Daily Devotion Themes, Housekeeping, and a Sabbatical
Daily Devotions, Housekeeping, and a Sabbatical
Dear <<First Name>>,
The URC blesses its ministers with a 12 week sabbatical every 7 years to encourage rest, research, and renewal believing this helps refresh both minister and the congregations and posts they serve. At the end of this week I will start a sabbatical, and some annual leave, where I will be looking at three medieval Church reform movements (the Cathars, Waldensians, and Franciscans) and explore what the contemporary Church might learn from them. I hope to produce a Daily Devotion series in the autumn looking at these themes. I return to my desk on 29th June.
I am very grateful for a wonderful team of writers who agreed to write series over the Summer so that the period of time when I am off, and the months immediately following, are covered. More, I am very grateful they got their material into me very early to allow other volunteers (thanks again!) to record and load the devotions into the email programme we use.
We finish our read through of Matthew just after Easter and then start a four week series from the Revd Dr Janet Tollington working our way through the Book of Judges. The Revd Neil Thorogood leads a week’s worth of reflections looking at Scripture, Art, and Faith – all the art he looks at was created by women. Two interns working with the Joint Public Issues Team, Thomas Niblett and Erica Lees-Smith, help us explore how to seek justice in our lives and faith. After Pentecost the Revd Dr Seoyoung Kim, a minister in the Presbyterian Church in the Republic of Korea will spend two weeks reflecting on water and theology. Retired minister, the Revd Gethin Rhys, will help us explore the relationship with Church and State. The Revd Professor Stephen Orchard offers a week’s worth of reflections on hymns. I am delighted that a group of students ending their first year’s training, some of their tutors, some final year students about to be ordained and a minister three years in have all collaborated to produce a lovely set of reflections on vocation – I hope it will help you reflect more on what God calls you to. Retired minister the Revd Adrian Bulley will explore the Biblical ideas behind our desire to transform conflict. Two more retired ministers (Paul Holmes from the URC and Simon Betteridge from the Church of England) explore what it might mean to be a compassionate community with a week’s worth of Devotions. The Revd David Cornick, a former URC General Secretary, explores what comprises Reformed Spirituality. The Revd Dr Romilly Micklem offers us a week’s worth of reflections on money and then Gethin Rhys returns with a week’s reflections arising from the Covid enquiries. This series of specially commissioned work concludes with two weeks’ reflections from the Cascades of Grace network. This is a group of global majority women in the URC.
During my sabbatical I will, of course, not be checking emails (though I have queued up introductions to each theme to go out). If you find you no longer receive your Daily Devotions please do check your spam/junk folders; most often they are there! Please do add this email address to your contacts (that trains your email programme these emails aren’t spam!). If you wish to change your email address please use the link at the bottom of this email and every Daily Devotion. If you do have a problem please email as usual and Amy Boon, our Digital Content Assistant, will try and help.
With every good wish
Andy
The Rev’d Andy Braunston
Minister for Digital Worship