Sabbath Circle

January 26, 2023

A group of pastors and other church workers met as a Sabbath Circle at Parkwood Baptist Church in Annandale, VA on January 26.  Rev. Dr. Jeff Willetts of Parkwood, who also serves on the Board of Rising Day Ministries, called these ministers together to begin their study of Norman Wirzba's Living the Sabbath: Discovering the Rhythms of Rest and Delight. (Wirzba was the LDA Fall Symposium speaker in 2021). The discussion was personal, professional, and lively, as participants described the ongoing stresses of ministry, the culture of "performance" in the DC region, the diminished capacity of heart and mind from the ambient stress of ministry, and the lack of room ro really breathe and exhale from day to day.   There was some imagining about a life in ministry with healthy structures at work and home, with more sabbath spaces for prayer and reflection, and for more shared practices (like lament) that name and bear our common suffering so that we can genuinely "share one another's burdens."  What would it be like for churches to bear the priestly and prophetic offices of ministry together--feeding the soul so that prophetic witness can take place?   The group will meet once a month in northern Virginia.