It’s hard to believe that I am coming into the end of my seventh year as co-pastor here at Hope Church. On the one hand, this place feels so much like home that it feels like I’ve been here much longer. On the other hand, the time has gone by so very fast. As you read in the newsletter last month I am being offered a sabbatical this fall. This is a practice here at Hope Church to offer pastors a sabbatical after every seven years of ministry. I have read the research over the years about why sabbaticals are encouraged in pastoral ministry: time away for renewal helps to mitigate the very high burn out rate among clergy, time for sustained study and exploration increases vitality and creativity in ministry. Many congregations know this but few that I have served have been able to pull together the resources to provide sabbaticals and even if they did I was working as an interim minister so never served a congregation long enough to be eligible for one. Having a first sabbatical at the time I mark the 20th anniversary of my ordination this fall feels like a beautiful gift! I am deeply aware that few people receive sabbaticals in their work and so I do not take this gift for granted.
Over the years that I have served among you, I have felt increasingly called to the ministry of reconciliation. All of my life it seems and certainly all of my ministry, I have found myself in the role of standing in the breach between people who see themselves at odds with one another and trying to help facilitate some mutual understanding, to help generate some common ground, and if necessary to offer a path toward healing. Chalk it up to being a middle child but I have always been drawn to the work of peacemaking and reconciliation. I increasingly see this work as a fundamental calling of the church as we bear witness to the gospel of Jesus who reconciles and make all things whole. And while I was prepared for many things through my seminary education, the practical work of reconciliation was not a part of the curriculum. I’ve been seeking out that education wherever I can find it and it has been a fascinating journey that has taken me to courses on Appreciative Inquiry, conflict transformation, and more recently Restorative Circles.
In my sabbatical I want to explore the church’s ministry of reconciliation in more depth. I’m interested in exploring the theological ground for practices of reconciliation as well as develop and expand practical tools for reconciliation. I expect to continue to develop the work of Restorative Circles with an emphasis on interpreting this practice for the Christian community. I want to explore the work of the Colossians Forum in Grand Rapids which is a ministry with a specific focus on facilitating dialogical conversations within the church on controversial issues. I plan to investigate the resources that the Iona Community has been offering to the church through their many years of peacemaking work (and have plans to spend a week in residence there!). And I will be exploring the inward dimensions of reconciliation work through journaling, continued work with my pastoral coach and clergy colleagues on this theme, and by investigating some artistic exploration as a component of reconciliation ministry.
I cannot thank you enough for the gift of this sabbatical and look forward to sharing the fruits of it with you when that time has come to an end!
Peace,
Pastor Jill