The Sabbatical Team has developed a plan that will not only keep the congregation updated about Pastor’s activities as she “expands her world,” (sabbatical theme #1) but the plan will also detail the activities taking place at our church for the people of St. Barnabas as we also “expand our world.” In the narthex, there will be a bulletin board with a world map that will pinpoint the various locations of Pastor Sarah’s travel destinations. She will send us postcards that highlight all the places she visits, and those will be placed on the bulletin board for viewing. Also on display in the narthex will be a poster with a schedule listing our different guest pastors or speakers with their areas of expertise. On the bulletin board map, there will be another set of pinpoints to indicate the various places in the world they each represent. 

Our “world will expand” during our Sabbatical without even leaving the Cary area!

From June 17 to early July, Pastor Sarah and her two daughters, Sophie and Grace, will “expand their worlds” (sabbatical theme #1) as they travel to a country that is new to all of them. Thailand, also known historically as Siam, is the place they will explore while Pastor will also have time to recharge herself. The natural beauty and wonder of Thailand will “make their hearts sing” (sabbatical theme #2) as they immerse themselves into new cultural experiences and interact with the people of this country. Viewing exotic wildlife, Buddhist temples, museums, night bazaars, markets, spectacular islands and the botanical gardens in historical cities such as Chiang Mai and Bangkok will enlighten them to historical and current lifestyles in this Southeast Asian country. To get around, they will ride in tuk-tuks, or red trucks, to experience sites such as the warm tropical waters of sandy beaches in Koh Samui. The three ladies not only want to savor foods such as som tam, khao soi and Thai tea, but they also want to learn how to cook some of these dishes by attending cooking classes in Thailand!

Texting, social media interaction, and any other form of communication will be strongly discouraged between individual congregational members and Pastor Sarah while she is on sabbatical. Her leave is meant to be a time of rest and renewal, and we want to respect her privacy during her time away from us and from the responsibilities of our church. Personal visits to her home while she is not away on travel are also discouraged. We, the people of St. Barnabas, will use the bulletin board to track her travel activities as a way of staying connected with her. There will be an on-call pastor to take care of any official pastoral need that may arise during her absence. To reach this pastor, all you need to do is contact Dawna, our Parish Administrator, and she will connect you with this pastor. The purpose of our sabbatical is to give Pastor Sarah the opportunity to step back from her role at St. Barnabas so she can “make her heart sing” (sabbatical theme #2) by focusing on personal enrichment and professional development through “expanding her world” (sabbatical theme #1). Let’s give her the space and time needed to make this happen!

Pastor Sarah will return and regale us with stories in her sermons and amaze us with her newfound energy!

Our pastor’s “heart will sing” (sabbatical theme #2) by focusing on her love of art and photography as she has enrolled in classes at Chicago Botanic Garden that include Leaf Printing, Year of the Cicadas, Summer Succulent Container Workshop and Photographing Butterflies and Blooms. Since Pastor is fascinated with the monarch butterflies that she nurtures each year at St. Barnabas, this will be an especially enjoyable class for her! 
In July while at Siena Retreat Center in Wisconsin, she can also walk the shoreline of Lake Michigan with her camera to photograph dazzling sunrises and other spectacular views of nature. At the retreat center, Pastor will experience a weeklong program with daily spiritual guidance entitled Nurturing Life’s Blessings that will aid her in staying healthy in her ministry. By developing her own pastoral skills and exploring her personal passions, she will “expand her world” (sabbatical theme #1).
When Pastor returns on August 11th, we, the people of St. Barnabas, will pose for a group picture so she can dazzle us with her newly learned photography skills!