Friends,
I am thrilled to be back with you all after a very refreshing summer sabbatical. It has been refreshing to be back in worship with The Table these past two Sundays and I look forward to reconnecting with each of you as our paths cross. A few folks have inquired about my time away so I thought I would send a post-sabbatical reflection along.
- The Summer started quite slowly. I experienced a lull in the workload from my other job so the first two weeks felt like they allowed me to settle into rest. I got to spend a lot of time hanging out with Camryn and Remy plus I had lots of extra time for reading and reflection.
- Throughout the Summer, I got to visit several other churches around the diocese. It was great to worship with colleagues and also was a good opportunity to see some of the subtle ways our worship varies from church to church. I took either Camryn or Remy with me each week and we were warmly welcomed everywhere we went. In fact, Remy got to serve as the St. Augustine minister at one church which meant he got to go out and feed some birds mid-service.
- We traveled to the beach along with my family which provided time for a different sort of rest and play. We had a lot of fun together, ate great seafood, and, of course, had a lot of time for more reading!
- I was able to travel to General Convention in Louisville and being there in no official capacity allowed me the opportunity to sit in on a few sessions in the House of Deputies and the House of Bishops. It was great to see first hand how The Episcopal Church goes about the work of shaping and shepherding polity. It was also quite exciting to be there for the election of Bp. Sean Rowe to be our next Presiding Bishop.
- My trip to Spain for the Camino de Santiago was a perfect bookend to my sabbatical. I had hoped to find ample space for reflection and to also make some new friends and the Camino really over-delivered. It was exactly the type of rest, reflection, and fun that I needed. I am still processing the trip, but I’m overwhelmed with gratitude for the gift that it was.
Thank you all for your prayers and for providing the space for me to step away. It was a true gift and I am so thankful to each of you. By the time August 1st rolled around, I wasn’t just ready but was excited to be back diving into life at The Table.
Peace,
Spencer+
