Sabbatical Writings

Letters from the Rambling Rector

Sunday, October 22, 2006

My Dear Community of St. Mark’s,

As Pontheolla’s and my London-stage of the sabbatical draws close to the final hours, we offer an overview of the past month...

Let us say, first and foremost, that we have been most well received by the good people of St. James’s Anglican Church, Piccadilly, London. (Once again, I thank Kenn Allen, in his capacity as Sabbatical Planning Team co-chair, for some months ago making the bold overture [by phone, no less] to the Rev. Dr. Charles Hedley, Rector of St. James’s, to set in motion the possibility that I might be “in residence” here.)

We have reveled in life and we have been embraced by the people of St. James’s, a parish -- in history and ethos -- very much (strikingly so!) like St. Mark’s. In fact, Charles and I, simultaneously and separately, began to think about an ongoing and intentional relationship between our two parishes. Subsequently, we talked about it and are confirmed that this is something we would like to explore at length and at depth.

Regarding link relationships, Pontheolla and I journeyed to Lichfield for an overnight trip. We spent a day and evening with Tony and Anne Barnard. You might remember that Tony is the recently retired Canon Chancellor (that is, in charge of the cathedral’s education program and libraries) and a long time friend of Jim Adams, my predecessor as St. Mark’s Rector. It is via their friendship that the Lichfield Cathedral-St. Mark’s link relationship was established. Moreover, on the occasion of Tony’s retirement, our Vestry voted to make Tony and Anne honorary members of St. Mark’s. They, indeed, are our good friends.

The next day, we were feted at a luncheon by the Rev. Canon Charles Taylor and his wife, Catherine -- also good friends of St. Mark’s. That afternoon, Pontheolla and I met with the Very Rev. Adrian Dorber, Dean of Lichfield Cathedral. Although largely an introductory meeting, the mood was most welcoming and warm. I asked about continuing the link relationship, which the Dean seemed most open to doing within the context of his desire to do some intentional visioning regarding the future of the Cathedral. So, let us stay tuned...

As for some highlights, in a dizzying succession...

We met the Rev. John Rick, an American Episcopal priest and a good friend of Raiford Gaffney’s. John is a financial development consultant, who assists institutions, largely churches, in seeking and soliciting funding for major projects. Among his many clients is the Diocese of Washington, particularly the center for social justice at the Washington National Cathedral.

We also met the Rev. John Barton, a retired Anglican priest and friend of Susan Thigpen. He was our host for a memorable visit to Canterbury.

We met and spent two fabulous days of new friendship with John and Mindy Hollar, relations of Margaret and Al Crenshaw. (John, Mindy, and their high school aged children live in London.)

We had an enjoyable one-day visit to the city of Bath, noted for its Roman architecture and, of course, mineral spring baths!

We’ve walked nearly every inch of London, a most accessible city via the tube (subway) system, in an effort to keep our New York-initiated fitness regimen of at least 10,000 steps a day.

Since our time in New York, I’ve been reading and writing, both most enjoyable activities for which I, generally, don’t have time or energy. I’ve produced a (now 13-page -- it began with four pages) paper, “Reflections on Pluralism,” which captures in print and in one place my thinking and feeling of the past several months. There are two additional pieces I want to write, one dealing with the theoria and the other, the praxis, of engaging “the other.” I hope to turn my attention to this writing during the South African leg of the sabbatical journey.

As for South Africa, we fly to Johannesburg on Tuesday, where we’ll spend a few days reconnecting with the Rev. Earl Neil, a retired American Episcopal priest, and his wife, Angela. We, then, will journey to the Hillcrest region of KwaZulu Natal, spending time in residence at an Anglican parish. We have been helped mightily in establishing this opportunity by Eliza Getman, daughter of long time St. Mark’s members Tom and Karen, who lives in South Africa with her husband, Jonny, and family. Moreover, during the South Africa stay, I’ll have a chance to present my paper and ideas at a theological gathering at a local university.

More about South Africa in our next missive (in about a month).

Know of our love and good wishes.

Peace, always and in all ways,
Paul

P.S. One final word. The economic cost of life in London is, well, nearly astronomical, making NYC look reasonable!