world.
This is where our Community inspires our Action.
Several years ago, our SEL-based youth outreach program was encouraged to apply for youth diversion grant to enhance its impact. The application was read by a local elected official, who responded, “Oh, it’s that church…”, dismissing the impact of the program because of the witness of the faith community that housed it.
Our members heard about this new moniker for our faith community, and embraced its impact. “What would it like to be that church?” they asked. Their communal convictions spelled out their answers:
And they lifted up our two ongoing justice commitments:
This mission “to be that church” is love-sharing, hope-transforming movement of the Spirit. And I know we will keep listening to God’s still-speaking word, living these commitments into our growing future.
-HEF
Note: The Can the Church Change? Summit hosted by Convergence took place over the week of May 22-26, 2023. The sessions are available for viewing through subscription at https://convergencesummit.online/can_the_church_change/
During this first weeks of Sabbatical, I’m spending time reflecting on the growing places within the church. In May 2023, Convergence (formerly the Center for Progressive Renewal) hosted a summit of ten Progressive Christian Magi, asking each to respond to the question:
“Can the Church Change?”
These are my reflections on the summit sessions. I give thanks to Spirit-guidance, and the squirrel-thoughts and butterfly-flights that caused me to pause and write, and pause and seek, and pause and ponder. And I trust that the Spirit will do the same for you as you have time and desire to share in the Summit.
I’ll also offer a “And So…” section at the end of each reflection titled Enter/Depart. It will look to connect the five Sabbatical themes to the reflection.
I think it’s important to understand how we embrace change and embody our growth as people of faith. Change is, by its nature, disruptive and cause fear and doubt to rise in us. Change is also, as Heraclitus noted, the only constant in the universe. The question that returned from our Magi is this:
As much as we have agency, what is it that we want the church to change into?
Today’s wisdom is shared by Diana Butler Bass, author, speaker, and historian. A word of thanks to Cameron Trimble for her interlocution in the summit: great questions, and wise insights through the conversations.
Diana Butler Bass, Ph.D., is an award-winning author, popular speaker, inspiring preacher, and one of America’s most trusted commentators on religion and contemporary spirituality. You can learn more about Diana’s work at her website, dianabutlerbass.com.
Diana’s answer to the core question, “Can the church change?” was this:
Tell me a time when the church hasn’t changed. That’s a historian’s answer…
The church always changes. Why don’t we start there?
I love this perspective, and what history can teach us about the ways the church has grown and rarified and slowed and re-birthed.
Diana and Camron had a long conversation talking about “post-normal times,” the changes in Christian community life, and the need for aspirational visions and experimental communities.
What caught my heart and my attention came at the 37ish minute mark. Diana shared deeply on the fearful impact of Christian Nationalism’s heresy, blasphemy and idolatry on our society. Her challenge to us all is to accept the imperative to “get noisy” in its face.
Let’s see what history can teach us about that ‘unholy’ trinity of words.
Heresy, Blasphemy, and Idolatry.
These aren’t typical words used in discussing Progressive-leaning Christianity–in a positive light. In fact on a quick search of “Progressive+Heresy,” every hit was titled something like “Is being a progressive Christian actually heresy?” Or “Progressive Christianity is the best pathway to heresy and progressive pastors are the modern day false prophets.” “Progressive+Blasphemy” and “Progressive+Idolatry” return similar results. No surprises.
So let’s take a philological moment here. In the immortal words of Indigo Montoya, “You keep using that word. I do not think it means what you think it means.”
Heresy is “a belief or opinion contrary to orthodox religious (especially Christian) doctrine.” Blasphemy is “impious utterance or action concerning God or sacred things.” Idolatry is “idol worship.”
But the word heresy derives from the Greek word αἵρεσις (hairesis): ‘choice.’ The word blasphemy is also Greek βλασφημέω (blasphemeō): ‘to blame.’ And round it out with Idolatry, still Greek εἰδωλολατρία (eidōlolatreia): ‘worshiping idols” (saw that one coming, eh?). *Thanks to dictionary.com and perseus.uchicago.edu for the research tools!
