FINAL WEEK

As a result of all the planning our sabbatical team did over the past year and a half, I have had a great sabbatical. The labor of the sabbatical team was largely unnoticed except when information needed to be shared with the council and congregation long ago. I am grateful for the fine people who have made this time possible for me and for the congregation: Laura Schranz, the Team Leader, Pauline Castiglione, the Team secretary, Stephen Gerlach, John Kelly, Roger Meyer, Carol Mauro, and Steve Swift. 

I am also very grateful for the work done by members of our church staff to keep things moving along during the sabbatical time, especially Joyce Stahl, Barbara Nugent, Laura Laza, and Linda Favale. Our Council members supported the effort and deserve thanks for the encouragement and prayers they gave over these many months as well, and I am especially thankful for Pastor Jeff Kolbo from Trinity, Rocky Point who served as "Coverage Pastor."

Add to that all the people who helped make the sabbatical possible in England, literally over 100 people in London, Saint Albans, Peterborough, Northampton, Norwich, Lincoln, Coventry, Gloucester, Hereford, Chester, Liverpool, and my friends Barrie and Loisann Lawless who opened their hearts and their homes to me, prepared meals for me, drove me around, took me out to lunch or dinner, and brought me to meet people whom they gathered together just so I could meet them.

Add to those the church leaders and members who took time to visit and share with me in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, especially Pastor John Groppe, churches in Council Bluffs and Iowa City, Iowa, especially Bishop Alan Scarfe and people in Sacramento, Placerville, Yuba City, and Auburn, California especially Rev. Kay Rohde who welcomed me on my second journey of discovery.

Then add to that the folks I met on my third journey, who live in Minnesota, especially Sandi and Bruce Holmberg, the members of the 21 Total/Shared Ministry teams who met in Little Falls, Minnesota, and Frank and Lyn Van De Steeg and the Shared Ministry team at St. Luke's Episcopal Church in Hastings, Minnesota.

I am grateful for having had the chance to meet eight bishops and many members of their staffs, and for the support given all along from our Metro New York Synod bishop, Bob Rimbo.

Of course the sabbatical preachers deserve thanks for coming out to Hope: Pastors Jeff Kolbo, Gary Mills, Jonathan Linman, Bob Wollenburg, Kathleen Koran, George Summers, Wayne Leazer, James Smith, Ben McKelahan and Deacon Rich Wolff who also led Thursday night worship services as well as on Memorial Day Weekend. I heard so many positive comments about them that I'm a little worried about coming back to preach next Sunday.

I appreciate the support my wife Linda gave throughout the three months. She always takes the lions' share of the work around our home anyway, but she was especially supportive of my desire to learn and grow on this sabbatical, and I would not have been able to do this without her encouragement.

I will have a lot to share in coming weeks. I am glad that the sabbatical ends in July because I will need some time to re-integrate into parish life and prepare reports etc. about what I experienced. I thank God for this time apart from my regular duties as pastor of Hope, and I'm looking forward eagerly to the years ahead as we move together into the future God is preparing for us in his service.

SUMMING UP AND RE-ENTERING

I have reached the point in my sabbatical journey where I am more and more mindful of the fact that even sabbaticals come to an end, and I am wondering about what the future has in store for me and for all of us together. But as I think back over my journeys, I am grateful for those experiences I had.

I traveled a lot over the past ten weeks. I haven't totaled the actual miles, but I can quickly estimate that my journeys have moved me around at least 12,000 miles, not counting the riding around that I have done in various places. I've met a lot of people from a lot of churches, but I have no estimate available on that yet.

I can add up the places where I have stayed: 5 hotels (7 nights) and a prayer center (3 nights) in England, 3 hotels (7 nights), a dormitory (3 nights) and a conference center (1 night) in the U.S., 9 homes (19 nights) in England and 3 homes (9 nights) in the U.S. I rented 3 cars. I used 3 airlines (11 take offs and landings), 5 railroads (4 in England and LIRR 3 times), and was driven around by 31 different drivers (18 in England and 13 in the U.S.). I also had two subway (tube) rides, one bus ride, one boat ride, and one funicular ride.

I attended 14 worship services in England and 16 in the U.S. and one soccer match. I met and visited with 7 bishops, visited 11 cathedrals, and took over 600 photos of various sorts.

I was fortunate to be taken out for many meals-- 15 in England and 9 in the U.S. On at least five occasions I was hosted at meals of people gathered to meet me. I ate alone at least 17 meals in restaurants and most of the rest were provided by people hosting me. I took others out for at least 4 meals, and I ordered out for two pizzas in hotels.

Looking back is always easier than looking ahead. What will the future hold for us? Some folks have said they are eager to hear about "new ideas" I picked up along the way, and that is something worth sharing. I think what I learned about the most, however, is not about "programs" we can copy or use locally, but about several different ways of being church with one another. Shared Ministry is a powerful force that has taken hold in many places, drawing out from people many gifts and resources that would otherwise have gone unused. It is a way people have learned how to make a deeper and longer lasting commitment to serve God fruitfully in their churches, developing their gifts and offering them to benefit their churches and the communities beyond those places.

I need to find a way to make what I've learned accessible and inviting to everyone who did not make the journey alongside me. Shared Ministry may be just an option for churches that can pay all their bills, but it is way of being faithful to God's call that every follower of Jesus needs to learn.

There's so much I can share. I hope you are willing to listen to, learn about, reflect upon, and then join in the work God's Spirit is leading us all into. If that's what happens, then the time we have spent will bear fruit for many years to come.

HEADWATERS OF THE MIGHTY MISSISSIPPI

Today I did something I never expected to do while on sabbatical. Sandi brought me to Lake Itasca, a beautiful state park in northern Minnesota where I was able to see and even stand in the headwaters of the Mississippi River, the place where the mighty river begins its 2552 mile journey to the Gulf of Mexico.

What is truly amazing is that the river at this point is just 12 feet wide and a few inches deep. It's hard to imagine that such a mighty river could begin in such a simple setting. I have seen this river many times, in several different places-- the Twin Cities, St. Louis, and New Orleans-- and I realize how important this mighty river has been to our nation over the centuries since it served as the western border of the United States. It has had and it continues to have a tremendous impact on our country's life.

Visiting that place and standing in the water touched me deeply spiritually. It reminded me of how great outcomes often come from very humble beginnings, and it encouraged me to renew my commitment to developing the "total ministry" work at our congregation back home.

So often we just cannot see the importance of what we do as servants of God. When we are called by God to share our gifts in the ministry of the gospel, we may ask ourselves "What is the value of doing that? What difference will it make?"  Our efforts seem so small and often inconsequential.

 The truth is that most of the things we may do to serve God by serving others are very much like my experience at the headwaters of the Mississippi. We can only see their humble beginning, and it is impossible to imagine what their final outcome will be. Someone standing in that shallow creek in Lake Itasca Park might never recognize the importance of that stream. But knowing what its final destination really is, we can be thankful and give God the best we have offer.

A SUMMER TO REMEMBER

One of my favorite jokes about Minnesota, the state where I lived through two winters with temps around 40 below, goes like this: "I was in Minnesota in June, the day it was summer that year." After this brief visit I think I will not tell that joke anymore.

But now I can tell about what it was like to live by myself in a seminary dorm for two nights at 80+ degrees, with no power, no hot water, and, of course, no air conditioning. The news reported that over a half million customers were without power. It was the worst thunderstorm on record in the history of the Twin Cities, and it will take five days before power is totally restored.

People here wonder what hurricanes are like back east . . .

Fortunately for me, I rented a car at the airport. That enabled me to get to a local mall outside the storm track where there was power. I joined dozens of people waiting for tables at "Bakers Square," a wonderful local pie restaurant that serves other meals as well. After 25 minutes I got a table which I shared with a young engineer from Iowa with whom I had been talking while on the waiting line. 

It was a good visit. I shared some of what I was doing on sabbatical, and I learned about him and his work. When he asked me what made me decide to become a pastor, I shared some of my experience. That opened a door for him to share about his faith journey as well, and it was an encouraging story.

After the meal I took a photo for my sabbatical album and we bid farewell. That meal made my day.

Later on I went to a movie and had dinner by myself and returned for my final night at the dorm.

Sunday morning was much better. It started out with a clap of thunder at 6 a.m., but by the time I was fully packed up and ready to check out, the rain subsided. I returned to Bakers Square for breakfast, and there was no waiting line this time.

I went on to the Cathedral Church of St. Mark in Minneapolis and arrived in time to find a parking spot. The early service was letting out as I neared the entrance, and I was greeted by Bishop Bruce Caldwell (former bishop of Wyoming) with whom I had made arrangements to meet after the 10:30 service. He recalled my contact and invited me to visit with him between the services in his office.

