FCC Sabbatical 2018: Stories I Can't Wait to Tell Rev. Jerry

9.4.2018

Our Children's Ministry Coordinator at First Christian Church is Shawna Mitchell. She is also a fourth grade teacher at Shearer Elementary. During the sabbatical this summer she shouldered a heavy load of programming, some of which I would normally bear. For her September Newsletter Column she wrote, "Sabbatical 2018: Stories I Can't Wait to Tell Rev. Jerry." I share it with you in its entirety.

* Getting goosebumps when a child leads the whole congregation in collective worship.

* Exciting shrieks from a preschooler at the bowling alley when a single pin falls.

* Book clubs and mushroom dip and Key Lime Pie and bear hugs.

* Summer-long game of tag running Sunday to Sunday to Sunday.

* Summertime, poolside, friend time and family time.

* Breathing and stretching and remembering and forgiving.

* Children on a doorstep. Shut-ins at the door. Cookies in between.

* Camp songs on the tongue. Naps on the way home.

* Tie Dyes and Church Vans and golf parties and being stuck in small parking lots.

* Youth room slime, water slides and petting on a starfish.

* Paint parties and fireflies. Night outs and fellowships.

* Children's books donations, and cleaned up spaces.

* Leading. Expanding. Growing.

* Praying, listening, seeking, finding.

* We missed him, but I think we also found a part of ourselves along the way......
    ........What tales of sabbatical will you tell?

Peace,
Shawna Mitchell

Here are some photos from the FCC Sabbatical>

First Christian Church has been active while I was away. A sabbatical for me was intended to be a sabbatical for them also, and it looks like that has proved to be. I am looking forward to hearing the stories, and being asked about mine.

I am grateful for First Christian Church and the kinds and types of people who make FCC what it is. Their kindness to me is quite humbling. Their faithfulness is striking. Their joy is blossoming. Lots of experiences. Lots of discoveries. Lots of stories.

Peace and Love,
Jerry

Eugene Peterson

August 31

I am listening today to Krista Tippett interview Eugene Peterson who wrote the Message translation of the Bible. I highly recommend listening to this episode.

https://onbeing.org/series/podcast/

Peace be with you,
Jerry

Post Sabbatical -- Return of the Jerry

August 30

I made a return to the office this morning. Got here just past 7:30am and waded through a mound of mail after making coffee. I made several pastoral phone calls and got right back into it.

About 8:45 my Thursday coffee buddy showed up, then another and another.

Lunch was with the Friendship Bunch to Pilot View Mini Mart. Lee drove the church bus and I rode in the back with the church ladies. That was a good decision. Lunch was great. Pilot View Mini Mart is awesome. The ladies are great. The food is always outstanding. The value is high. You also get to listen to the gossip of the western Clark County farmers -- which can be entertaining.

At the end of the day I made my first Emergency Room visit of my return. One of the church members fell and needed to be checked out.

In the evening I was the PA announcer for Lexington Catholic Boys Soccer, again. Coach Kincheloe emailed me earlier in the week and asked if I would do it again this year. I can't say no, even after the fiasco/near brawl/debacle that was the Dunbar pre-state game last fall.

I won't continue to write this blog every day post-sabbatical. I wrote during the sabbatical to partially fulfill the requirements of the sabbatical. However, having said that, this blogging has opened up something in me that I don't want to close down -- so I am going to continue writing.

I will come up with a plan and try to post once a week on the same day of each week. You may not continue to be interested or really have the time to look at these pages, and that's ok. This has been good for me. It has been a spiritual discipline, in fact. I intend to keep at it for the benefits it is bringing my spirit. If, upon reading these posts, the blog benefits you as well, then I couldn't be more happy.

I would appreciate your prayers as I try to make my way back into the congregation at FCC. A lot has been going on in the church while I have been away. Rather than being static they have made some very dynamic moves that I have not been apprised of yet. How and where I fit back into the congregation remains to be worked out. So, please remember me in your prayers as changes are revealed and a new way of being Senior Minister unfolds before me and within me.

The peace of Christ be with you.

Jerry

Sabbatical -- Last Day: Home

August 29

We left Bobbi and headed south to home. Kelly was insistent that we stop in Ashland, OH at Grandpa's Cheese Barn. I was not interested at all. However, Kelly wanted to stop, so without any fussing on my part, I pulled into Grandpa's Cheese Barn in Ashland.

We were greeted before we got in the door by a happy gentleman. The place was immaculately clean on the outside. There were tables and chairs, and buildings and a pond -- all of which were placed, trimmed, arranged and maintained beautifully.

When we walked in the door a young lady smiled and welcomed us and asked if we had been there before. "No," I said, "and I didn't want to come. I am being dragged in here against my will." She laughed at me and told me where to find the meat and cheese. Upstairs. I followed Kelly up the stairs and voila, the whole world changed. I was blown away by the array of meats and cheeses, the displays -- all immaculate -- and the samples in little bowls.

Heaven, in a meat and cheese shop

Grandpa's Cheese Barn

I will be brief. There was sausage, bacon, jerky, cured meats, franks, and ribs. There was every kind of cheese known to humanity and a few more. There were pickles and crackers and salsas and jams. I tried the hottest stuff they had -- ghost pepper salsa, and it was good. This place rocks. If you go to Ashland, OH, I suggest you stop. Plan a little extra time. Did I mention that in one of the buildings they had a sweets shop? Fudge. Chocolate covered anythings. Gummies. You name it -- even candy pizzas.