So celebrating someone exercising God’s gift of free will is bad. And calling out someone for acting like they’re God’s gift (or God themselves) is bad. And selectively selecting something from the sacred, elevating it to the utmost, and rendering unto it what should be celebrated with God is bad.
Here lies the question: Who’s to judge? Who gets to pick what’s heretical, or blasphemous, or idolatrous?
Luther’s ‘heresy’ of questioning authority is the backbone for the Reformation. Many continuing reformers, like the Quakers, Anabaptists, and Unitarians ‘blasphemed’ for offering a different understanding of God’s revelation (including believer’s baptism, the liberty of conscience, and non-conformity to the world). William of Ockham’s (and others) idolatry of sola scriptura is the razor-edge on which all modern Biblical scholarship is derived.
All three of these charges require us to agree to something: a single, immutable definition of Christian faith. They assume that we’re not experiencing the gift of life in unique ways. They assume that sacred wisdom only comes in a tightly defined box. And they assume that there’s something other than God that deserves our lauds and praise: the single, immutable definition.
I claim my religious heritage in the United Church of Christ and my upbringing in the church as defining parts of who I am. And this means that I have a definition of what Christian faith looks like from that perspective. Over time, my definition has changed as life lessons and other’s wisdom have shared revelation on that “better way.” And that way is Progressive, and inclusive, and ecumenical and inter-faith.
Living a life worthy of being called Christian challenges me to read the sacred stories with eyes looking for the change that needs to happen around me. Seeing with heaven’s eyes that there are many paths to the sacred enhances my faith, as I can see that its truths stretch beyond one community’s teachings. And with both of these working together, I’m challenged to parse that idol of a “single immutable definition” into its divisive and traumatic parts of specks and logs (à la Matthew 7:1-5). I’m stretched to embrace Christ’s way of justice, healing, and love more fully for the healing of creation..
Follow this link to look back on the five Sabbatical Themes
Diana urges us all to “Get Noisy” about what matters. She says with passion:
Fear is not an option. What is our only option: Courage.
We have to continue pressing into love and justice in every way possible…
We teach our children: “Use your words.” And we have faith that our second Sabbatical focus, Language tunes our Love, challenges us to breathe inclusion and expanding love into the world.
Allowing an ‘orthodoxy’ like Christian Nationalism to dictate the religious dialogue is a blasphemy (active or passive). Not speaking against its oppression and allowing it to impiously shape our common living is a heresy. Its presence in the world itself is an idolatry of hate and division.
I am a strong advocate for keeping the church out of politics, and politics out of the church (and thanks to Americans United for shaping my words and witness). It is of the utmost importance to remember the intent of the authors of the United States Constitution and Amendments on this. When ideologies seek to break the separation down, we all need to rise up and ask who is benefitting. I cannot find an example in history of religious nationalism benefitting the majority (or the nation itself).
In a later post, I’ll be reflecting on Jim Wallis’ latest (2024) book, The False White Gospel: Rejecting Christian Nationalism, Reclaiming True Faith, and Refounding Democracy. I expect that his work will better shape my words on this. For now, I’ll leave this topic here. And I will celebrate that we can share our diverse and unique opinions in respectful conversation.
-HEF
Note: The Can the Church Change? Summit hosted by Convergence took place over the week of May 22-26, 2023. The sessions are available for viewing through subscription at https://convergencesummit.online/can_the_church_change/
During this first weeks of Sabbatical, I’m spending time reflecting on the growing places within the church. In May 2023, Convergence (formerly the Center for Progressive Renewal) hosted a summit of ten Progressive Christian Magi, asking each to respond to the question:
“Can the Church Change?”
These are my reflections on the summit sessions. I give thanks to Spirit-guidance, and the squirrel-thoughts and butterfly-flights that caused me to pause and write, and pause and seek, and pause and ponder. And I trust that the Spirit will do the same for you as you have time and desire to share in the Summit.
I’ll also offer a “And So…” section at the end of each reflection titled Enter/Depart. It will look to connect the five Sabbatical themes to the reflection.