I learned a lot which I won't share here, and after that I went to the service where the two men I met with at Luther Seminary on Friday were ordained as deacons as part of the cathedral's new Shared Ministry Team. Two other team members were ordained as priests and one was commissioned as a Pastoral Care Minister, bringing the team to five members.

I went on from there to Alexandria where I stayed last night. The swimming pool was open, and the restaurant had no waiting line. I slept well in an air-conditioned room.

My only disappointment here is that I still haven't met any Egyptians. . . but there's still hope --  I haven't gone for breakfast yet.

ST. PAUL SUMMER

I lived here in the Twin Cities over 40 years ago while I was going to seminary and Linda was in Graduate School at the U of Minnesota. We were here during those winters when the temp was actually 40 below when heading out to class. But we never lived here during the summer.

Someone told me today that they had snow just a month ago in Minnesota, but if they did, it is long gone now. Going on 9 p.m. it is still almost 90 degrees out there, and even though the humidity is just 38%, it does feel like summer has come here.

I have the fan on and the windows are open, but just typing on my Ipad makes me sweat a bit.

Tomorrow I will visit with some folks at Olsen Center, a beautiful building built long after I was finished with my studies. I bet they have AC over there.

In the meantime I will try to get some rest. 9 p.m.here is 10 p.m. at home, and I'm often in bed by now at home. Perhaps my Netflix subscription will work. Maybe I will watch some detective shows from England . . .Enough for now.

THE TOP 137

I have been trying to rest and relax from time to time during this "in-between week" of my sabbatical. The rainy and cold "spring-like" weather hasn't really helped, so I have tried to get some work done that will help me remember what I experienced on my sabbatical so far.

One of the activities I spent time on was simply sorting through the 145 pages of handwritten notes I have in my Livescribe Notebook and pulling out key items worthy of further reflection.

One exercise I engaged in was making a list of the specific activities that I heard are being done in congregations in the UK and the USA as a result of the efforts of shared ministry teams. In compiling this list I was careful to avoid duplicates, but sometimes similar names used in different places can create the impression that the activities are the same. At the end of this review of my hand-written notes and without listening to the 90 or so hours of recorded meetings and visits I had, I came up with a list of activities I would call the "Top 137."

The activities range from hosting community "tea-times" to offering members a "Foundations in Living God's Love" course to organizing toddler groups to providing trained bereavement visitors. Other activities that shared ministry team members take part in, such as reading lessons in services, preaching, etc. are not on the list.

I was tempted to cut-and-paste the list right here, but I want to save it for later. Besides, it is simply a list of what others are doing because they have developed collaborative ministry teams in their particular parishes, not a checklist of activities every congregation might want to organize.

My point here is simply this: sharing ministry is a way of "being church" that eventually brings about specific activities, not a "program" that churches can simply adopt and carry out.

My sabbatical journey is about 2/3 over now, and I am starting to think more about what comes next, after I return to my pastoral role in the congregation. I have a lot of exciting stories to share, but what excites me most is the idea that if we are willing to allow God's Spirit to move among us and lead us in the months ahead, we will see some incredible results. Some of these might look like they come from the "Top 137" list, but if we allow God to work through us, we will come up with a list all our own.

WORSHIP VISITS

One of the peculiar challenges of being at home during my sabbatical is figuring out where to worship on Sunday. I suppose that since I don't have to lead worship, I could just stay home on the Sundays when I am not away from home. After all, many church members choose that option quite regularly, even when they are not "on sabbatical."

But I saw the weekend as an opportunity to visit other churches, so I went to Trinity, Rocky Point for their Saturday night service, and then on Sunday I visited St. Cuthbert's Episcopal Church in Selden before finally visiting the 11:15 service at Hope.

I enjoyed every service, especially because they were all different from each other. Trinity's service was a low-key contemporary service led by Pastor Kolbo. He preached about Confirmation because they were having confirmation on Sunday at Trinity.

St. Cuthbert has not had its own priest for ten years, so their mass was led by Father John Madden, the former Archdeacon for the Diocese of Long Island. He is one of three retired priests who come to preside at the church week after week. Since someone welcomed me, I told her who I was, and I was formally welcomed during the mass by the congregation. Later on I spoke with their Senior Warden about Shared Ministry, and she was very excited because their Vestry was going to be discussing their discernment exercise this week and one of their goals for this year is to develop relationships with other churches. I invited them to send their children to our summer camps and our VBS and Drama Camp as well.

My visit to Hope was also very good. I got there just before the service began because I was coming from St. Cuthbert's. Pastor James Smith from Wagner College was presiding and preaching, and I was eager to welcome him to Hope since he grew up in Selden and graduated from Newfield High School with several of our younger church members.

On June 20 I will fly to Minneapolis-St. Paul where I will stay at Luther Seminary, meet with some people there and attend a celebration at St. Mark's (Episcopal) Cathedral on the 23rd before heading north to accompany Sandi Holmberg from the Episcopal Diocese of Minnesota who will bring me to some Total Ministry parishes before I go to the Ministry Summit in Little Falls, MN. My final Sunday visit will be in Hastings, MN before flying home on June 30th.

I hope that everyone will make good use of these weekend worship visits to our church and benefit from the preachers who come to Hope, and I hope many will be around when I'm back on July 14th, the 40th anniversary of my first worship service as a pastor.

RECOVERY FROM SABBATICAL TRAVEL

On Sunday afternoon I arrived at the Sacramento airport to begin my journey home on Jet Blue via Long Beach, CA. These were the last two of seven flights that were needed to carry out Phase Two of my sabbatical travel.

I arrived at JFK around 5 a.m. and my son Tim picked me up at the Merrick train station and brought me home.

It has taken me three days to recover from the jet lags I've experienced, but I am hoping that I will be adequately rested so I can head out on my final journey, a 10-day trip to Minnesota, on June 20th. While I am there I will stay a few days at Luther Seminary in St. Paul, then go to Detroit Lakes (MN) for a few nights at the home of Sandi Holmberg and her husband, then to the Ministry Summit in Little Falls and finally ending in Hastings before flying home. I believe that it will be summer there in Minnesota while I am around.

I visited with the Peconic Conference pastors on Tuesday who were having their annual June Barbeque. Our newest pastor, Kevin O'Hara (Our Savior's, Patchogue) was there. The announcement of the retirement plans for our Dean, Pr. Bob Modr came out just that morning also, so I wanted to see him as well. On Wednesday I paid a visit to the Hope when picking up my grandson Collin from nursery school and I was glad that people not only recognized me but also knew that I had been away.

I am catching up on unpaid bills, and I plan to do some reading. I've already completed two books and am working on three others. My colleagues have urged me to write a book about what I am learning, so I will also probably start paging through the 141 pages of handwritten notes in my Livescribe notebook. I may even listen to some of the many hours of recordings I made at the places I visited.

I have many new ideas to share with our members at Hope as well. I am looking forward to working on them when I am back in the saddle again. Stay in touch.

A FIRST LOOK AT TOTAL MINISTRY

On Friday I spent the day at the headquarters of the Episcopal Diocese of Northern California with Kay Rohde who is their Congregational Development officer.

Kay told me all about the history of Total Ministry in this diocese, and I learned that the term is used widely out here in the western states to describe the way congregations adapt their ministries to a new form which is centered around Christ's mission rather than around an ordained clergy person.

This is the first time I have actually heard the term "Total Ministry" used. In England and Iowa they speak about "Local Ministry," "Collaborative Ministry," "Shared Ministry," "Mutual Ministry," Ministry of the Baptised," and  even "Local Ministry Development." In Pittsburgh they speak of "Cooperative Ministry." Here they use the term developed originally by the bishop of the Diocese of Nevada, Stewart Zabriskie.

Total Ministry can be developed in congregations where there is an ordained priest serving the congregation or it can be implemented in congregations which have no ordained clergy leadership at all. In either case the emphasis is on developing an awareness of the fact that all of the members of the body are "ministers" by virtue of their baptism.

This is a radical understanding of ministry that makes many church members feel very uncomfortable. All of us are used to the model of church which places the ordained leader at the center of everything. In some cases the priest or pastor is actually expected to be "in charge" of the congregation they are supposed to "serve." The corollary to this understanding is the assumption that the "proper" role of the laity is to be passive "church attenders" who support the  ministry of the ordained with their offerings and with their "time and talents," but they still think of the clergy as the congregation's "minister."

How would a congregation be different if each member of the body really believed that they were also ministers and acted accordingly? How would that affect their attendance at worship or their participation in serious biblical and theological reflection? How would it affect the way each member lived their everyday lives at home, at work, and in the community?

