Greetings to all in the Love of Jesus Christ:
I’m excited to be back with all of you after a very restorative three-month sabbatical. I’m grateful to all of you in the Arizona Region for the opportunity to renew, and I am especially grateful to Matthew Clark, to our moderator team (Kerry Swindle and Rev. Martin Tapia), and to our on-call Regional Minister Rev. Bill Rose-Heim for handling everything in my absence.
In case you are interested in a little report on my time away … it was great! Besides visits with family and time to rest, Dawn and I spent 4 weeks in Scotland, mostly in the Highlands doing stuff in nature (a 91 mile hike through the highlands, a week at a Field Studies Centre with guided hikes by naturalists). We also spent a few days in Edinburgh during the Fringe Festival, enjoying some concerts, theatre, and the legendary Edinburgh Tattoo. And we spent 2 days in Glasgow enjoying the World Pipe Band Championships featuring the best bagpipe bands in the world.
Then after 2 weeks back in AZ for some dental work, I went to Costa Rica for 3 wonderful weeks with the Christian Immersion Spanish Academy (CISA) which was recommended by Rev. Lori Tapia, National Pastor for Hispanic Ministries. I had classes every morning and studied in the afternoons and engaged in conversations with local residents and my host family. I am now a semi-expert on the Costa Rican soccer league, for what that’s worth. I hadn’t intended to do anything except study Spanish, but CISA and my host family got me out to enjoy some activities in the surrounding area, so I saw 77 new life birds (after seeing about the same number in Scotland), went rafting, and toured coffee and chocolate farms and production facilities.
Both trips were a wonderful change of scenery and setting, offering a healthy break after six years of Regional Ministry. Both countries approach caring for the natural world in amazing and refreshing ways. The public transit and environmental laws in Scotland are marvelous. It’s notable that Costa Rica doesn’t have an army — they put their money into public education and the literacy rates are extremely high. A better world is possible!
October is Pastor Appreciation Month, and I know many of you have been expressing your appreciation for our amazing Arizona Disciples clergy. If your congregation doesn’t have a policy providing sabbatical renewal, I encourage you to have that conversation. Keeping our clergy fresh and healthy is vital for the church. We also encourage you to make funds available for them to attend our annual Clergy Retreat in January where we will offer activities to restore and renew.
I look forward to seeing you all soon.
Dios les bendiga!
Pastor Jay
Regional Minister and President