I think it’s important to understand how we embrace change and embody our growth as people of faith. Change is, by its nature, disruptive and cause fear and doubt to rise in us. Change is also, as Heraclitus noted, the only constant in the universe. The question that returned from our Magi is this:
As much as we have agency, what is it that we want the church to change into?
Today’s wisdom is shared by Brian D. McLaren, author, speaker, activist, and public theologian. A word of thanks to Cameron Trimble for her interlocution in the summit: great questions, and wise insights through the conversations.
Brian D. McLaren is an author, speaker, activist, and public theologian. A former college English teacher and pastor, he is a passionate advocate for “a new kind of Christianity” – just, generous, and working with people of all faiths for the common good. You can learn more about Brian’s work at his website, brianmclaren.net.
Brian’s answer to the core question, “Can the church change?” was this:
It is always happening. The question really is “Can we change for the better?”
And he challenges us against resisting change:
The very act of resisting change changes the person who’s doing the resisting. So the very act of resisting change brings change.
I love that the first topic that Brian jumped on is “change resistance / change adverseness.”
Even in forward-thinking program-driven churches get stuck here. Being “progressive” can be just as limiting as other core identities. I recall one church I worked with that held such a high ownership of their “progressive” role in the local community in the 1950s. Now in the 2000s, they could not see that their progressivism had become “protectivism.”
Brian’s shares the idea that “many churches will change by being ever-more resistant to change” starts the slope. They will survive in smaller and smaller numbers, attracting a certain kind of people. Ultimately, it becomes a self-fulfilling loop: We are who we are because we refuse to change. And fear of any change begins to spiral into more embarrassing, violent, and desperate circles.
When you act in fear, that tends to bring out the uglier side. And you can expect ugly, ugly, ugly forms of Christianity to become uglier.
Brian McLaren
From those circles, as the center of gravity shifts to ever-worst, Brian sees hope that “people will defect.” They will say, “I’m ready to risk. I don’t have much to lose at this point.” And from that hope and healing, more beautiful forms of Christian faith will emerge.
I appreciate Brian’s identifying two big drivers of change resistance in the church. The first is a theology: a “changelessness” that drives to infallibility in the organization (the church) and inerrancy in the founding principles (the Bible). The second is economy: the power of money to drive the organization outside of its mission. He reminds us:
“No one can serve two masters, for a slave will either hate the one and love the other or be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and wealth.
Matthew 6:24 NRSV-UE
Both Cameron and Brian note the mathematics of “Whiteness” within these two drivers. White Privilege + Embedded Patriarchy + Capitalism = the history of the Christian church. The existing structures are deeply compromised by these connections, and disengagement will be real change. But, Brian noted:
The church may be a long-shot in picking that baton up, but it’s not easy to think of any other organization that has greater potential to do it.
It’s on this, and the later part of the conversation that I want to spend time on: The Future
During the calling process to St. John UCC, one of the members asked me, “If there was one thing we could do to grow the church, what would it be?”
My answer: Focus on the needs of families with younger children. Be the place that parents can find support and love.
At the 20 minute mark of the conversation, Brian starts a five-minute riff on that it would be like if the church could be the place “to help young parents to do a great job in facing the challenging decade and century ahead.” My heart was more than strangely warmed.
My smile grew and grew as Brian described the dream for this mission:
Can the existing church be a place for this? In my heart, I say, “Maybe.” But it’s going to mean setting aside assumptions, retooling our skills and refocusing our engagement, and yes, changing our attitude about assets. It also means keeping our mission focused “outside,” and leveraging every asset that we have to be extravagantly welcoming. That’s a big ask, but “it’s not easy to think of any other organization…” than a congregation like St. John UCC who could do it. Of this I have faith.
Follow this link to look back on the five Sabbatical Themes
Brian ended his session with a quote from Wendell Berry:
“It may be that when we no longer know what to do, we have come to our real work and when we no longer know which way to go, we have begun our real journey.
Our Real Work, © 1983, from Standing by Words. Counterpoint.
