Sabbatical

I am currently on a sabbatical which is an incredible gift from God (via my employers, the Diocese of SC). The Lord’s timing is most amazing as my wife Jane and I spent most of 2016 with her battling breast cancer. By the grace of God, she is currently cancer free and her prognosis is excellent. It was a tiring year however, so this break is truly appreciated. When we return, she faces a few more surgeries, some related to the cancer and one not. She blew out her knee (torn ligament) this spring and will have a knee replacement because of damage done from sports over the years. That one has nothing to do with the cancer.  However, chemotherapy made a vein situation worse, so she will also have vein surgery in the fall, which is somewhat cancer related, and she will have another revision of her reconstructive surgery in the fall as well. So she is resting up for these experiences this summer.

What are we doing with the sabbatical? We began with a spiritual retreat at Glen Eyrie in Colorado Springs.  That was six days of rest in the foothills of the rocky mountains followed by a few days of catching up with extended family (some of which I had not seen in 13 or more years). We are currently visiting with our parents and siblings in the midwest, which we were unable to do in 2016. Yesterday I had the opportunity to spend time with Dr. David Murray who is a seminary professor and author of several books on depression and anxiety. We had a great chat about how youth ministers can be better equipped to deal with students who wrestle with these issues.  Next week we will attend the ACNA provincial assembly in Wheaton, IL and observe the youth track while I will also represent Young Anglicans Project. On July 4th we depart for the highlands of Scotland where I will be spending time writing, reading, and we will be able to hike through some beautiful wilderness. (Jane has been provided with a knee brace that should get her through the summer) While there I will also reconnect with my youth pastor from my high school years. At the end of that trip we will visit St. John’s Hartford (England) where I served as youth minister from 1996 to 2001.

We value prayers as we travel and seek to strengthen our relationship with the Lord and our marriage. I don’t expect to post much on the blog here during this time but, God willing, will be posting very regularly once this sabbatical is over.

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2 responses to “Sabbatical”

  1. Jon Coombs Avatar

    Sorry to hear about the Mrs but glad you have the opportunity to have a sabbatical. Amazing for a youth ministry position. Enjoy. 🙂

    1. dwright@dioceseofsc.org Avatar
      dwright@dioceseofsc.org

      Thanks! It is a blessing to have the sabbatical. The first church I worked for had a policy for sabbatical upon completing 10 years. No youth ministers stayed that long. I left 5 months before hitting the mark. My present employer (The Diocese of SC) has a more generous policy of after 7 years. This is my second sabbatical… in 30 years of full time youth ministry. I’ve been in my current role for 16 years as of today.

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