I'll have a lot more to say about Total Ministry later. If you want to know more right now, check out my website at www.totalministry.net.

CONFIRMATION CALIFORNIA STYLE

After a bumpy ride along tornado alley from Des Moines to Sacramento via Dallas, Texas, I arrived as originally scheduled, picked up a black chevy Impala and found my way to the Holiday Inn Express. An hour or so later I was back in the car heading for a Confirmation Service at St Matthew's Episcopal Church.

The service brought together people from four churches to celebrate a baptism and about a dozen confirmations. It was a lot different from what we are used to at Hope. There were no robes, no carnations, and no procession of confirmands, and the confirmands included adults as well as a few young people.

Bishop Barry Beisner presided, as is the custom among Episcopalians. Lessons and liturgy included both English and Spanish texts, and the sermon focused on Saint Joan of Arc whose day it was who was burned at the stake (by the English, ironically) after inspiring soldiers to fight valiantly for France.

We sang several songs in English and Spanish, and there was a generally festive atmosphere in this multi-cultural, multi-church setting.

HOW BIG IS IOWA?

One of the games we love to play with our 15 month-old granddaughter Chloe is "How  big is Chloe?" It's interesting to see how she seems to understand what we are asking her and she imitates the gesture we make to show her how big she is.

Before coming to Iowa I never thought to ask the question, "How big is Iowa?" I had only been in Iowa once back in 1972 when I passed through the state on my way back to seminary after internship in Southern California, and that was just "cutting through" on my journey.

But after spending three days here and traveling from Des Moines to Council Bluffs (near Nebraska) and then from Des Moines to Iowa City (out east), I have a much better sense of how big this state really is.

But the size of the state is something that cannot be measured simply in miles or hours traveled. One of the ways to "measure" this state is to ask about the people who are living here and serving Christ through the church here.

My visits gave me a chance to meet several people who have responded to the call of God to serve in their churches as members of their Ministry Development Teams. Each person has their own gifts and personalities, but one thing they share in common is the sincere desire to offer themselves in service to God through their churches. For some that means serving as a team "member," but for others it means accepting the call to be ordained and serve as priests.

To meet the "requirements" for ordination they need to be nominated for the office and then take part in a training program that includes all the members of their future MDT. In most cases it also means that they must be willing to serve without being paid for their ministry (although that is not a "requirement"). Then, after being ordained, they take on a role, not as the clerical "boss" over the congregation, but as another member of the team.

All of these elements undoubtedly create serious anxiety in the hearts and minds of Lutheran clergy and even many lay people. All of the institutional "safeguards" built into the Lutheran system of creating pastors are virtually set aside, and what results is an order of ministry that is locally rooted y and locally grounded. The servants of the Word are raised up from local communities of believers, trained alongside members of that same community, and then authorized to preach and preside in the midst of the very same people.

Is it possible for God to work through such a system? That's a good question. To say "yes" is to assume that God has provided and will continue to provide the gifts the community needs in order to not only survive but to go forward effectively with the mission of making disciples of all nations.

And what are we saying about God, God's Church, and God's mission if we say "No" to that question? Are we wiser than God? Do we think we are better than God at the task of discerning what is in the hearts of people? And most importantly, as we look to the future of the Church, seeing the aging and the decline in the numbers of church members and the decreasing financial support church members can provide, can we honestly say that the way we did ministry in the past will turn things around?

And one more question: can we really insist that the proper calling of those who are baptized and gifted members of the Body of Christ is limited to sitting in their pews and putting their envelopes in the offering plate while their "paid pastors" take on an increasing share of responsibility for the ministry of the whole body?

How big is Iowa? How big are our hearts?

IOWA JOURNEY BEGINS

When I contacted Bishop Alan Scarfe about visiting the Iowa Diocese of the Episcopal Church to learn about their experience with Total Ministry, I was warmly received. Today I experienced more of that warmth as we ventured out across the state of Iowa for two hours toward the Nebraska border.

In Council Bluffs, Iowa I met with members of the Western quadrant to learn about how they became involved in ministry and eventually became members of their ministry teams.

At the heart of their experience was a process known as ordination to local ministry.

Essentially what happens is that a parish or a cluster of parishes that need to make a change in their pattern of ministry seek assistance from the diocese in the forming of a ministry development team. With the assistance of the bishop's staff members of a parish are brought together to learn about the ministry of the baptized, spiritual gifts, and the biblical foundation for ministry in the church.

As members engage in the conversation, a time comes when they are all asked to nominate persons from their group whom they believe may be called and gifted by God for ministry in specific areas, including the priesthood.

The bishop contacts the individuals who were nominated to see whether they have heard God's call, and if a group of them respond affirmatively, they are asked to commit themselves to take part in a multi-year training process that will eventually result in their commissioning for ministry as a team, with one of more of their team being set apart by ordination.

Such a process is quite different from the traditional pathway to ordination for most clergy. Instead of leaving home for three or four years of study (after receiving a college degree), candidates are trained together with a group of people from their own parish with whom they will be ministering and developing the ministry of others in their parish.

Also, instead of starting out in ministry with a tremendous debt after attending seminary and heading out on their own into a parish where they will have to develop relationships with everyone there, these priests are able to carry out their roles as ministers in  a place where they have already been trying out their gifts for ministry among people with whom they already have relationships.

There are plusses and minuses in having such a system of preparing people for ministry at a local level. That would take too much space to write about here. But it is a meaningful way to address the issues that exist when churches have small membership and are unable to call or support their own full-time, salaried clergy leader, and it makes possible the continuation of the ministry of the gospel in settings where it might otherwise be impossible.

COOPERATIVE MINISTRY PART 2

Alas the Rangers lost , but that gives me the freedom to root now for the Penguins without any misgivings.

I said I would say more about Cooperative Ministry as it is experienced in the Pittsburgh Lutheran United Ministries (aka PLUM).

PLUM was started several years ago as a result of a discussion between some pastors who were looking for alternatives to the "Lone Ranger model of ministry" for their small and declining congregations.

The typical institutional response to the problem of churches that have people but are not capable of supporting their own individual "full time pastor" is to look for a couple of congregations that are near each other and  convince the leadership that they would be able to survive if they made the decision to call one pastor who would serve both congregations. In some cases, if the pastor were a member of the "Superpastor Club," they might even convince three or more churches to join together in a "yoked" ministry (as well as the potential Superpastor, of course.)

On the surface this might seem logical to people who are used to relying upon their pastor to do everything for them. The only tough part for the congregations is figuring out how to equitably divide the cost of having a pastor between the "partners in ministry."

Conflicts may rise up when they are forced to set up a Sunday worship schedule. Who gets to have the pastor for the early service and who gets the pastor for the later one? Do we have to change our regular worship service time?

Other issues might arise when the pastor has to schedule specific meetings to attend-- Council meetings, committee meetings, etc.  but those can usually be worked out if there aren't too many churches sharing the one pastor.

In any event, the only real advantage such an arrangement has is that it provides worship leadership  at a lower cost to the congregation. The pastor pays a price for the "privilege" of being able to do twice as much as other pastors our required to do, but isn't that what Jesus was talking about when he said that anyone who wants to be his disciple must be willing to take up his cross?

In a "cooperative ministry" relationship there are at least two "pastors" for two churches from the beginning.  In time there will be other congregations involved in the shared ministry, and there may be some cost savings, but the cost of ministry will be shared by everyone and, more importantly, the work of ministry will be shared as well as people begin to discover their spiritual gifts and use them in the service of the gospel.

One of the less visible but very important features of bringing churches together for cooperative ministry is that the new "body" discovers it has resources that it didn't have before. Instead of having two congregations operate in isolation from one another, they now begin to think about ways they can offer one another resources that would benefit each other.

Another equally important feature of this relationship is that it gives the pastors an opportunity to share in pastoral ministry with one another. Rather than having to do everything alone, they benefit from the interaction that takes place as they think together about the ministries of the congregations they are serving. Sermon preparation, educational programs, pastoral care of members, conflict mediation, and just regular prayer and reflection is richer when there are two minds rather than one moving in the same direction.

Sadly, we have designed the pattern of pastoral ministry of the church in such a way that failure is much more likely than success in most cases. We continue to foster unrealistic expectations of those we call to serve us and we deprive them of the possibility of having a collegial, interactive, supportive relationship that will bear fruit for the entire community of believers. More to come . . .

COOPERATIVE MINISTRY PART 1

I won't be able to say a lot right now about my visit here in Pittsburgh. Although my visits were not as intense as my visits in England, I experienced a lot that I will need to reflect on in the future. Besides, the Rangers game is going to start in just a few minutes.