I thought the whole thing was hokey. I was wrong. It was awesome. It was a great stop on the way home.

We stopped in Cincinnati at Dodd Camera to have lunch with Hal Barkan. Hal and Kelly attended the Antonelli School of Art and Photography together and have stayed friends. 16 years ago I married Hal and his wife, Michelle, in the garden on a plantation at the Isle of Palms. Hal is a wonderful man. I always enjoy seeing him. He's a talented photographer. Very talented. He is an artist. He is a creator. Working in a camera store doesn't suit him well, but sometimes you do what you must to get to the next thing.

Kelly and Hal

When we left Hal we headed on home, arriving home just before 4pm. I jumped into the shower. Headed for the First Christian Church Children and Youth Pool Party at the Winchester Country Club, and just like that the sixty days of sabbatical came to a close. 

I am grateful for this time. I am glad to be home.

Peace and Love,
Jerry

Sabbatical -- Day 64: Buffet, Buffet, Buffet

August 28

The sun came up over Niagara Falls this morning. Literally.

Sun rising over the Falls, from hotel room on 24th floor

We went to breakfast at the Milestone Restaurant in the hotel - which overlooks the Horseshoe Falls. They had a large buffet for breakfast which Kelly chose. I opted for a smaller selection of food but did enjoy the Canadian Bacon for breakfast. The Buffet was $25 Canadian. In the short time in the country I have not acclimated to the exchange difference.

After breakfast we went back to the room and sat a spell, gazing out the windows at the Falls. Realizing we probably won't ever visit again we breathed it in. The natural wonder of it is inspiring. To see it, feel it, hear it, and to sense something of it that isn't received by the senses but understood through intuition has left a lasting impression on me.

We checked out of the hotel and were launched by a near 30 MPH wind into the car, the trunk lid a weapon. As we cruised around looking for a suitable souvenir shop we stopped at the light in front of Jimmy Buffet's Margaritaville Cafe and the wind buffeted the car to the point it felt like we were on a roller coaster -- while completely stopped. My guess is that with the wind, the tall hotel buildings crammed together and the Bernoulli Effect, the street became a venturi, accelerating the winds above 40 MPH as they buffeted the car in front  of Jimmy Buffet's.

Getting back into the USA at the border was very simple. We made our way back to the Courtyard  where we had stayed on Sunday night. I had left my two nice Land's End pullovers in the closet. We went to see if they had found them, and they had. That was a relief.

Back through Buffalo. Back to western New York. We stopped at the Barcelona exit off of I-90 and visited the lighthouse there.

 This trip we have walked the shores of both Lake Ontario and Lake Erie. Something I really wanted to say I had done.

We made our way southwest to Wooster, where Kelly's cousin, Bobbi Douglas lives. We had a nice dinner with Bobbi, her son, Jaden, and her brother, Wes. We spent the night there. Bobbi's hospitality was wonderful. We gave her the Cream Candy I had purchased in Stanton, and to Wes, a bottle of Blanton's. It was a meaningful visit for Bobbi and Kelly. Their mothers were cousins, but they grew up almost as sisters. It was a stop worth making.

Bobbi, Jaden, Wes, Jerry, Kelly

One more day of sabbatical remains.

Peace and Love,
Jerry

Sabbatical-- Day 63: Negative Ions

August 27

George Bailey blogs in his January 28, 2016 post, entitled, "Niagara Falls Negative Ions," that Niagara Falls is the world's largest negative ion generator. 

He writes, "Have you ever heard of these ions? Well, let me tell you about them. Lots of rushing water creates these negative ions (they're good guys).These negative ions some folks say account for the positive feelings you get when you’re near the water. It’s like how you feel when you’re at the beach, or walking in a gentle rain.

Fred Soyka in his book, The Ion Effect (1977) says, “Niagara Falls is the most stupendous neg-ion generator in the world and these neg-ions create a sense of well-being. It may be the reason why Niagara Falls has been a paradise for honeymooners for almost as long as the area has been accessible."

The day was filled with good feelings.

After leaving the hotel in NY we ventured across the Rainbow Bridge and into Canada. We were able to check into the Marriott very early and went to the room on the 24th floor to cast our gaze at the Falls. 

We got in the car and drove to St. Catharine's, Ontario on the shores of Lake Ontario. It was there in St. Catharine's on September 12, 1952 that Neal Peart was born and then raised. It was necessary we make a visit to Lakeside Park, and we did. We traveled around Port Delhousie looking at gulls and sailboats and staring at the endless horizon of water that is Lake Ontario. We ate lunch at the Kilt and Clover, then headed back to Niagara to visit the Falls close up on the Canadian side.

Once we got back to Niagara we hopped on the Blue Line for WeGo and down to the Falls we went. What follows is a major photo dump. No words or captions. Just photos. 

Praying Mantis on the Ledge, 24 stories up

Dinner at the hotel overlooking the Falls. Fireworks for five minutes at 10pm. 

There were plenty of negative ions floating around throughout the day. I especially enjoyed the trip to Port Delhousie, but the Falls are awe-inspiring. Truly inspiring.

There were plenty of Negative Ions to go around.

Peace and Love,

Jerry