by Bishop Todd Hunter
This is my first week back in the office after my five-month sabbatical. I feel overwhelmed with gratitude to you for the gift of this time away!
I had never taken more than three weeks off at a time in my 47-year career. I knew I needed an extended break, but I never dreamed how good it would be. C4SO’s extraordinarily generous gift to me will never be forgotten. It will forever be cherished.
As I left on sabbatical, I was seeking three things.
1. Renewal.
I did find replenishment in my reservoirs of creativity and spiritual energy. The change of environment and respite from routine did, in fact, bring refreshment.
2. Reflection.
Through prayer and thoughtfulness, I was indeed able to refocus on God, and discern areas in my life where God is moving, healing, and correcting.
3. Recommitment.
During sabbatical, I sought to discover what recommitting to ministry meant for me at 66 years of age. My best efforts at discernment yielded this awareness: My future is in continuity with my past, not in a big break from it.
During my first few days back, through conversations with various C4SO leaders, I will catch up on all that has been happening and begin to share my vision for the future of C4SO. Later in the fall, I look forward to gathering C4SO clergy for a virtual vision-casting conversation.
In the meantime, I will continue to trust the process, which was my moment-by-moment refrain during sabbatical. Over the last five months I took time to do nothing, listen to music, engage in art, read fiction, study, worship, pray, put together a puzzle, view a film, pursue holistic health: body, soul, spirit. Here’s a snapshot.
March was a time of decompressing, of transition to genuine sabbatical of heart. It began with a week of silent retreat at Rosemary Beach, Florida, where I participated in Ash Wednesday and Sunday worship with a local Anglican church.
April afforded travel to see family and life-long friends. Unfortunately, Debbie and I caught COVID, which messed up our ability to share spring break with our daughter.
May allowed Debbie and I the ability to do some Nashville-area things like the Van Gogh Exhibit: The Immersive Experience. I drove with my brother to Miami to attend the graduate school graduation of my nephew and then help him move from the University of Miami to the Nashville area.
June gave me the gift of visiting friends in the Washington, D.C./Charlottesville area and to experience the hospitality of the Corhaven Retreat Center. On days I felt led to write, I also finished a draft of a book for IVP that I have been working on occasionally over a period of years. I hope it is the first of a four-part series on the person and work of Jesus.
July brought family from California. The bulk of the month was given over to thinking, reflecting, and discerning all that I experienced and learned on sabbatical and what it means for the future. Near the end of the month, I appreciated a silent week of study and reflection in Capitola Beach (Santa Cruz), California.
I am glad to be back in the office here in Franklin, Tennessee. I look forward to the fall and serving alongside all of you for the sake of others!
The Rt. Rev. Dr. Todd Hunter is the founding bishop of The Diocese of Churches for the Sake of Others, founder of The Telos Collective, and founder of The Center for Formation, Justice and Peace. He is past president of Alpha USA, former national director for the Association of Vineyard Churches, and retired founding pastor of Holy Trinity Anglican Church in Costa Mesa, CA. He is the author of Christianity Beyond Belief: Following Jesus for the Sake of Others, Giving Church Another Chance, The Outsider Interviews, The Accidental Anglican,Our Favorite Sins, Our Character at Work and Deep Peace.