Actually, the title of this article is a bit misleading because I began my
sabbatical most gratefully. Of course, I was appreciative of having the
opportunity to take the time for restoration, but I was absolutely
stunned by the gift you presented in support of my sabbatical financially.
I understand that this was done through a congregational appeal, and I want
you to know that your generosity was literally breathtaking to Ellen and me.
Words like these can't express the depth of our gratitude, and I most humbly
thank all of
you who made such a marvelous gift possible. I will never forget that
moment. Please know that while the sabbatical was about detaching from my
parish responsibilities, it wasn't about detaching from the people who form
my life, and I had you in my heart every day—particularly in thankfulness.
That thankfulness continues as I return to ministry in this congregation—a
place that is so full and exciting.
My
gratitude for All Saints' was no less lively when I was named a finalist in
the process for nomination as Bishop of Arkansas. By now, most of you have
heard that I was not chosen as a nominee. Contrary to the way most of "the
world" works, such a process is not about winning or losing, affirmed or
rejected, but rather it is about discernment—probing one's vocation
and listening deeply in that very challenging endeavor. I can readily admit
that when at first I was told I would not be nominated I was surely
disappointed. Nonetheless, after much soul-searching I can easily and
wholeheartedly affirm that the discernment in that process worked
just as it should have. Their committee chose well; I was not the person for
them, nor was that a diocese for me. I am indeed grateful for their
discernment. Just as pointedly, I can embrace what my own discernment taught
me during that time about how my call in ministry is evolving. As I still
know that my participation in that process was the leading of the Holy
Spirit, it follows that the discernment I received was necessary and
meaningful for my ministry whatever the outcome. And it is certainly true
this prompted some necessary discernment for All Saints' as a congregation.
What if I had been nominated? Elected? Where does the strength and stability
of All Saints' ministry come from? Does All Saints' future depend on what
happens to Shannon? Those questions, too, are of the Holy Spirit, and we
must search their meaning with gratefulness.
During the sabbatical I spent a week in retreat with my spiritual director
(and our parish consultant) Linda Nelson, Director of Advent House at the
Episcopal Cathedral in New Orleans. I underwent a no-punches-pulled
spiritual inventory. From that, we spent a lot of time working on the next
couple of years for ministry at All Saints': how to prepare myself
spiritually and mentally for the challenges ahead, how to maintain
faithfulness even in the face of the anxieties that are sure to come, and
how you will work together as virtually every ministry and routine is
"re-invented," both as we live in our current dislocation and then as we
move into our new facilities to carry out our mission. I am invigorated with
a new vision for ministry here and, though some changes will inevitably be
uncomfortable or difficult, I am grateful for the opportunities that our
present upheaval presents to us. An entirely new day has dawned for All
Saints', and we will respond with a new and fulfilling way of living out our
ministry here. You will hear more details of such matters as they unfold.
For now, I hope that you can share my thankful understanding that all of
these things have intersected in such a way as to enable us to support each
other as a parish family all the better and together serve the Gospel as
best we can.
How else did my sabbatical enrich me with gratitude? The special times that
Ellen and I were able to share were Grace itself. I'm so happy that I was
able to visit far-away friends who mean the world to me but I can only
rarely see. I'm blessed to have shared important time with my cousins and
their families and to play with young cousins I had never met. It was
wonderful to spend a few days with my sister in Chicago (I'd never seen her
first home-purchase) and also there to visit with my spiritual mentor from
seminary days who is still a touchstone. And I wouldn't take anything for
the week at the Green Bay Packers training camp. During those magical days I
was twelve years old—unique rejuvenation for someone who is as serious in
temperament as I am. I'm glad to report that such restoration and
thankfulness have joined that seriousness in deep new ways, and I am the
richer person and better priest for that. Whatever our future holds will be
God's gift to build All Saints' for God's work.
In
Christ,
Shannon+