But I do want to introduce a term I have heard constantly ever since I began meeting people here. It is a form of sharing ministry that is called "Cooperative Ministry."

Cooperative Ministry has a lot in common with the type of ministry going on in Britain, but there also seems to be something about it that is different about this way of doing ministry. That's why I need time to process it.

Simply put, "Cooperative Ministry" describes the way clergy serve together as a team by providing leadership for a group of congregations who are willing to enter into a "contract" with one another that requires them to cooperate with one another so that together they can accomplish much more than they could ever hope to accomplish on an individual congregation basis.

But Cooperative Ministry is more than just an agreement or contract between different parties. There are very specific expectations that the pastors and the congregations share in relation to one another. Their joint ministry relies upon the willingness of pastors and congregations to make a commitment to one another that will enable them to be there for each other for the sake of God's mission and to put aside personal priorities and agendas for a common good.

I will say more about this in the future.

PROM NIGHT

There are several things I want to share about my visit here in Pittsburgh, so I will write a few short items beginning with a more "light-hearted" topic.

Last night, for many people in Pittsburgh there was only one thing to think and talk about. The Penguins were getting ready to meet the Ottawa Senators in the fifth game in the NHL Stanley Cup series.

Everywhere we went all day, from morning to night, there were "Penguins" all over the place-- that is, people dressed in Penguins game shirts who were psyched up for the evening's Big Event. There were so many people dressed that way that it made me feel rather conspicuous walking around with a simple clergy shirt, but at least it wasn't a Rangers shirt.

All this being the case, you can understand why I was so shocked when my host, Pastor John, brought me up to Mount Washington, a location overlooking the entire city of Pittsburgh. In several places along the road there are scenic overlooks conveniently available for anyone to visit to enjoy the view, and as we approached each one we saw large limos parked alongside the road.

They were there, I soon discovered, because it was also Prom Night for local high school students. They were dressed up in their fine array and taking pictures before darkness fell over the city. There were no Penguin outfits here. Tuxes and ball gowns were the appropriate apparel for these folks, and although there was a pretty stiff breeze blowing through the valley and over Mount Washington, they seemed to be in a world of their own.

I must admit that I didn't really know what to think about these folks. I never went to a Prom when I was in high school. I was one of those who grew up thinking that there was something decadent about activities like dancing. I never had the chance to feel the excitement of getting ready for that "Special Night."

But then again, I've only been to one NHL hockey game in all my life-- and that wasn't part of the lead up to the Stanley Cup. I'm sure I was excited that night, but I can't even remember whether the Islanders won or lost.

But I'll remember this night on Mount Washington and the view of that city which was once such a jewel for so many in a much more prosperous time. I'll remember the passion that the "Penguin people" displayed-- as evident by their different forms of dress. I'll also remember the enchantment that brightened the faces of the beautiful teens who came up the hill to take photographs. But most of all, from my perspective, I will remember that magnificent view.

It struck me that this was a sort of parable about how different people can experience life differently by focusing on different things. For some the highlight of the day was seeing the Penguins decisively defeat the Senators, and still, for others it was "Prom Night." For us it was the ability to look out and see the beautiful city before us. Which group was right? Perhaps they all were.

Enjoy the game, enjoy the dance, but don't forget to enjoy the view.

ROUND TWO

One of the most important things I learned on my first sabbatical journey was that there are many things I do not need to pack and carry in my suitcase. My 50 lb. 29" suitcase was a challenge for me wherever I went. Even just going upstairs in someone's home required some careful planning.

So I am packing lighter and smarter, I think, and I have downsized the suitcase as well. Rightly so, since this trip will be shorter and more "local" (if going from New York to Pittsburgh to Des Moines, Iowa, to Sacramento by way of Dallas, Texas can be considered shorter.)

My purpose in making this journey is to learn how shared ministry has been developing in the U.S. among Lutherans and Episcopalians in quite different settings from overseas.

I am starting out by visiting with Lutherans in the Pittsburgh Lutheran United Ministries (P.L.U.M.). They are, in a sense, "groundbreakers" among Lutherans when it comes to sharing ministry, with a multi-church, multi-site, multi-pastor ministry that is already spinning off similar experiments in Western Pennsylvania. They are demonstrating an alternative to the "Last one out, turn off the lights" strategy that is far too common among churches today.

The Brits have been experimenting with different approaches for nearly four decades already, but it is only in recent years that anyone saw a need for even thinking about alternatives to the way we are doing church in this country.

My visits in Iowa and Northern California Dioceses will give me another glimpse of how bishops, clergy, and lay leaders have been trying to develop new approaches to the challenges Christians face in the midst of an increasingly secularized culture where church attendance is not "automatic" and where mission is still possible.

After this trip I will be home to celebrate my wife's birthday and rest for a while before heading out once more to Minnesota where I will visit with Episcopalians who have been sharing ministry in a variety of settings in very creative ways. In Minnesota Lutherans are still in abundance, while Episcopalians are in somewhat of a "minority" status membership-wise, in a way somewhat similar to the situation we face in Metro New York in relation to our Roman Catholic neighbors. That's why I know we can learn a lot from their experience.

So, I'm getting the suitcase ready and will head out via LIRR for my second journey from JFK on Wednesday. Please keep me in your prayers as I keep you in mine.

GETTING READY FOR HOME

Today I am getting my suitcases packed and ready to go for an early morning bus trip into Heathrow airport tomorrow.

It has been over a month since I left home and, while I am grateful for all the hospitality I received and for the learning I have gained about how people are sharing ministry in this country, I will be happy to be home with my family again.

I do not have a "report" to share at this time, but I have nearly 100 pages of notebook notes taken with my Livescribe recording pen and at least 60 hours of other audio recordings and 12 hours of video that I have accumulated along the way, so I will have some "raw material" to sort through at some point later on.

I took off on this journey with the hope that I would learn from people about how and why they are engaged in ministry at a local parish level. I also learned as I went along how the leaders of dioceses and educational leaders have worked together to create the kind of environment in which people can discover and develop the gifts God has given them and then offer them in service to God through their churches and in their everyday lives at home and at work.

All of this presupposes that there is a way clergy can learn new ways of providing leadership that will empower rather than relegate the gifts of the people of God. As Pastor Fred Lehr said at our Institute for Evangelical Outreach pastors' event a decade ago, there is an invisible but clearly functioning "conspiracy" between clergy and laity that allows them to continue in a relationship of mutual codependency which is no longer able to serve the Lord's mission in our increasingly secularized culture. We have to begin to challenge that.

Pastors and members cannot afford any longer the pretence that the pastor is "in charge" as the shepherd of the flock and that the people are therefore relieved from the burden of taking responsibility for ministry because they are totally dependent on their pastor as docile "sheep."

Here in England there are sheep everywhere. They are pretty to look at, but they don't do much more than eat and sleep. Surely the baptized people of God can do better than that.

So, "getting ready for home" means a lot more for me than merely packing my suitcases for another journey. It means getting my vision and my thoughts clear enough that I can be able to share them in such a way that they will motivate and encourage everyone to fulfill the calling to which God has called them. If I can do that, then my journey will make a real difference in the lives of others.

RETURNING TO WHERE IT ALL BEGAN

Today we are going to worship at Christ Church Cathedral in Oxford and spend some time walking around the city. That's important for me because Oxford is the city where my sabbatical all began many years ago.

When Linda and I were on an anniversary trip to London we took a side trip that included a brief stop in Oxford, a city famous for many things, not the least of which is the University of Oxford with its many colleges. A few weeks later , as I was planning a study leave, I came across a mailing about a seminar organized by two American clergy, a Lutheran and an Episcopalian, called the "Ecumenical Liturgy and Worship Seminar."

Having attended a seminar where the course on liturgy was required but given for no credit, I was interested in learning more about liturgy and decided to attend the seminar a year before the Study Leave anyway. That was the first of eight or nine visits to Oxford for a period of at least two weeks.

While at one of the seminars I first learned about "Shared Ministry," the approach to ministry which was being developed in the Diocese of Oxford and which is at the heart of this sabbatical journey. It is also where I first heard about the Rev. Robin Greenwood who has since become a mentor and friend to me and who actually helped me plan the itinerary for the first month of this journey. 

I told Barrie that I wanted to visit Oxford to "see what's new," which is a joke I often tell about going into an antique shop. The city itself is beautiful (if you like old things -- something I am beginning to value more and more myself). It will remind me of times past, but I also hope it will inspire me for things yet to happen. I have seen and heard so much already from the scores of people I have met and visited with, that although I am just now beginning to relax a bit after nearly a month away, I am starting to think of new things we can do together as well as things I can renew my efforts to accomplish.

Going to worship and visit in Oxford is a chance to get back to where I can begin again.

