From the Rector

Dear Friends in Christ,

This is not an announcement that I am leaving (though it may sound a bit like one). When I was called to Saint Philip’s in the Hills seven years ago, I wrote the following:

“The space is gorgeous, the building evocative, and the grounds stunning. Yet it was none of these things that truly drew us. The real beauty here is the people we have met. Your faith, generosity of spirit, joy, and genuine loving-kindness are a joy to us.

“Sometimes, in the midst of the many changes and chances in this life, it can be hard to imagine that God is working something miraculous for us. Then you meet a friend, find a place, or hear a word that lets you see and know that all shall be well—that God is taking our whole lives and our too few days and blessing us without ceasing.

“This has been our experience of Saint Philip’s. We have met friends and found a place and heard from you the kind of faith and compassion that will make it a blessing to us and, more importantly, that will be the rich ground where we will meet and bless so many in this city. May God add his blessing to all the work and worship that we will offer in his name at Saint Philip’s for years to come.”

The years since I wrote that have been both short and long. The blessings have been rich. The beauty real. The faith and compassion deeply felt and known.

When I came to Saint Philip’s to visit, one of the affiliate clergy asked me, “Where do you see yourself in five years?” I answered, “Well, here I hope!” It is what I’d hoped for and what came true. I have loved these years with you. When my boys think of church, their first memories will be of this parish.

For that, I am so deeply thankful.

I have said before that I hold that the Holy Spirit called us together to prepare for and to make our way through the pandemic. It short-circuited some hopes but, I believe, also planted the seeds of new ones. I trust that our next chapter, after that challenging interlude, is ready to be written.

Every tenure as Rector starts with some promise. Sometimes that promise is fulfilled. Sometimes it isn’t. Sometimes it is fulfilled but discerned only years and generations later. It seems a good time, after this strange period, to pause and discern what that promise might yet be for us.

With that in mind, I will take a short sabbatical leave this summer from June-August.

A sabbatical is not a vacation but, rather, a time to rest and reflect. It is a period to reassess and reappraise, to plan and pray, and to be quiet and listen.

This feels like the right time for such reflection. Things have shifted much during the pandemic and some of the goals and priorities we identified before it have changed. Some things feel more crucial than ever and others less important.

One very practical thing I’m going to do during the sabbatical is take several courses on woodworking and furniture making. I’ll talk with churches that have started ministries around wood shops where skills are passed on and gifts shared. I’ll visit with master woodworkers and religious communities where sustainable furniture-making ministries have grown up in partnerships with schools and non-profits.

We have a wonderful shop here and plenty of folks with a variety of skills. It seems that finding ways to build community around the sharing of gifts and mutual learning would be a good and holy thing.

You can imagine Joseph passing on carpentry lessons to Jesus and that image might be one that could guide ministry possibilities in our future, too. I could imagine not just woodworking but other crafts, as well, offering a way for us to gather community and welcome people in. One successful way we already do this is the clay studio.

I have every faith in our wardens and in my staff colleagues to handle this brief period with the faithful dedication they always show. I’m grateful for the steady leadership they provide and look forward to hearing how Saint Philip’s grows and thrives while I’m away.

There will be more details in the weeks ahead.

So I guess it wasn’t entirely accurate to say this isn’t a note about my leaving; I will leave…for a bit. But it’s more a note about preparing for a return filled with restored energy, renewed vision, and recharged hope.

My desire is that this time away will offer me space to hear where God is calling us so that we may find him blessing all the work and worship we will offer in his name for years to come.

Yours in Christ,

—Fr Robert