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.