Another Sabbatical? Yes! Thank you!

I will be on sabbatical for three months this fall, from 15 September through 14 December.

“But didn’t you just have a sabbatical, Pastor Dale?”

Well, yes, 6 years ago!

“Aren’t you supposed to be eligible for sabbatical every 7 years?”

Yes, but I completed 7 continuous years of service to Normandale on 31 October 2006, becoming eligible then for a sabbatical of up to three months. I took my first sabbatical a year later, in order to attend the annual All-Japan One-Day Seminary in September 2007 and to accompany my father in India. By this fall, 2013, I will have completed 14 years of total service. I am very grateful that your church council recognized this calculation and also the demands of the past years of transition here at Normandale in approving this sabbatical.

“OK. What will you be doing?”

According to Normandale’s policy, “A sabbatical leave is intended to benefit both the congregation and the individual.” It should include three broad areas: (1) study and learning; (2) renewal and reflection, and (3) wellness.

Study & Learning The primary objective of this sabbatical: to write my father’s biography. Ever since my 2007 sabbatical, my Indian Christian friends and many others have been pressing me to write his life. A Christian missionary, Dad nonetheless had a prominent role in developing India’s physical education program and athletics, including being the national coach in track and field from 1948 to 1960-62, when he was a founder, athletics coach, and Deputy Director of India’s National Institute of Sports. The Hindu, the national newspaper of India, carried his obituary when he died two years ago. He has a special place as the coach of India’s iconic athlete, Milkha Singh. (Interestingly enough, a movie, directed by Rakeysh Omprakash Mehra, called “Bhaag Milkh Bhaag” [“Run, Milkha, Run”], should be released shortly. The time seems right to work on his biography.)

I will spend most of my time in India living in a cottage and guest room at Woodstock School in Mussoorie. I may travel to various places for further research, as necessary. (Last October I spent time in the Isabella Thoburn College library in Lucknow.) I also plan to visit Bishop Dular Lakra and other new friends, as well as long-time friends Neeraj and Nijhar Ekka, in Ranchi, Jharkhand, as part of our developing partnership with the North Western Gossner Evangelical Lutheran Church. My daughter Chenar, Program & Relations Coordinator of Luther Seminary’s Global Mission Institute, may join me for this part of my time in India. Unfortunately, the timing isn’t right for a full Normandale Vision Team to visit this fall; I’ll be discussing our next visit with our Ranchi friends, of course.

Renewal and Reflection Being in the Kumaon and Tehri-Garhwal hills offers a time and place for renewal and reflection, and reconnection. I intend to attend the winter week-long spiritual retreat at the Sat Tal Christian Ashram founded by E. Stanley Jones. The ashram follows a disciplined schedule that includes Bible study (and lectio divina), worship, prayer, and meditation.

I will again maintain a journal, the better to reflect on my experiences and share my learning with the congregation through periodic e-mails (actually, we hope to set up a blog), the Ranchi Partnership Task Force, direct presentations, and preaching when I return.

I’ll set aside specific time for relaxation and renewal in Sat Tal and Mussoorie. Time for reflection occurs throughout the sabbatical, in conversation, and contemplation.

Wellness Again, just being in the Himalayas and traveling by train in India enhances wellness as far as I’m concerned. Yes, I’ll need to be careful (to take “wellness” literally) … no more pakoras from Kwality restaurant in New Delhi, which is where I believe I picked up the nasty bug last October. (I carry antibiotics!) And the Landour Community Hospital (Mussoorie) has one of the highest ratings in India.

And Prayers! Of course, I’ve developed these plans in conversation and consultation with Pastor Paul, our church council, the Ranchi Partnership Task Force, and others. Linda Van Guilder has graciously (once again, she did this for my first sabbatical) formed a group to surround me and bathe this sabbatical in prayer. We have already met once.