On Any Given Day

Traveling Reflectio...

By Keith Grogg

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The entries are posted from most recent (immediately below) back. so the first post in the series appears at the bottom of the last page.

Just before sunrise at Carolina Beach

Well that's it, kind of. Sabbatical reached its culmination today as I slowly worked my way back into church life, and the conclusion was formalized this evening when, to my surprise and great happiness, 38 people came to the Evening Prayer service I had planned (I had expected maybe 6 or 7) for the purpose of marking the moment when I can say that my first sabbatical has definitively ended and I'm back on the job. I am tempted to start making lists of summaries of great and deep experiences I've had, of places where I've traveled and worshipped, of amazing people I've spent time with, of books I've read and stories and wisdom I've accumulated, of kinds of food I have unwittingly worn on my shirt, etc. But a lot of that information is posted here already, and is only of real importance to one person anyway. I'm just glad to be back now, and ready to let all of that inform who I am and what I do.

Thank you, reader, for sharing in this great experience with me. Onward!

Mepkin Abbey

At Mepkin Abbey in South Carolina, I have found what I needed to find for my last week of sabbatical. The daily schedule of services begins at 3:20 A.M. and continues with periodic gatherings in the chapel--a sanctified space if ever there was one--through Compline at 7:35 P.M. The monks lead the worship, and it's as stirring and evocative as you might imagine. Retreatants like myself are welcome to attend all, some or none of the services; I started last night with Compline, then rose in the wee hours for the service of readings at 3:20 and have picked and chosen since then. (At the moment I've slipped out to the nearest town, Moncks Corner--no relation to the implied pun in the name, apparently.)
Sometimes a first impression of a visibly impressive place starts to fade after one becomes familiar with it. Sometimes you realize after 24 hours that what looked like such a genuine experience at first is really kind of limited or touristy or disingenuous. None of that is the case here. If the Avila Retreat Center in Durham (NC, USA)--boy does that seem like forever ago--provided a wonderful transition into Ministry Renewal Leave, with welcoming hospitality and good fellowship, and Turvey Abbey in England provided a spiritual home base for invigorating walks in the country and a sacred opportunity for individual prayer, Mepkin Abbey is providing the best of all, with its profound worship experiences (darkness, candlelight, antiphonal singing and sacred chant and the hovering smell of incense as one enters the church) and its spectacular grounds for walking, lingering, and contemplation. Plus, the rule of silence is strictly kept, from 7:35 P.M. until after the 8:15 A.M. prayers, and at all meals. Once you get accustomed to the layout of the place, you'd really have to try to mess this up.

Back to the Books

After three weeks out of the country, I'm happily hitting the books again, and developing a theological statement that will describe my interactions, including endorsements and disagreements, with the writings of Barth, Hegel, Herrmann, Schleiermacher, et. al., as well as a diverse array of traditions and thought systems ranging all the way from Eastern Orthodox theology to the postmodern shift away from...HEY! WAS THAT A YAWN? Come on, this is IMPORTANT!!

Next week it's off to Mepkin Abbey for some quiet work alone, and then the following week I will conclude sabbatical and re-enter church life. But in the meantime, to read about all those old German theologians properly, I took a couple of books with me to the German Cafe in Wilmington today. Schnitzel may or may not be a theological issue, but the Napoleon for dessert was definitely a revelatory experience.

Last Day in England

After preaching at St John's Church on Sunday morning--which I will begin less than 30 minutes from now--I'll have the rest of today with David & Judith and then fly home on Monday. I have had three extraordinary weeks away, and of course in 8.0 worship this morning was thinking of all the other things I wish I had done; namely, I would have lingered in 100 more ancient churches and walked 500 more miles of countryside. But nevermind. Every moment is a thrill, but I can't wait to get home to my family.

One last vid: David tries to teach me the rules of cricket

The Church of St. John in Hurst Green, England

I'm spending this week visiting the vicar and rural parish of St. John the Evangelist Church in Hurst Green, England. I believe there may also be a couple of excellent village pubs nearby. Anyway, last night David Butlin, vicar of St. John's and a friend of mine of the last 20 years, had arranged for an evening presentation at which I would discuss the PC(USA) and American church life in general, and they'd ask any questions they had, and we'd all learn a little something or maybe just have a nice evening. I expected 2 to show up, and actually thought that may have been doubly optimistic. (August is the universally recognized "down time" in the Church of England when everyone goes on holiday and most of the regular schedule is suspended.) We would start at 7:30 and not go past 9:00; I was sure 8:30 would be more than adequate.

In the event, 17 showed up, extremely curious and insightful people, and at 9:15 we finally had to just rein the whole thing in and call it a night. We had an absolutely fabulous time with lively and respectful discussion and lots of very good questions. The similarities in our churches vastly outweigh the differences, but among the most noteworthy differences is the impact in America of the separation of church and state. The American churches have the burden of providing Christian Education, whereas R.E. (Religious Education) is compulsory in British schools. The limited number of hours in a week that an American has to learn discipleship was noted, by me.

Also, the Church of England is a parish system, meaning that every square foot of English soil is under the care of a local parish. In other words the people of the local Church of England (Anglican) church are charged with the "care of souls" within its parish's geographical boundary. None of the other denominations carry exactly that burden; they look after their own people (and presumably do some local mission outreach, as we do). But regardless of the beliefs or practices of the 7,000 people in this parish, this church is charged with caring for them all.

There are of course lots of other differences and similarities worth exploring, which bear on the meaning of discipleship, but aspects of this conversation in particular occupied much of our evening.

Also, David drives a 1977 MG.

Bedford, England

In 1989-90, when I was 22-23, I served the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) as a Mission Volunteer (this was before the General Assembly staff, which included Vivian Hare, devised the Young Adult Volunteer program). I was assigned to a program in Britain called Time for God, which was (and is) aimed at people who had just graduated from college and were looking to give a year's time before embarking on their regular career path. Time for God then assigned me to serve a church in Bedford, England called St. Andrew's Church, and in this 6-days-a-week volunteer capacity, and under the tutelage of an excellent staff, I entered the work of ministry, and found immediately that what I contributed was nothing compared to what I received.

So you can imagine that the church where I first "heard the call," as well as the community where it happened and the people who were instrumental in my well-being, are all close to my heart and important for any kind of catching up and touching base I might want to do. And this sabbatical has turned out to be reflective of that. 20 years into full time Church life, I am--not that this was in any way part of my original plan--going back to almost all the places that have been formative in my life and ministry. Bedford is one of the most important of all, and it's good to be able to come back and see some amazing people, and try to catch up on the news of those who are elsewhere now.

But in all honesty, I have already processed--in some cases several times, from different perspectives--experiences such as my Mission Volunteer year in England, and I'm not focused on looking back. The idea of this turning into some kind of sentimental nostalgia trip makes me a little nauseous, actually. If anything, I'm looking inside, and looking ahead, and just happy to have some old friends along the way to help me in that endeavor.