This session left me in wonder-filled deep discernment, in dreaming. Those with whom I worship and minister with regularly know my love for Gil Rendle and Alice Mann’s three questions from Holy Conversations:
I am still in that dreaming. Center to that dream is the question, “If we leveraged ever possible asset to __________ (fill in the blank), what changes would we need to make? What parts of our heritage would we need to retain, and what parts need to go? To discern with our theology, what parts need to decrease, so that God’s love may increase in our living our faith out loud?
Is our call to embrace and expand into the sacred arts and music? Are we called to be the nurturing place for children and youth? What about our caring for the earth and all of God’s creation? What will we discern in our “Blank Space?”
Yes, today’s reflections created some ideas. I’ll have them ready to share when we regather at the end of the Sabbatical. And I’m sure you’ll have some to share, too. I can already see the rainbow of Post-Its on the wall!
Keep dreaming, and discerning, and listening for God’s still-speaking voice!
-HEF
Note: The Can the Church Change? Summit hosted by Convergence took place over the week of May 22-26, 2023. The sessions are available for viewing through subscription at https://convergencesummit.online/can_the_church_change/
During this first weeks of Sabbatical, I’m spending time reflecting on the growing places within the church. In May 2023, Convergence (formerly the Center for Progressive Renewal) hosted a summit of ten Progressive Christian Magi, asking each to respond to the question:
“Can the Church Change?”
These are my reflections on the summit sessions. I give thanks to Spirit-guidance, and the squirrel-thoughts and butterfly-flights that caused me to pause and write, and pause and seek, and pause and ponder. And I trust that the Spirit will do the same for you as you have time and desire to share in the Summit.
I’ll also offer a “And So…” section at the end of each reflection titled Enter/Depart. It will look to connect the five Sabbatical themes to the reflection.
I think it’s important to understand how we embrace change and embody our growth as people of faith. Change is, by its nature, disruptive and cause fear and doubt to rise in us. Change is also, as Heraclitus noted, the only constant in the universe. The question that returned from our Magi is this:
As much as we have agency, what is it that we want the church to change into?
Today’s wisdom is shared by Rev. Dr. Karen Georgia Thompson, General Minister and President of the United Church of Christ. A word of thanks to Cameron Trimble for her interlocution in the summit: great questions, and wise insights through the conversations.
The Rev. Dr. Karen Georgia Thompson now serves as General Minister and President of the United Church of Christ. At the time of the summit, she served as Associate General Minister, Wider Church Ministries and Operations Co-Executive for Global Ministries (UCC/DOC). Born in Kingston, Jamaica, her poetry and writings reflect her Jamaican heritage and culture as well as the traditions and lore of her Ancestors.
To the core question, “Can the church change?” Karen Georgia responded back with her own question, “Change from what to what?” (I love this question/answer!)
Karen Georgia shared her witness on what colonization has done to the global church, and its remnant biases in the mainline churches in the United States. While colonization has undeniably had its impact on the whole of the church worldwide, it has put “a particular whiteness” on the American Christianity. The “missional imperative” to share (and enforce a particular Jingoist understanding of) the Gospel continues to promote the danger of a single White/Western Christian narrative. The challenge for change is to acknowledge this truth, and to move beyond it. The challenge, as Karen Georgia stated it: to let go of the power entrenched in the institution. And that starts with learning who we are in the first place as followers of Christ’s Way.
To the heart of the matter, I love her bold statement:
“Christianity is not an identity… In our Northern [Western] context and in a lot of places, Christianity is held as a primary identity and we see that on display in a variety of ways that are dysfunctional.”
I find truth in her words. Affirming one’s Christian faith is an active decision, guided by witness and discernment. It is not an inheritance or an identity.
Now, I’m betting folks will take exception to her statement, because it messes with the historic ideology of Christendom. It challenges the notion that, because we claim the label of Christian, we are all on the same team. We all have common beliefs and goals.
Leaning on the wisdom of Erick Erickson: our identity is who we are beyond our choices. Its formation is “the gradual acquisition of a sense of continuity, worth, and integration.” Erickson believed identity formation is an essential process in personality development. However, identity originates from traits or attributes that individuals may have little or no control over, such our biology, family background or ethnicity.