THE PIONEER SPIRIT

As my visits with members of Local/Shared Ministry teams in the U.K. draw to a close, I was given a very special opportunity to learn about how it all came about from some of the real "pioneers" in the work of sharing ministry. Thanks to the thoughful efforts of the Liverpool branch of our Sabbatical Team, I was privileged to have several 1-on-1 visits with people who in pasty generations were willing to take the risk of offering the Church another way of developing and providing ministry in some very difficult settings.

For an ordinary parish pastor like myself, there is a temptation to focus one's attention on the ordinary, day-to-day, week-to-week activities that easily fill up the calendar. Add to those activities an unexpected funeral or an emerging crisis affecting a church member of family, and at the end of the week the pastor can rest comfortably with the confidence that he or she has done the Lord's work and done it well.

The people I met yesterday and today were quite different from us. They were probably considered "radicals" thirty of forty years ago because they were not willing to settle for "business as usual" with respect to the ongoing ministry of the Church. They looked at situations that others deemed as "hopeless" and, empowered by God's Spirit, they stepped out of the arbitrary boxes they were in and started to try out things that had the potential for bringing life and renewal into the lives of everyday Christians.

Not everything these pioneers tried to do actually succeeded, and although many others were hopeful that renewal could somehow come about in the churches, these pioneers were often quickly challenged by those who believed that the ideas put forth by these "innovators" and "experimenters" seemed too shaky or far out.

Imagine, however, what it would be like to try to teach theology or biblical criticism to a group of people whose ability to read and write was marginal at best, or ask yourself how you would teach people to lead "worship" with groups of people who had never even entered into a traditional Christian church or read a passage of scripture.

It is not easy to be a pioneer. It is hard to find the courage to go forward beyond the territory one is most familiar with. Although the Bible is full of stories about people who did just that, in modern times, especially in the church as we experience it, such pioneers are few and far between. Yet as we look to the future as the people of God in an increasingly secularized environment, we will need pioneering souls more than ever before. Thank God for the ones who showed such courage, and pray that God will raise up for us many more of them. 

LIVERBIRDOLOGY

The Liver Bird is Internationally recognised as the symbol of the great City of Liverpool. On the famous Liver Buildings two of them, 18 feet in height, stand proud, wings up and defiant which represents the indomitable spirit of the people of the city. In 1207 King John granted Liverpool a City Charter. On his seal was an eagle and many people believed this was the original Liver Bird. The seal was lost during the seige in 1644 and the copy so unskilfully made that the bird now resembled a cormorant instead of the eagle of St. John. Ornithologists and historians have long debated the mysteries, the myths and the mystique that surrounds the Liver Bird. But the truth is that the City of Liverpool is so unique it decided that it didn't want to share someone else's symbol. It wanted it's own idiosyncratic identity so created it's own distinctive pictogram in the form of the now famous Liver Bird. Legend has it that "If the Liver Birds were to fly away Liverpool would cease to exist" And what a poorer place the world would be if that ever happened...

HOME PORT

I guess I didn't really know what to expect I would see when I arrived at Liverpool. I knew it was a city that has gone through and is still going through hard times economically, and I knew it was a port city. But not much else.

Because today was one of six "Bank Holidays" in the U.K. and the weather was sunny and warm, it was a day for tourism, not for meeting up with priests and Local Ministry Teams.

Steve Pierce, my Liverpool host, met me at the Central train station and we drove around the touristy areas so I could get oriented for a day of wandering along the shore of the Mersey river.

I started the day looking through shops in revitalized dock area, and then I went into the Tate Museum, an art museum devoted to modern forms of artistic expression. It must be a great place because for an uncultured country bumpkin like me from Suffolk County, it seemed very odd indeed. There's not too much I can say about what I saw there. Many of the items struck me as rather bizarre and some of them as simply obscene.But I must confess that I was very happy that the admission was free. I definitely got my money's worth.

There are three other museums near that one that I could very much relate to, however. Two were in one building-- the Maritime Museum and the Museum of Slavery. I spent at least three hours in them and hurried on eventually to visit the Liverpool Museum which I also enjoyed

The Maritime Museum had two areas that interested me. One was the area where they displayed many different devices used by drug smugglers (unsuccessfully, of course) to bring illicit drugs into the U.K. Intriguing.

The other part was the area devoted to the Titanic which went down just 100 years ago last year, It was fascinating to walk through the many exhibits displaying what the ship was like as well as the details that described how the ship went down. The events leading up to the demise of the Titanic, however, seemed eerily parallel to the situation that underlies my desire to be on this sabbatical journey in the first place. It was strangely symbolic to discover that the captain knew two days in advance that there was danger ahead, but he proceeded at full speed anyway. Also, the ship received six warning message from other ships, many of which were never even sent on to the Bridge.

I bought myself my first souvenir, a keychain with a working replica of a whistle from the Titanic.

The Museum of Slavery was very powerful as well. The horror of slavery was truly demonic. There are no suitable souvenirs from a place like that.

The Liverpool Museum had some interesting areas of sports and rock and roll.

After having a huge order of fish and chips at the "World Famous Dockside Fish and Chips Restaurant," I finished my tour by buying a ticket and walking through the "Beatle Experience."         I learned a lot about the lads from Liverpool who were so important to so many of my contemporaries. It was a walk down memory lane, or was that Penny Lane?

Now I am at the Sisters of Mercy (RC) Prayer Centre in Formby on the coast of the Atlantic. The grounds are loaded with rabbits. I counted 14 of them eating on the lawn just outside my room, and there were many more behind the building as well. I haven't seen any magicians yet, but with all those rabbit's feet around here I'm feeling very lucky.

OLLIE'S DAY

Today was a special day for me and for the people attending the morning eucharist at Chester Cathedral. It was also a very important day for Ollie James who became a child of God through the sacrament of Holy Baptism.

I enjoyed the message, preached by a former biology student of Pastor Barrie Lawless whom I will be visiting in a few days at his home in Oxfordshire. He is now a Canon at the cathedral. He reminded us all of the importance of the event they were celebrating today and encouraged the many guests and relatives who were there for the occasion to take responsibility for supporting Ollie in his life of faith.

After the service I went up to his mum, introduced myself, and asked if I might take a picutre of Ollie which I did. Her response didn't surprise me, but I was surprised to hear that this is one of the three baptisms that they have in any given year at the cathedral.

I didn't pursue the question that naturally came to my mind, but it was interesting to me that there are so few baptisms in a year at the cathedral. I suppose it has to do with the fact that cathedral worship services are much more complex than a simple parish baptism like we've had on so many occasions.

Nevertheless, it was refreshing and encouraging to me to be there for this event. It reminded me of what a precious event it is when we have a baptism. Parents bring a child to be baptized with all good intentions, but they often can't even grasp the enormous wonder of the relationship that is starting in that moment of grace. That's understandable, of course, for there are so many other things that are going to happen to this precious child in years to come, that it would overwhelm us to try to contemplate them all. It is enough perhaps just to recognize that when a child is baptized, God is launching that child into a great adventure.

A VISIT TO HEREFORD

On Friday I had a chance to spend a whole day in the town of Hereford where the cathedral for the Diocese of Hereford is located. My hosts, Richard and Barbara Glasspoole, brought me there in the morning so I could see the cathedral and tour the town.

In addition to the cathedral there are two chief churches located near each other: St. Peter's, the oldest church in Hereford where Christians have worshipped for over a thousand years (not 24/7 of course) and All Saints'. Each church is quite unique. I have several photos from each of them.

St. Peter's is definitely a "welcoming" church as is evident from the banner that is visible from the street in the entryway of the church.

Inside all the "normal" features of a church have been transformed, although the medieval elements are still very visible and used regularly. There are display areas and areas for casual seating, and there are people around who welcome walk-in visitors who drop by.

All Saints' is also different from the normal medieval church building because as you enter the church there is a cafe called "Cafe@All Saints" with a kitchen, large posted menus, and a serving line where you can order a lunch. There are cafe tables all around the raised area in the rear of the sanctuary as well as in the balcony above the kitchen/serving area.

There are no pews in the sanctuary. The main altar is plainly visible to all who come for lunch, and there is also a "Lady Chapel" for smaller services adjacent to to it. There is also a play area for children, a large modern toilet area accessible to the public, and a separate chapel space used for various sorts of exhibits by non-church groups similar to an art gallery.

They have morning and evening prayer on certain days as well as a weekday Eucharist which is visible to lunch patrons. There are also "Stewards" who are around to welcome visitors and explain some of the features of the space and the congregation's ministry.

