In July I will be starting my sabbatical... and I have to say I am well ready for it, feels a bit like an uphill slog for the last few weeks, even if there are lots of wonderful things planned that I will enjoy on the way.
As part of my work, I will be undertaking some empirical research arising from my cancer experience, and I am delighted that BUGB are "sponsoring" it via their Webwatch and other networks. This what the blurb said that went out as the invitation to participate:
Every year hundreds of people in our Baptist churches will receive medical diagnoses that permanently change their lives and we do our best to support them. But what happens when that person is the minister? How does s/he determine how to hold together in a creative way the twin challenges of private pain and public faith? This is the question that faced Catriona Gorton on 23rd August 2010, a date etched on her memory, as the consultant she had met just a couple of hours looked her in the eye and said, “I’m sorry, it’s cancer.” Choosing, with the support of her congregation, to work throughout her treatment, she, and they, lived with these twin challenges for the nine months of her active treatment, and continue to share the journey into a future in which uncertainty and chastened optimism are constant companions. As part of her sabbatical studies, Catriona would like to reflect on her experiences, and to hear the stories of other ministers who have faced a similar challenge of holding together their role as a minister (public faith) with a life-threatening/life-limiting/life-altering diagnosis (not necessarily cancer; private pain) and its treatment. To enable her to do so, she has created an online survey at https://www.surveymonkey.com/s/8BPSDRV and would be pleased to receive responses up to 31st July 2013. All replies are anonymous and will be treated in strict confidence, though short extracts may be quoted in support of findings, which she plans to write up with the aim of publication in an appropriate journal.
Baptist (BUGB/BUS/BUW/IBN) ministers should use the link above. If I have done it right, and not broken the original weblink, then it is possible for non-Baptist ministers to reply via this alternative weblink
I am not meaning to be discriminatory by separating the Baptist responses, just need to be able to reflect a specific context which may differ from those of other of my minister friends and colleagues. I am only seeking the input of ministers, not their partners or families, as I have to draw a boundary to keep the project manageable and meaningful.
I am also happy to receive reading suggestions either by comment or email.
It was taken on the day of my 50th birthday bash at church, and I like it because I am wearing some of favourite colours. It's also not too formal but not too casual either. Of course a more honest portrayal would be the dragged through a hedge backwards look... but no-one said it had to be honest!