Tonight at 11pm Andrea, Mark and I will get on a plane to New York.  On Monday morning at 6am Mark reports to West Point to begin his plebe summer.  (For those who may be confused -- thinking we already did this -- last year Mark attended the West Point Prep School, not the Academy.)  That trip will begin a period of sabbatical for me that will end on August 14, when we return from seeing Mark at the conclusion of his summer training.  

It is standard practice throughout the church for clergy to take a sabbatical every five years or so, in order to pray, study, rest and get re-centered and renewed.  In addition to being with family on the East Coast, I will be spending time in the Diocese of Navajoland.  I hope to experience the native culture, read, pray, take pictures and write.  For years people have been encouraging me to write.  I am very comfortable speaking, but writing is a different art. We'll see how it goes.

While the standard length of sabbaticals in the church is 3 months, I will be returning to Trinity after 7 weeks.  The vestry is eager to begin a process of strategic planning and I wanted to be able to begin the process in August.  I will complete my sabbatical later.   While I am gone, Lynell will manage the programmatic life of the Cathedral and Jerry will handle the administrative life of the Cathedral.  Jason Lyons, the senior warden, will lead the vestry and be available to assist in other ways as needed.

I want to mention three other things before I leave.  First, preaching last Sunday after the shooting in Orlando deepened my conviction of the importance of the church in these times of increasing fear and division. At Trinity we are teaching people how to abide in love when the world is going crazy.  We are training ourselves to be human in a world that is becoming increasingly inhumane.  I am convinced we need to be more intentional in participating in this training, and inviting others into this community. We also need to seek ways to connect with people who are different from us. Please consider attending the Iftar celebration tomorrow night at 7:00pm at Masjid As Subur, 4920 15th Ave.

Second, the Cathedral is beautiful.  For the past months, people have been working hard to care for the grounds and the buildings, and do maintenance that has been neglected.  The exterior has been power-washed and all the trim painted.   I am grateful for all those who have worked so hard.  Please take a look around when you are on the campus.  

Finally, I realize that some people may not know what is happening on the 27th street lot behind the Cathedral.  It used to be the home of our community garden.  We have leased the property to the B-Street Theater construction company so they can use it for construction offices and staging.  Not only are they paying us rent, they will also repair the sidewalks adjacent to our row of parking spaces.

I will hold you in my prayers in the coming weeks. Please pray for me.