Occasionally people are surprised to learn that there is actually a "living church" that carries on this ministry, but after meeting the Local Ministry Development Group members at All Saints', I can assure you that they are very much alive there. They have an average Sunday morning worship
attendance of about 40 people, but there are thousands of people who spend time at All Saints' during any given week.

Richard is the organist who plays as a volunteer. He also plays the bass in a jazz combo and fills in as a tenor voice in the cathedral choir where he was once a member of the Volunteer Choir.

Walking from one end of the town at midday with Richard takes a long time. After seeing him stop to speak with many people along the way, including the local Member of Parliament, Jesse Norman, whom I met, I called him the "Mayor of Hereford."

Eventually a few of us gathered at the cathedral in the Chapter Room to chat about the differences and similarities in church life in the U.S. and Britain, and then, after running into and meeting several of the members of the cathedral choir, we attended Evensong in the cathedral.

After Evensong we went to "The Barrels," a local pub that has its own brewery to sample some of their products and then headed over to "Bunch of Carrots," a pub with a carvery where we had dinner.

Today I journey onward to Chester where I will rest and recuperate from my busy visitation schedule before heading on to the final diocese, Liverpool, on Monday (a Bank Holiday in England) and the Sisters of St. Joseph Prayer Centre in Formby which will be my longest dwelling place so far.

LOCAL MINISTRY (DEVELOPMENT) TEAMS

As I neared the end of the circuit of dioceses to visit, I started to compile a list of the Local Ministry Teams I have met. (Some are called "Local Ministry DEVELOPMENT teams".) It will be a while, however, before I get the list done.

There are many things that are different about the places where I have visited, and I have been in many different settings: rural, urban, and suburban. I have visited some relatively new churches and many that go back as far as the 4th century and have no indoor heating or plumbing. I have also toured six beautiful cathedrals (plus Westminster Abbey), and I have met dozens of people who were willing to take time out to meet this Lutheran pastor from New York who is making the rounds.

I have met several vicars and leaders on a 1-to-1 basis, and I have been privileged to meet archdeacons, praecentors, and several bishops (including the Roman Catholic Bishop of Northampton). I have also attended several regular Local Ministry Team meetings and observed how they carry out their business.

I have a college-ruled electronic notebook with nearly 50 pages of notes (with recordings), and I carry along my trusted pocket journal book to make miscellaneous notes as I ride along with some very enthusiastic and knowledgeable people who are happy to answer questions and tell all sorts of stories about all sorts of things.

There are at least two things all of the LMTs have in common. First is that each member has a clear, personal commitment to serving Jesus Christ through the Church. Some of the team members have received theological training in various forms, but most team members are just "regular Christians" like the people I have been privileged to serve with in my own ministry as a pastor. They express surprise that their fellow church members would have selected them to be asked to serve on a Local Ministry Team, but they humbly accepted the responsibility as well as the training they were expected to receive in order to be "mandated" by their bishops for this role in their respective parishes.

The other thing they have in common is a willingness to focus on the mission of God wherever it may take them. They did not volunteer to serve, and they do not see their ministry as being limited to the local setting where they are. They know that God's mission is going on locally, but they also recognize that they are part of something much bigger. They are not the Vicar's Helpers. They were ordained as ministers of the gospel on the day they were baptized, and now through their parishes they have the privilege of living out that calling.

Can we all learn from their experience and example?

PLACES YOU AND I HAVE NEVER BEEN TO

The other day as I was glancing at pages in a book of maps I was struck by some of the interesting place names I saw. There is no particular order to them, and I must admit that I have not visited any of them (yet), but here are a few that I thought sounded interesting.

Hog Hill, Cuckold's Hill, Hatch End, Ruislip, Temple Fortune, World's End (right in the midst of many small villages), Gospel Oak, Barking Flyover, Finsbury, Shooters Hill, Plumstead Common, Twickenham, Strawberry Hill (no relation to Blueberry Hill), Birdlip,  and Hope-under-Dinsmore.

There are so many of these names around that the list would be endless.

As you can see, there are many places named after relatives I have never met.

HOW RURAL IS RURAL?

One of the unexpected features of my journey was the opportunity to experience first-hand what "rural" life is like in Britain. All along I had been told that the churches in Hereford Diocese were very rural (meaning small and distant from one another), but it never really dawned on me that I would have the privilege of actually staying in a home in a rural area overnight in Gloucester Diocese.

Canon Andrew Bowden, one of the prime movers in the creation of Local Ministry in the Diocese of Gloucester over 20 years ago, is now retired and lives with his wife Sue in a rural home not far from the city of Gloucester. He brought me to his home where I stayed overnight this week.

The vehicle we drove around in had straw in the back section, and there was evidence that he had encountered some muddy roads recently, but it was when we arrived at his home that I began to see "rural" more clearly.

They have a farm at their home. They raise chickens, including some rare prize-winning chickens, some sheep with newly born lambs, several horses that they rescued and are nursing back to health, at least one donkey, some Shetland ponies and Shetland sheep, and a few ducks. Many of the animals roam freely around their yard, but early in the morning they go out into the fields to graze.

We had eggs for dinner and eggs for breakfast. Fortunately no lamb chops. The home itself is made of Cotswold stone and has wooden beams in the ceiling (real wooden beams), and their home is filled with paintings and photos all over every wall surface including the stairway.

Andrew has an office in a shed which he currently shares with about a dozen recently hatched chicks. They haven't yet figured out how to use the computer he has on the desk there.

There are about a dozen churches in the benefice in the small villages along the roads near his home. Many of their buildings are medieval in origin, and the population of the villages has remained fairly stable for the last 300-400 years. One village of about 30 people has an average worship attendance on Sunday of at least 12 people, and they take turns leading the various parts of the worship service. Their clergy get by occasionally so they can celebrate Holy Communion together.

All together there are about 300 people living in the benefice of a dozen or so parishes.

From Andrew's home we drove to a Local Ministry Team meeting held in a very modern home located in a parish in a suburban community outside Gloucester City, about a 10 minute ride.

I have pictures I will post on Facebook when I get a chance.

ON THE ROAD AGAIN

This week I began a tour of parishes in dioceses of the western side of England in Gloucester and Hereford, and next week I will be in Liverpool diocese. My hosts have lined up a variety of visits with clergy and lay leaders in Local Ministry Team settings, and I am able to visit the magnificent cathedrals that are located in the dioceses as well.

This weekend I will be "off" for three days on my own in the ancient Roman city of Chester.

It is interesting to hear the stories of people who have given a considerable amount of time in service to God through their local parishes. In one case there is a benefice with seven parishes, and in another there are three. Most have only one or two clergy available, so their ministry teams are very much a part of the local ministries going on.

Most of the team members didn't think of themselves originally as "ministers." None of them volunteered. In fact, they cannot. They need to be called by others, and if they accept their calls they are asked to take some very valuable training courses offered locally. All of them are glad they said yes.

There are some valuable stories to tell, but at the end of a day like this, I need to rest. It is much easier to rest, however, when I know there are some very competent and dedicated servants here in the UK. It is also much easier when I know there are similar dedicated folks serving back home at Hope while I am on this journey.

LOCAL MINISTRY NETWORK CONFERENCE

On Friday I arrived at the Coventry Hills Hotel where we are having a Local Ministry Network Conference. The Network consists of lay and clergy members who are serving either as diocesan ministry officers or as members of local ministry teams or both. About 40 people have come from dioceses and the national office from all around England. I am a visitor here.

It was interesting for me when I arrived to see people I had already met during the first week of the journey, and it was also interesting to meet several of the people with whom I will be spending time during the next two weeks as I complete my journey through England.

There have been worship services, large group presentations, and small discussion groups that focus on specific issues relating to local or shared ministry. Some of the people here come from settings with a dozen parishes with only a few ministry team members, and others come from settings with fewer churches but more team members. Each type of setting has different demands and challenges.

I am learning that one of the important roles of the Local Ministry Team is to serve as a "Development" Team. In other words, while the individual team members actually "do" ministry in their settings, they also have the role of identifying, inviting, training, and supporting others in their churches thereby extending or expanding the number of people who are actively doing ministry. Put simply, the goal is to have all baptized members of the church to understand themselves as called, gifted, and sent out in the name of Jesus to be the active presence of Jesus in their everyday world (as well as within the church itself).

Such a goal (100% participation) is obviously not something we can expect to achieve in the real world in which we live and love. But it does open up the real possibility that some who might otherwise not see themselves as full participants in the ministry of the church might start to use their gifts to show the love God has for all people.

How to create such an environment is a matter for future discussion, but it is clear that the goal should be to include all people in the vision of a church that is truly alive.

HOW LOCAL MINISTRY WORKS

Some of the earliest ventures into developing Local or Shared Ministry took place three decades ago in the Diocese of Lincoln. Once one of the largest dioceses in England, Lincoln has a significant rural character  with many very small parishes.

