Sabbatical Report

This coming Sunday, August 29^th, I will be presenting a report on my sabbatical.  I am still trying to determine how to do that in a meaningful way.  I could talk about the people and the places for several hours but of course no one wants to hear that much.  I have thousands of photos but no one wants to see them all.  We tried to show them to friends one night and they both fell asleep.

 So I am trying to whittle three months of life altering experiences down to an hour.  What had the most impact on me may be of little interest to someone else.  Jack and I certainly remember different things as highlights.

 The questions we have been asked since our return my give me a clue as to what folks want to know.  The majority of those have been about the weather and the food.  Both were wonderful and surprisingly varied from place to place. 

 If anyone has specific questions you hope we will address, please send me a message this week.

 The theme of my sabbatical proposal to Lilly was “Strangers and Angels”.  Here is what was in the original proposal…

 “Do not neglect to show hospitality to strangers, for by this some have entertained angels without knowing it.”  Hebrews 13:2  The author of Hebrews is probably alluding to a ministry to strangers and guests as demonstrated by Abraham and Sarah which underscores how God’s people can treat strangers.  We are challenged to be welcoming, hospitable, and open to guests.  Many congregations, including Northminster Presbyterian, want others to know that this is a primary characteristic of their people. We focus on friendliness, greeters, and packets of material introducing the congregation to newcomers.  But hospitality to strangers and entertaining angels is more than that.  It is about mission and outreach as well as welcoming worship.

 The clergy renewal program we are proposing involves angels and strangers.  We hope to learn more about the strangers we have welcomed, learn more about being a stranger, and discover how God’s angels minister to us through strangers.

 Our pastor will travel to East Africa as a stranger in a strange land.  She will visit the site of Northminster’s most recent mission commitment in Kenya.  She will experience their hospitality and have learnings to bring home from our partners in mission.  In Eritrea and Ethiopia Teri will learn more of the culture and history of the refugees who have been settling in our community and worshipping with us at Northminster.  She will connect with the families they left behind.  Experiencing the hospitality of these people in their own country will help us learn how to welcome them in ours.  In Ethiopia she will visit more mission sites sponsored by our church in order to more adequately interpret this mission at home and to again experience being the outsider in a new culture.

For a report on all this- see you Sunday.