I
have loved the idea of sailing for as long as I can remember; from
running outside in rainstorms with my brothers to race our boats down a
nearby creek, to dreaming about the small sailboat in a shop window we
used to pass every morning on our way to school. For me, there was magic in that window -- a self-contained world, a beautiful sail to carry me to distant lands.
Through the years I've had a number of opportunities to follow that passion from sailing camp in seventh grade to bumping around in the waters of Nantucket Sound in my parents' day sailor. It was while I was still in seminary thirty four or thirty five years ago that I first began thinking about an extended cruise at some point during my ministry. In the decades since then the dream slipped into the background amid the challenges and demands of raising a family and serving a parish. Then I heard about the Lilly Endowment for Clergy Renewal; a program that offers clergy an opportunity to step away from parish life and engage in a sabbatical period of renewal and reflection. The program asks, "What will make your heart sing?"
Wow! Answering the question wasn't hard: time with God; time with my family; time on a boat. Combining those three into a grant proposal was a delight. For me, it was a chance to dream and I was joined in that process by the congregation I serve.
My church, Fox Chapel Presbyterian, has been incredibly supportive at every step along the way, and to my amazement the Center for Pastoral Excellence at Christian Theological Seminary who administers the Endowment program approved the proposal. I am incredibly grateful to both.
The sabbatical will last four months between April 24 to August 23. It looks like this:
April 24 - May 2, Colgate Offshore Sailing School with Bonnie. It has been over twenty years since I was originally certified for Bareboat Chartering. The course will serve to bring both Bonnie and me up to speed.
May 2 - May 12, a ten-day charter with the kids and their spouses in the British Virgin Islands (yahoo!).
May 13 - May 24, Colgate Offshore Sailing School. I'll be taking their Navigation and Passagemaking courses; a crucial piece in preparing me for the next stage of the sabbatical.
May 25 - August 23, a coastal passage along the east coast. As much of this time as possible will be spent with Bonnie, but we are anticipating that she will have to work for much if not all of it. As a result, there will be significant periods where I'm sailing solo. Those times, however, will be interspersed with visits from various friends who will be joining me on the boat from anywhere from a few days to a week.
The periods alone will be an opportunity for prayer and journaling, and will also include some reading, painting, photography and a chance to listen to some sermons from the preachers I most admire. I want to make this a time to nurture creativity; to shake myself out of some of the ruts and explore new ideas and new ways to express myself. Attending to God's good creation over the course of these weeks, my hope is to feed both mind and soul in a way that will bear fruit for years to come.
I'm very grateful for my wonderful church family at Fox Chapel Presbyterian and for their support, and so grateful for the vision and generosity of those who created the Lilly Endowment for Clergy Renewal along with the oversight provided by Christian Theological Seminary. I am truly blessed!