I visited today with Judith, the Lay Coordinator for Local Ministry in the area of the diocese called South Wold. In this deanery there are 24 churches with just one rector, one rural missioner, one non-stipendiary deacon, and four retired clergy who have permission to preside at services. Such a small group of "professsionals" would be hard-pressed to provide pastoral care and worship leadership here if it all depended on them. That is why there are many more trained, authorized lay ministers who offer their gifts in service to God voluntarily in these churches.

They had at least one year-long course in "foundations" for ministry, and they took at least one module of training in either worship leadership or pastoral visiting offered in their area by the diocese. Most took two or more modules. They were "licensed" for their ministries, and they are reviewed at least annually.

Not every church has a service every Sunday. In fact some have not had a service led by a priest for more than a year. But they are all cared for, and they have an opportunity to grow spiritually because the church has not abandoned them.

Tomorrow we head out to Coventry to attend a three-day conference of leaders in the Local Ministry Network. They will discuss their problems and share their joys, and most importantly, they will pray for one another. Please remember them in your prayers as they seek God's guidance to discover new ways  to make Local Ministry work.

A MEETING TO REMEMBER

Last night I had a wonderful opprtunity to experience what church life is like in a small parish in England. Andrew Tyler is serving as the priest for a two-point parish that consists of Cawston and Heydon. Both churches are near one another, both have buildings that date back at least 1,300 years, and both do not have indoor plumbing.

But they are quite different churches. St. Agnes is a growing congregation in a growing community not far from Norwich. Young families are coming into the community and joining the church. Sts. Peter and Paul, Heydon is in a stable, idyllic English village and has a membership of about 20 people, all of whom are on the Parish Council.

I was a guest at their three meetings, held in close succession in a community hall that has no windows because it is being refurbished. The first meeting was open to the entire community and was to elect the parish wardens for the year. Anyone can vote, but only church members were present.

The second meeting was the Annual Parish Meeting where elections were held for several offices and reports were given. There was one nominee for each office (the one currently in that office) except for treasurer which needed to be elected because the 20-year veteran treasurer was mvoing to another town. She had chosen her successor, so nominations were closed immediately.

Since this was a pure democrarcy, each office required a show of hands, and each office was elected in that way.

The third meeting was a meeting of the Parochial Church Council, the equivalent of our Congregation Council. A few more elections were held, one by one with a show of hands, and finally we got to the new business. The first item was to not hold an annual service becuase some people will be away that weekend. The second was to welcome the MG vintage group to finish their annual rally at the church with a special Saturday afternoon mass for the 70 drivers anticipated. Fortunately there are bathrooms in the tea room and the local pub and there is a car park for a few vehicles at the church.

After the meeting we walked over to the old vicarage (which actualy is rather new, not even 200 years old). There we had an elegant sit down dinner for everyone and a few spouses. It was wonderful and the conversation was interesting. I had more to eat than I needed to have.

The elegant hostess told me how she had been a football police person (one who watches the crowds at a soccer match in case they get too rowdy. She asked many questions including "What is a Lutheran?"

Next Sunday most of them will be there at worship, waiting for the arrival of a new blower for their pipe organ, using the King James Bibe for scripture lessons, and the Old English Prayer Book, just as their ancestors did for the past 400 years.

This was an evening to remember.

A MEETING TO REMEMBER

Now that I have successfully made the journey to Norwich, there is much to talk about.
I attended a meeting that I am sure I will remember, in a tiny village called Heydon.

I'm tired now so I'll have to write about it in the morning, but it is one I am sure I will remember.

SHARED MINISTRY-- THE ECUMENICAL DIMENSION

Today I had a chance to learn about another aspect of sharing ministry, a very important dimension which too often is hidden or not even considered. I was invited to sit in at the meeting of the Regional Senior leadership meeting in Northampton held at theBishop's House in the Roman Catholic Diocese of Northampton. Bishop John chaired the meeting, and Bishop Peter Doyle, our host, invited me to sit in on the conversation.

It was an honor to be invited because the meeting involved the Methodist Chair, the Baptist Regional Minister, and the Country Ecumenical Officer in addition to the host and Bishop John. They had an interesting discussion about the nature of their ministries, with a little "guessing exercise" that gave the ecumenical partners a chance to share what they knew (or didn't know) about the denominations each represented. For example, I learned that there are 5,700 Methodist churches in England, 155 Baptist churches in England, about 400 Anglican churches in the Peterborough Diocese alone, and 69 Roman Catholic parishes in the Northampton Diocese (one of 22 RC dioceses in England).

They also discussed specific Local Ecumenical Projects where churches of their various bodies form local churches and use clergy from their respective traditions in a pre-decided pattern depending on a variety of factors.

After lunch we visited All Saints Parish in Brixworth (where Bishop John is the Bishop of Brixworth), a church starting out as a monastery over 1,300 years ago by monks as a "Minster Church" from which other churches were started. Their new Vicar was installed just Saturday and had her first service just yesterday, so we "dropped in" on her and her husband for tea. Nothing like having the bishop visit a day or two after just starting out in a new post.

Tomorrow I head out by train from Huntingdon to Norwich where Andrew Tyler will meet me and conduct me for a few days on my journey in the dioceses of Norwich and Lincoln (the oldest Local Ministry diocese in the Church of England). We start early for the train station.

MYSTERY WORSHIPPER

"Ship of Fools.com" is one of my favorite wacky websites. They do a lot of poking aT the foibles of modern church life.

One of my favorite features is their use of "mystery worshippers" who anonymously choose a church to visit and after they service they evaluate the experience using a long list of questions. The key to the effectiveness of these visits is that no one knows that a "visitor" is in their midst.

There's no way I could have been a "Mystery Visitor" this morning because in the opening announcements prior to the liturgy in Peterborough Cathedral I was welcomed by name as a guest of the preacher for the day, Bishop John Holbrook.

Besides, I think people might have noticed me because of the black clergy shirt I was wearing.

In any case, I had a wonderful worship experience and met some fine people afterwards during the coffee hour.

We were invited to lunch at the home of the Canon Precentor (the one responsible for all the many worship services at the Cathedral) and his wife, and we enjoyed the conversation there.

Tomorrow we drive to Northampton where my host is chairing an ecumenical clergy meeting. Since their conversations are private, I will bring a book to read.

Then on Tuesday I will leave this beautiful little village and the 18th century house where I am staying to head out to Norwich for the next leg of my sabbatical journey.

It was a bit strange not leading a worship service today. I wonder what it will feel like after being away twelve Sundays. I hope my friends at Hope had a good worship experience today as well.

DAY OFF?

This morning when I got dressed, I put on my TEAM USA Olypic Shirt, my new blue jeans, and my sneakers. It was about 5:30 in the morning, but I was full of expectations because in a sense, this was going to be for me a real day off.

One of the criteria for describing the day this way was the fact that I was not going to be attending any worship services at all. After attending three services on Friday, I rationalized that it would be ok to take the day off, especially since I was heading to meet with my friend, Bishop John Holbrook, who lives in a quaint village of about 400 souls called Mears Ashby.

Soon after I arrived at his home we were making preparations for a trip to Derby (pronounced Darby) for a football match vs. Peterborough United.

We traveled with Quentin and his son John Mark. We ate lunch at Toby's Carvery and left the car in the restaurant's parking lot so we could wlk to the stadium which I discovered was about two miles away. Thousands of other supporters were on the same sidewalk, and stopping to catch your breath was not on the list of options.

The stadium seats 30,000, and most of the seats were filled. I took some video to prove it.

Peterborough lost, but they did scor a point on a penalty shot after the goal keeper got a red car dismissal from the field for taking out an attacking player. He may be forced to sit for three games for that.

We've had dinner here with Elizabeth, Thomas, and Anna.  They were ten years younger when I met them.

Oh, by the way, over here "football games" are the equivalent for many of what we call worship, so was this really a day off?

THE FIRST BRITISH MARTYR

After having a wonderful English Breakfast at the home of Doris and David Cheetham, I went again to Morning Prayer at St. Mary's. Will Gibbs, the Vicar met me there and brought me to St. Albans where I spent more than an hour with Archdeacon Jonathan talking about the challenge of providing pastoral ministry from the perspective of the Bishop and his staff.

I went from there up the hill to the Abbey where I attended a Roman Catholic Mass in the Lady Chapel. The Roman Catholic priest, Brian Reynolds, and the Anglican priest, Kevin Walton, led the service for about 60 people at noon time.

