“I want to re-connect with my call to ministry that was born out of the mission work of Christ’s church. I vividly remember events in my life that gave shape to my call to ministry: sitting in the living room of my parent’s home as a child and listening to the captivating stories of Ruth Dickson (a missionary home on leave) tell stories about the work of God’s Spirit in the Philippines; accepting an invitation from a college classmate to “play ball” with some children at a local housing project in the Mission District of San Francisco; sitting on the front porch steps of my rental home in Pasadena during seminary and talking with Rev. Enoch Drati about his ministry as an Episcopalian pastor in Uganda. These are the experiences that imprinted a passion for mission upon my soul and sensitized my spirit to the call of God into ordained ministry.”

The sabbatical will include times of rest and relaxation; reflection and meditation; immersion in some mission opportunities; and, learning about the mission of the Church in the “repair of the world in Jesus Christ.”

Why A Sabbatical?

Sabbatical Notes

(Received June 13, 2008)

"Sometimes, to be human, you have to take sides."

                                                  Thomas Fowler

Greetings in Christ!

The end of May and first few days of June were at the Open Door Community in Atlanta, Georgia.

After a five hour flight to Atlanta, I go to the MARTA station (lightrail) and take the train to downtown. I hop the #2 bus down Ponce de Leon Boulevard and get off at Moe's Bar-B-Q just three doors away from the Open Door. With my suitcase in hand and a backpack on my back, I walk up the steps of the Open Door (a former two-story apartment building) and reach out to ring the doorbell when Robert C sees me from the screen porch and says, "You must be Gary! Let me get the door." Southern hospitality. Open Door hospitality.

Robert is one of six former homeless persons who now live as a resident at the Open Door. He has been through hard times ... prison (which he did not really want to talk about), broken relationships and bad decisions. But now he has a bounce to life. He came to Open Door for a handout and eventually received Christ in the hospitality given him. Larry H likes to talk and laugh. He has seen some prison time as well, though, as he says, "It was only for minor stuff." Ira T sings and hums to himself as he does his chores around the Open Door. He especially likes to laugh at the things Robert says (which is usually very entertaining). Ralph D walks with a shuffle and usually mutters to himself (or anyone else who cares to listen). He used to be a shop teacher until he fell on hard times and life got the better of him. To say he is a dry drunk would not be far from the mark. But be careful with Ralph, he still has a keen sense of observation and will surprise you with his one line zingers. Barbara S is schizophrenic (she takes meds, she assured me) and has to use a walker to get around. She has several other health problems but they do not get her down. She has a warm smile and complimentary things to say to everyone. She is easy to talk to and is interested in knowing about me, my family, my congregation in Washington state and my likes/dislikes. Winston R does not say much. Ask him how he is doing today - he will reply in a slow monotone voice, "Fine, Gary." Ask him if two slices of cheese on his sandwich is enough - "Fine, Gary." You get the picture (think of Eeyore in Winnie-the-Pooh). Winston does not smile ... but he did at least once in the time I was around him. As I was about to take his picture, I told him to smile on "three" ... which he did ... but only on "three!"

These are the residents of the Open Door. They, along with the staff and volunteers, have become servants in the name of Christ to the homeless and voices/advocates for those whom people choose to brush off as "dirty bums."

With my suitcase once again in hand and a backpack on my back, I said my "goodbyes" to everyone. I started for the door and the short walk to the bus stop. Robert calls out for me from the hallway. I stop at the threshold of the doorway and turn around. He comes up to me and gives me a hug. "When I come to Washington state, I will look you up. That okay?" "Sure, Robert. I would like that." "Okay, then. See you later."

As I turned to the street to catch the #2 bus, I felt like I was leaving family. I wonder if this is what it feels like to be homeless.

I get home from Atlanta in time to turn around and head out the door for Holden Village ... a retreat center located 12 miles up Railroad Creek from Lucerne Landing on Lake Chelan (accessible only by a three hour ferry uplake from the city of Chelan).

