The church has always preached the need for a weekly sabbath rest, and in former times we were much stricter about what activities were allowable. Some members of our congregations can remember a time when stores were closed, the commercial world pretty much stopped, and families ate and played together on Sunday. Our world has changed since then, but the principle is still vital to a healthy, whole, and holy life. Each of us needs time to unplug from the world of "do more, accomplish this, manufacture that, meet this goal, and tote this bale." Our bodies need rest, and our spirits need a time for re-creation. And that last word is really the clue to why sabbath time is important – it’s any opportunity to intentionally reconnect with the source of all creation. None of us can join God in ongoing creativity unless we rest periodically.

    Most of us find a daily time for rest and recreation, even if it is mostly just a few short hours in bed. Many of us are conscious about the need for rest on a weekly schedule, doing different things on one day of the week, and staying out of the office or away from our workplace. Lots of people find an annual time of rest, usually called a vacation, which literally means "leaving" or "emptying." A sabbatical leave is a similar kind of "time away" or "letting go" of normal work responsibilities, with the aim of rest and recreation.

    This sort of opportunity is increasingly available to clergy in the Episcopal church, and clergy associations usually commend it as a valuable part of caring for oneself, especially for clergy who normally work six days a week. It may also be an appropriate point of discussion for lay employees of the church who also work on Sundays.

    Norms in the Diocese of Oregon state that after employment of 5 years, clergy are eligible for a sabbatical leave of 3 months. I have been blessed with such an opportunity during the last year.

    My sabbatical plans included improving my Spanish, a skill much needed in Hispanic ministry, and also learning more about Total Ministry outside the Diocese of Oregon^*. I spent one month last fall in Cuernavaca, Mexico, at an intensive Spanish language school. I lived with a local family and attended classes each weekday for about six hours. There were opportunities for field trips a couple of times a week, and I also had the privilege of meeting and having significant conversations with the local Anglican bishop and several clergy. I worshipped in the Anglican cathedral on Sundays, and got lots of liturgical practice!

    The second portion of my sabbatical, taken two months after I returned from Mexico, consisted of a series of interviews with congregations, missioners, and a bishop involved in Total Ministry in dioceses around the West. I traveled to the dioceses of Olympia, Spokane, Northern California, Nevada, Colorado, Utah, Wyoming, and Idaho to meet and speak with these people. I was most interested in getting a broader sense of the differences among and between dioceses in their understanding and practice with regard to total (or mutual or shared) ministry. I learned a great deal, and still hope to pull all of it together in a written product. One of the realities of sabbatical is that there is never as much time as you would like!

    I found that I returned to work renewed, refreshed, reinvigorated, and with a broadened sense of possibilities. Not only did I benefit from more physical activity and a different pace, but the learning I brought back will benefit several ministries in which I am involved. The opportunity to travel to and worship in many different congregations was for me a real blessing. As I said to someone after I returned, "it’s like getting 10 years worth of new ideas in a few short weeks!"

    Sabbatical leaves can be re-creative experiences for congregations, as well. When clergy leave for several weeks or months, systems have to change. We can’t keep on doing things the way we’ve done them in the past. Sabbatical leaves can be a creative way to renegotiate the shape of ministries within the parish, and in the process provide a learning opportunity for each person in the congregation.

    Planning is vital to an effective sabbatical, and the process often benefits from the insights of a group of people in the parish. Several clergy in our diocese have taken or are about to take sabbatical leaves, and would be more than happy to speak about their experiences.

    Jesus was frequently noticed taking "a time apart." This is yet one more area where we have a great deal to learn from his example.

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An excellent plannning tool for sabbaticals is Clergy Renewal: The Alban Guide to Sabbatical Planning by A. Richard Bullock and Richard J. Brueshoff, The Alban Institute: 2000.