It is true that in Northern/Western culture, personal and secular identity are deeply influenced by the presence of Christianity. But equally present in our American context is influence by adopted/interpreted classical Green and Roman cultures and incorporation of elements from every culture present. We can’t not see it, unless we hide our eyes from it’s truth: The United States is not homogenous. Nor is it or has it ever been, a “Christian” nation. This too is a mis-“identification.” From indigenous ancestors to the myriad of immigrant origins, the parts of us that make up our identities run deeper than an adopted faith tradition.
That old adage reminds us: “Faith is caught more than it is taught.” Taking on the ideals and standards (not the identity) of following in Christ’s Way is a choice. And in following our faith, interpreting those ideals and standards in the face of life’s costs and joys becomes our daily task.
Back to the question: Change from what to what? How about from an institution to a deepened witness? How about from a “club organization” to a truer sense of self (and identity)? Karen Georgia had this to say:
I believe that in order for us to deepen our Christianity, to deepen our witness, it calls for us to know ourselves. The way that we know God is to first knowing oursleves.
In order for the church to change we take on the challenge is to make space for each person to know themselves more fully (and their story as valid) as we embrace Christian faith as a changing, growing, radically including way to live. We must choose not to impose a false concept on their identity, but rather open ourselves up to hear their lived story–how their faith has been challenged, changed, and rarified.
Cameron Trimble added this “Refreshingly Scandalous” summation:
Let us study all the dead white men, but let us be released from them being our primary lens.
Let us develop in ourselves (if not already) trusting our intuition, a deep inner knowing that’s unique to each person formed by their ways of knowing as just as legitimate.
Look back on the five Sabbatical Themes
When I first engaged this presentation, I thought I would be reflecting on the fifth Sabbatical focus. Discernment: Knowing who we are called to be and do, and who is our neighbor. What I enjoyed to discover was that the fourth focus danced out: Community.
We say “Community embodies our Action”, as we are called to caring, and fellowship, and welcome.
Since our regathering from the COVID pause, this need to think about community differently has been part of my regular journaling. And while I admit my hyper-focus was on the local church being community, Karen Georgia’s call to “inner intuition and spiritual deepening” calls out to me.
In her last few minutes, Karen Georgia speaks to the need to “think about community differently.” She challenged us to think about our spaces differently. She called on us to account for the presence of people differently. And she spoke of a widening space for people to ask more questions and seek the community in which they desire to be part.
How do we do this, to think about community differently, as we enter to worship? How do we live community differently as we depart to serve?
This is the stuff Sabbaticals are made to prayerfully ponder!
-HEF
Note: The Can the Church Change? Summit hosted by Convergence took place over the week of May 22-26, 2023. The sessions are available for viewing through subscription at https://convergencesummit.online/can_the_church_change/
Today – “On the first day…” – I start the pause, the first day of rest and renewal: this sabbatical time.
And, as I said in worship on Sunday, May 19: I’m kinda nervous. I’m nervous I’m going to “fail” sabbatical-ing! I’ve already got a list of like ten things that I’ve left at the office. I’ve picked up my keys three times, saying:
It’ll only take me a minute. I can sneak into the building, and no one would be the wiser!
But we do have those darn cameras and HID fobs, ensuring that the space is safe for all to gather. So, no. No cheating. For these ninety days, my job is sabbath.
I’ve always had my workplace in the basement living room. We set that aside when we moved in. Today, I refit the space for the upcoming asynchronous workshops that start this week. With the pace of life, my desk took on a characteristic of creatively evolving stacks of old projects, things that need to be filed, and precociously piled manuals for the myriad of modern amenities that we acquire in life. Filing and re-piling, Genesis 1:2 kept popping into my mind, how the earth was
formless and empty (Genesis 1:2 Heb. תֹהוּ וָבֹהוּ | to-HU va-VO-hu)
The last major organizing binge took place in March 2020, setting out a creative space during the COVID pandemic. My mini-studio for quick clips, and my Zoom meeting space took shape after I sifted out the four years of piles since we moved in. Now four years and a global pandemic later, the space is re-set for the Sabbatical. Very different times, but not so different purposes. Back in March 2020, we were asking, “How are we going to do this?” Worship and prayer? Community and care? How will we keep the body of Christ at St. John UCC thriving and healthy in the “formless emptiness?” We did it by caring and communicating, and chalking ourselves to focus on the needs of our neighbors. And when we got to “Building Back,” it was with careful focus that brought us out of that liminal place.
