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.