My favorite part of being at Holden (apart from the good food, beautiful scenery of the Cascade Mountains, fabulous hikes, great bookstore, interesting people and comfy Adirondack chairs on the deck) is evening vespers. At 7:00 pm each evening, the bell rings to call all villagers to worship. People come from all the buildings and surrounding area slowly making their way to a building in the center of the village. The chairs in Koinonia Fireside Room are arranged in a circle with three rows. On the way into worship, I pick up my Lutheran Servicebook from the cart outside the door. Candles are already lit and placed in the center of the room. The lighting has also been dimmed. Conversations between people are in muted voices. Finally, the last villager has come. All the seats are filled. The room is quiet. Eric (Holden Pastor) stands, extends his arms and says, "The peace of Christ to you." To which everyone responds, "And also with you." The music is simple. The instrumentation is either a piano, a flute, and/or a guitar. The cantor sings. The people sing in response. Scripture is read. Prayers are declared. Silent meditation is observed. And the worship weaves its way through your heart. At the end of worship, people slowly make their way out the doors. I return my servicebook to the cart and walk out into the cool refreshing air of the North Cascade Mountains. The deer come to the village to feed on the grass. The smell of cedar and evergreens is in the evening air. The sun has long gone behind the mountain tops to the west. The colors of the mountains change with the coming of the night. The sound of snow-melt water bouncing over rocks and boulders in Railroad Creek below the village give a lullaby to the conclusion of another day at Holden Village. This is what I came for. Time with God, God's people and God's creation in all its splendor far, far away from the many voices, demands and distractions of everyday life.

I concluded my final book, Three Cups of Tea by Greg Mortenson (a "must read"). Now I begin my longest journey to Malawi and points beyond in Turkey, Greece, Italy and France. I look forward to the next time I will have the time and opportunity to share some more tid-bits of my sabbatical.

Until then, God's blessing!

Rev. Gary Mathiesen

(Received May 28th, 2008)

"Lead me, O God. In all this, craft a steady heart."

                                                             Gary Smith SJ

                                                              They Come Back Singing

St. Placid’s Priory - Olympia, Washington

It is called "Evening Praise." And it always starts on time in the chapel at 6:40 pm. So, I decide to come a few minutes early ... to be on the safe side.

Evening Praise is the final worship of four daily worship services. Morning Praise begins at 7:55 am ( I can never get out of bed in time!); Noon Praise is at 11:45 am; and the Eucharist is celebrated at 4:55 pm. [In case you are wondering, "No. I never did ask about the odd times selected for each worship service."]

I enter into the chapel of St. Placid’s Priory through one of two doors. The door I enter comes off the reception area of the priory. The other door is used only by the Benedictine sisters, which comes off of their residences.

From a cart by the door, I pick up a small grey binder which has the liturgy for this evening’s worship. The page number for the liturgy is noted on a small sign located on the top shelf of the cart. I see that we will be using the liturgy from page 69.

The chapel is about the size of SOTH’s fellowship hall. The seating is arranged on the diagonal to the room. There are two groups of chairs facing each other. Each group of chairs contain four rows of seats and five seats in each row. The chairs are precisely in line with one another. On the top of many seat backs are small patches of leather tacked onto the seat with upholstery pins. These mark the seats reserved for the sisters. The altar is to my right at one end of the chapel and a small podium is opposite the altar. There is a small candle burning in a red glass container placed on the floor next to the podium. The lighting is adequate but not bright. Though there are some stained glass windows depicting the four seasons of the year, much of the light comes through large clear glass windows placed high up the walls (again, much like SOTH’s fellowship hall). The colors of the upholstered chairs, carpet and walls are various shades of grey. Only two floor plants are standing guard along the wall behind the altar. The room has a simple restful beauty.

I find an "unmarked" chair in the back row and quietly take a seat. I open my folder to the page indicated and sit in silence. Only one of the sisters is already seated on the opposite side of the room.

As the minutes quietly pass, I hear the sound of the door open and the soft footsteps of another sister enter the chapel. I look up after a few moments and am surprised to see several of the sisters already seated! Where did they come from? How did I not hear them enter?

I have no way to know the time (I have purposely decided NOT to wear my wristwatch during the sabbatical). I find myself lost in the quiet of the chapel. The room is still. You can almost hear the candle flicker. It is amazing how beautiful silence sounds!

As I listen to the silence, from somewhere in the room, I hear a soft deep "gong." It is the call to worship.

The service is composed of chants and readings from the Psalms, Epistles and Gospels. The readings are recited very slowly. The sisters seated in the group of chairs opposite me read a paragraph of scripture and then my side reads back to the other group of chairs another paragraph of scripture. Each sentence in the paragraph of scripture is recited with an even voice and there is a full breath between each sentence. The readings have a calming effect. The rhythm draws you into the words of the text. I find myself inhaling and exhaling scripture. The chants are easy enough to follow as the bar of music is listed on the page above the lyrics. There are times when I find myself listening and forgetting to sing. No matter. The sisters carry me on with the song of their voices.