Now, on the first day to re-enter this space with the Sabbatical theme on “Enter to Worship / Depart to Serve,” I find my mind leaning back into that familiar formless emptiness. But this time it’s with a Spirit of Peace and Renewal. Tomorrow, I’ll write on the five focus points for these twelve weeks. But today, I’ll leave it here: rest into this time of renewal with me. It’ll find form in its time, and be full of so much Spirit. Just as the earth was “in the beginning’s” creative time.
So tonight, no sneaking. Let’s settle into the re-creating. And in the end, we know: that with God, it will all be
“found very good” (Gen 1:31, Heb. הִנֵּה־ט֖וֹב מְאֹ֑ד | hiNEH tov m’OD).
P.S. Big thanks to Sefaria and the JPS for The Contemporary Torah (2006) for helping me brush up on my Hebrew transliterations: https://www.sefaria.org/
Four years in the making, our Sabbatical Renewal begins on Sunday, May 19, 2024, with a day of dancing tongues of the Spirit’s inspiring passion leading us into reflection and renewal.
The Sabbatical Countdown begins today!
During our planning for the 175th Anniversary, our historians discovered something interesting: We have no record of a pastor seeking or taking a Sabbatical while serving our congregation. So, if the idea of a three-month renewal time is new to you, there’s a good reason for it! Let’s look at how we got here.
A lot has changed since I wrote the first Tidings note on the beginning of Sabbatical planning. Our congregation blesses our pastors with a three-month renewal after five years of ministry. Counting the days, the initial planning was for the Sabbatical to begin some time after 9/1/2021. The COVID-19 Global Pandemic made that hardly a time to plan great adventures in renewal.
The first theme that caught our attention was “Living with a New Wine Spirit.” It was an acknowledgement that where our ministry had been before the Coronavirus pandemic would not be a place where we could return. With the second grant, our focus shifted to “A Light in the Liminal Times,” appreciating that we were starting to see where God was inspiring our witness after COVID’s three years in-between.
Now, as we approach the beginning of our eighth year in ministry together this September, we embrace our third theme: Enter to Worship / Depart to Serve
Let’s continue on how our reflection and renewal will be shaped.
Each month is blocked out into three parts: Engaged Study, Active Reflection, and Family Renewal.
The first study period is a week-long conference hosted by Convergence, a UCC-related consultation group. They will investigate the question, “Can the Church Change?” You can take part in this online conference, too! Registration for the week is free at:
The second study period will be spent at Disney Institute’s “Brilliance” training on leadership innovation, and Welcome. This was a part of the earlier sabbatical plans, and offers “magical” instruction on how to magnify our extravagant welcome.
The third segment will take place at the annual Wild Goose Festival, engaging in its creative and expanding worship. This event is still tentative, pending some other time commitments. Also, there may be some additional renewal activities and events added. Watch for updates throughout the summer.
First let’s remember, the sabbatical period is one of separate journeying. If you or your family are in need of pastoral care, please contact Pastor Rachel and Pastor Ted.
Second, it’s natural to be curious about this! I am going to re-engage in curating my Blog (if you’re reading this post on the blog, Hello to you!): hankfairman.com
It all starts today with the sabbatical countdown! I covenant with you to post “pretty regularly” (though I may not reply back to comments).
The Congregation’s sabbatical countdown begins today, as well!
What does a church’s renewal time look like? Our Congregational Renewal studies, events and engagements are being finalized as this Tidings goes to print. Look for posts on our Facebook page, information in the weekly Friday Blast Email, and announcements in Sunday’s worship and bulletin.
Our Sabbatical Team is Lisa Ebbers, Council President; Robert Mayfield, Past Council President; Mike Smith, and Marsha Boll, along with Pastor Rachel and Pastor Ted. Seek them out with questions and wisdom!