Andy (one of our Assistant Pastors) and Ruth O'Connell are just back from a 3-month sabbatical. We asked them to tell us some of what God had done with them while they were away.
What is a sabbatical?
A sabbatical is a period away from normal work. Most commonly taken by academics and church ministers, they provide time for rest, study and research away from normal responsibilities of work.
The term sabbatical relates to the biblical ideas of Sabbath (a weekly day of rest) and Sabbath year (a year of rest to allow soil to recover, Leviticus 25). While academic sabbaticals are usually for study, research or writing, ministerial sabbaticals have more of an emphasis on rest, away from the normal environment, recognising that for many, church work is a 24-7 vocation, not just a normal job!
Why did we take a sabbatical?
I (Andy) have worked for Oxfordshire Community Churches, and our wider family Salt & Light Ministries, since 1995. It's been a period of intense development, with ongoing changes and challenges, and after 24 years we felt it was time for a sabbatical! Ruth puts it more simply: "Andy has done too much, for too long!"
Canon J John, who spoke at Love Oxford in July 2019, puts it even better: "Almost everything will work better if you unplug it for a few minutes, including you."
It is also a significant season for Ruth, as 14 years of home education come to an end, and she wanted to pause before asking God what he wants her to focus on for the next season.
What did you plan for your sabbatical?
We knew that God's agenda for us was rest and refreshment. It was not a 'research-and-find-new-vision' kind of sabbatical. So we planned time to rest; pray, me-and-Jesus kind of prayer, more than the stuff we are responsible for; talk, with each other, and with friends and advisers; study, for personal benefit, not sermon prep!
We also did a number of practical jobs around the house, inspired by this quote from Rabbi Heshcel: "A man who works with his hands will Sabbath with his mind. A man who works with his mind will Sabbath with his hands."
Andy oversees Sunday mornings in OCC, so part of stepping back for him meant that we were not around OCC on Sundays initially, which gave opportunity to visit other churches in Oxford and beyond.
What did God do with you on your sabbatical?
The short answer is, "How long have you got! It's not a short answer!" We had a rich time, in which God spoke to us in various ways: through study of his Word, through speaking to us in prayer, through prophetic words and pictures from others, and through wise advice from trusted friends.
However, as leaders in the church it matters to us that we self-disclose and give account for your releasing of us. Also, it seems that God had a similar agenda for us as he has for the rest of the church (funny that!) so it may be that some of what we've learned can help others. So, over the next couple of weeks, in a few short blogs we're going to highlight 5 themes that emerged: rhythms, doing less, contemplative prayer, the inner life and partnership.