After mass I went to lunch in the Abbot's Kitchen as a guest of my ecumenical colleagues where I learned about the ministry going on in the cathedral, the oldest plsc of continuous pilgrimage in Britain, dedicated to Saint Alban who was the first British martyr, beheaded by Romans at that site in the 3rd Century. A shrine with his remains is in a chapel next to the Lady Chapel where the mass was held. Alban was a Roman who was converted to Christianity by Amphimbulas, a monk who reached out to him. The Romans were putting Christians to death, and Alban persuaded Amphibulas to let him wear his monk's clothing, and he was beheaded in place of the monk who had shared his faith with him and led him to Christ. The remains of Amphibulas are also in the cathedral somewhere.

After lunch I went on an hour-long tour of the Cathedral, learning about this wonderful place of worship. Then I walked down the hill to see some of the ruins of the ancient Roman settlement.

Back up the hill I went into the chapel where Evensong would be held and spent the time I had reading. The Evensong was sung by the girls' choir (which included two of Kevin's daughters) and Kevin presided.

I finally went over to fetch my luggage and check into the Comfort Hotel at the bottom of the hill. Even though the computer had reserved a room for me on May 19 rather than April 19, I persuaaded the clerk that I was really here now, and he found me a very nice room and chatted with me about my sabbatical journey.

I called Bishop John Holbrook to set up plans for meeting him tomorrow morning. He just got in five minites prior to my call from Okinawa and has a bit of jet lag. His body clock is 9 hours ahead of mine here (and 14 hours ahead of yours). Tomorrow we will meet and head over to see a football (soccer) match.

I have lots of pictures which I want to display once I figure out how to upload them by Eye-fi through my Ipad. Stay faithful.

ON THE GROUND AND ON THE MOVE

I've been very busy since the plane landed, and my journey so far has brought me through London where I visited the Church House of the Church of England and went to Evensong at Westminster Abbey and then went to dinner and back to my room at St. Matthew's House where I slept for nearly 12 hours.

Moving out from London I finally got to the correct train station, avoiding the funeral of former Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher to board a train for St. Albans where I was met by Jeanette Gosney who brought me to meet with the Local Ministry Team for five churches in four small rural villages called "The Hartford Hundred."

We traveled on to the city of Luton where I met with the LMT of a two church parish and learned how Local Ministry is carried out in an urban setting quite different from where I spent the afternoon. I stayed with the Vicar and his wife in a vey nice home.

Today Jeff Mercer, the consultant for St. Mary's, Redborn came to pick me up. We arrived in time for the 9:30 Team Morning Prayer service. Then we walked over to the Village Cricket field where the church has "Coffee on the Commons," an outreach to moms who drop their kids off at the school next to the Cricket Hall.

I met with individual members of the LMT in a 1-1 way, learning about marriage preparation and baptismal preparation at St. Mary's. Then I went to lunch with the Vicar, Will Gibbs, and his curate Lucy. At the home where I will spend the night I met with the team member who runs small group ministries, and then we went over to Hayden's for home communion led by Doris, a lay minister with whom I will stay tonight. Her husband David is an attorney whose chief client is the Church of  England.

At the vicarage I am catching up on email from Bishop John who is returning from Okinawa today, with Andrew Tyler who is returning to England from California tomorrow, from two people from Northern California, and from Sandi Holmberg in Minnesota, all from a couch here in Redborn.

Tomorrow I meet at the Cathedral with the Archdeacon of the Diocese, attend an ecumenical service at the cathedral, and do some sightseeing at the Cathedral and if possible, some ancient Roman ruins.
Saturday I will move on to visit with Bishop Holbrook.

Are you exhausted reading all this? Imagine having to tote around a 50 pound suitcase etc.

I am learning a lot and sharing a lot also.

CHECKING IN

I'm off to a great start. John Kelly and Roger Meyer from the Sabbatical Team brought me to JFK, leaving the church at 1:15 and arriving here at 2:15. By 3 p.m. I was in the Admiral's Club thanks to the help of  Michelle. We don't board for a couple of hours now, so I am listening to the news broadcast from the Boston Marathon Finish Line. They are still not sure what actually happened there.

I came across the phone number of Bishop Alan Scarfe of the Episcopal Diocese of Iowa. He has set aside two days after Memorial Day to travel with me to some Total Ministry parishes located in the far corners of Iowa. It sounds like the visits will take a while  because the state is really large.

But that's later on for me. Now I'm heading out to London Heathrow where I will take a tube into the city and eventually meet up with Joanna Cox who works in the Church House in London.

On Wednesday morning I will find my way to the St. Pancras Train Station to get a train to St. Albans Diocese where I will be staying for three nights.

Keep me in your prayers as I will be praying for all of you.

SHARED MINISTRY'S KEY: HOSPITALITY

As I continue to work on details for the trips ahead, I am constantly amazed at the wonderful attitude of hospitality I keep encountering, Yesterday, for example, I heard from a member of a Local Ministry Team in Hereford who invited me to stay with him and his wife in their home for two nights. As I checked the schedule I realized that I had not booked a room as I had planned for the previous night, and I shared that in my email. I got word back that he was checking to make arrangements for me in the town where I would be that day on my behalf.

I really appreciate this sense of genuine hospitality, and it makes me aware of one of the invisible but extremely significant characteristics of shared ministry. Share Ministry is possible when there is a genuine sense of hospitality that welcomes others to share in a common life and ministry. Without that attitude of hospitality, it seems that it would be impossible for ministry to be shared among people.

I have experienced this attitude already in the numerous contacts with others in every place where I will be visiting. It is truly a fruit of the Holy Spirit.

THE TOUGHEST CHALLENGE

Why is it that sharing ministry is so difficult? In my view, the greatest challenge to overcome is the basic set of assumptions that have served as the common paradigm for understanding the nature of the concept of ministry itself.

For too long we have believed that ministry is something reserved for a small group of people who have been trained and ordained for a specific office in the church. They are the professionals and everyone else is a recipient of that ministry. 

It wasn't always that way. In fact, that is a more-or-less "recent" development in the life of the Christian community. Ministry is the work of all the baptized, not just a chosen few. Our challenge is to figure out how we can get clergy and laity to recapture the vision of how all the baptized people of God can help one another to identify and then use their God-given gifts in the service of the Gospel. That is what I will be focusing on in the months ahead.

Punch List

Now that the Holy Week and Easter services are over, I am now refocusing on the task of putting together a "punch list" of those things I need to attend to as I get closer to the beginning of the sabbatical.

I will be contacting people who wanted to work on details after Easter. So many details. . .  but I am immensely grateful for the generous spirit of so many who have invited me to stay in their homes and travel around with them to visit local ministry sites.

The sabbatical team has sent out 200 brochures to churches in our synod telling them about the workshops we have planned, and the Sabbatical 2013 newsletter for Hope's members will be sent out this week to help inform members about what the sabbatical is all about and how they can benefit from it as well.

Now is the time when clarity and discernment will be great resources for me.

SHARING SOME DETAILS

Over the past few months I and the members of the Sabbatical Team have been working out details for the sabbatical for myself and for the congregation.

On my side, thre are numerous details about where I am going, where I will be staying, how I will get around, and exactly when I'll be doing this or that.

On Hope's side of the planning there are details about who is going to lead worship, who will do workshops for our members and for the Lutheran community in our synod, how the staff will work together, and how we will support everything financially. One by one these details are fitting together, and it looks like the sabbatical will be an exciting time for me and for the people of Hope as well.

I am grateful to the many diffnt people who are helping out on both sides of this equation, and I believe we will all grow stronger and healthier as a result of this brief time of separation.

Now as Holy Week and April 15 draw near the pace will quicken. I will give more details about what I will be doing in my next posting.

FOLLOWING THE JOURNEY

I have been working on the Lenten Issue of the ANCHOR and have mentioned this blog site as well as my Twitter address for people who wish to follow what is happening re: the plans for the sabbatical.

My Twitter Account is @rohill1.
My Skype address is rohill1047
The Facebook group I am starting will be called Hope's Journey.

Let's see what happens.

GETTING CLOSER TO APRIL 15

As April 15 draws near, many people will be focusing on paying their taxed. My focus, however, will be on getting to JFK airport to begin my sabbatical journey with a month-long trip to England.

Details are pretty well developed, and I'm starting to think about what I will need to bring along with me to make the journey as profitable as it can be: a new suitcase and day bag, a keyboard for my ipad, and a video camera are already in progress. Other items will come to mind as the day of departure draws closer.

Meanwhile we are getting details squared away for the weekend coverage while I am away. Most of the dates are set and just a few need to be confirmed. Workshops are being planned and publicity will need to be designed for them.

But I am getting more excited and interested in the trip and the visits I will be making to six dioceses of the Church of England as well as six in the U.S. It won't be too long before I will be getting packed for the trip.