April 30, 2025

Dear PPC,

Sabbatical is a time of rest, renewal, refreshment, and gift for the pastor. It is modeled after sabbath and the days of creation when God gifted humanity with the seventh day of rest, renewal, and refreshment. A pastor’s sabbatical is different from an academic who is expected to publish and produce a product. The National Capital Presbytery puts it this way in their Personnel Policy for Pastors; “Clergy sabbatical is an opportunity for the individual to strategically disengage from regular and normal tasks so that ministry and mission may be viewed from a new perspective as a result of a planned time of focus.” I put off my sabbatical for a year so that I would be actively engaged at PPC for the new organ planning, fundraising, and installation. I also decided to take my sabbatical during Summer when church programming slows down so as not to load too many extra tasks on staff and Session.

May 20 – August 20, 2025, my planned time of sabbatical focus is for creative wrestling with the trinity of prayer, pilgrimage, & play. These three will be interwoven during the three months I will be away from PPC. My schedule for this period of interwoven prayer, pilgrimage and play is as follows.

May 29 to June 29 I will be in Italy immersing myself in the land of St. Francis and Clare of Assisi. Francis and Clare model ancient practices of love, spiritual kinship, suffering, social transformation, welcome, justice, faithfulness, joy, and Caring for ALL with Faith, Hope, and Love (which as you know is the PPC motto & vision). Time spent in Tuscany with my family will give me holy time wholly away from day to day church life. I pray this time in Tuscany will allow me to reflect on the Franciscan and Clare way that remains relevant to 21st century living. The practices that were embraced by Francis and Clare in the 13th century speak to practices of the Christian church that have never gone away (but may have been forgotten by some) and include radical hospitality, simplicity, contemplation, as well as “care for ALL with Faith, Hope, & Love.” It being a Jubilee year in Italy means Rome will be more crowded when we fly in and out. With the Conclave starting soon the Sistine Chapel will be closed so we may not get to visit there but it’s an exciting time for the Roman Catholic Church and we may catch some of that exuberance the few days we will spend in Rome.

During July I will spend a week with my college girlfriends at Smith Mountain Lake where one of them has a home. I will also have a cyst removed from my head (you probably didn’t know I was a unicorn). It isn’t serious surgery but will give me two black eyes (I’m told) due to the location, so I’ll be glad for time away to heal.

During August I will participate in a silent retreat most likely at Bon Secours Retreat Center in Marriottsville, MD but I haven’t ruled out a directed retreat in New England so that I can stop in to see my sister in Boston and brother in Connecticut.

I hope to share prayer, pilgrimage, and play sabbatical learnings during the adult education class on Sunday, September 14 which will be the first Sunday of adult education following the summer recess. I do not plan to be in touch with the church community during my sabbatical. Pastor Chris will capably take on Head of Staff duties at the church during the three months I’m away. I know you all will support him and the Session and the staff during my sabbatical. I am supremely grateful to be gifted this time away. You all will be in my prayers, and I pray I will be in your prayers as well.

Easter Joy & Easter Blessings!

With Deep Gratitude,

Pastor Emily