We come to a time of silent prayer. Some sisters speak in muted voices. The prayers float through the room. Someone seated in the front row (a liturgical leader?) says, "Lord have mercy." And the rest respond, "Lord have mercy. Christ have mercy." This flows into the Lord’s Prayer (where are the "debts" of Presbyterians?).

Then silence.

I venture to look up and see the sisters one by one slowly rise from their seats, bow toward the altar and gently glide beyond the doors to wherever they came from earlier.

The prayerful readings and chants of scripture echo in my mind. I have no idea how long I sit there. But I, too, eventually rise from my seat, return my small grey binder to the shelf and make my way through the doors toward the reception area and on to my room.

I am grateful that I have these times of reflection and worship woven throughout my sabbatical. They are grace notes of God’s loving kindness. During my time at the Priory, I have had the opportunity to finish reading Enrique's Journey by Sonia Nazario and They Come Back Singing by Father Gary Smith (who was the director of Nativity House in Tacoma). I hope you are part of the discussion groups for each of these books! I also have time Friday morning to spend with Rev Jim Christianson, my spiritual director.

This week I will travel to the Open Door in Atlanta, Georgia and offer myself to the needs of the homeless and imprisoned. I look forward to my next adventure of faith eager to find what God has reserved for me there.

Until next time, blessings to each one of you!

Rev. Gary Mathiesen

Received July 15th, 2008

SOTH Family & Friends -

Greetings in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.

Mary and I are H-H-H; Happy, Healthy and Hot!

Currently, we just arrived at Vathy on Samos Island, Greece by way of ferry. But I need to back up a little!

Since I last wrote, I have been in Malawi with Bruce Carpenter and Ken Emly. We had a great time getting to know so many wonderful Malawian people: Rev Baloyi, Rev Mwambila, Rev Nkhoma (who will visit the Pacific Northwest early 2009) and so many other people (Wedson, Alick, Orizon, etc). The people were excited to receive so many wonderful gifts from SOTH (silk flowers!!!!! - thanks Kim Randall - pencils, paper, communion cups!!!, soccer balls, baloons and so much more) as well as the communion service trays from Olympia Presbytery. We stayed healthy throughout the days in Malawi, for which we owe Bruce specials thanks (it is always helpful to have an EMT on hand ... more on that later). Between Bruce and Ken, they took over 4,000 pictures of children, new friends, scenery, places of interest, churches and more. I have no idea how many hours we may need to share with our church family this Fall (do not worry, we will edit them down somehow!). We had adventures driving the Gorodi Road (nerves of steel!); just driving anywhere on the highways of Malawi (how close can you get to a goat going 55 mph?); sitting for hours in a van while traveling (clue - no padding on seats!); eating the food of Malawians ("Ken, what did they say this was!?"); withdrawing money from an ATM machine ($200 gave us a stack of Kwacha bills Gary needed a separate satchel to hold); cool walks at night on the plateau of Livingstonia and seeing the Southern Cross for the very first time (I have never seen so many stars! Beautiful!); watching Ken blow bubbles and seeing dozens of children running from every direction to catch the bubbles (Ken, as tall of a man as he is, was swamped with children ... had to give the rest of the bubbles away to escape!); preaching at Livingstonia Presbyterian Church to an English speaking congregation (we started with about twenty people and by the time we got to the end of the service, we had over two hundred ... and they were still coming to worship as I gave the benediction (SOTH must NOT get any ideas from this!); and so many more adventures which we want to share with all of you. I was humbled by their hospitality in the face of Malawians having so little. We were treated like kings ... and that was hard to accept (Melody can tell you more about this than I). But they were cheerful in the Lord despite hardships and challenges. Bruce Carpenter summed it all up one day as the two of us were walking together along the dirt road in Livingstonia. "Gary, I have never laughed so much before." "What do you mean, Bruce?" "These people are happy and they have laughter and joy in every circumstance." Please tell Ken upon his return from Zambia that we are fine (long story). Please tell Bruce and Helen that Mary & I had an unplanned overnight in Frankfurt, Germany but everything has worked out fine (longer story).

I would have written while in Malawi, but there is really no internet service that is always reliable (assuming you can FIND internet access!). I would have written from my time in Turkey, but for the life of me, I could not figure out the Turkish keyboard ("Where is the letter i?" "Why does that strange symbol keep popping up?" "Where in the world is the @ symbol on this keyboard ... alt G!?"). Let me say that Mary and I have had wonderful and challenging adventures in Turkey. My highlight was standing on the Marble Road of Ephesus .. a city and people long gone from the days of its glory ... and thinking of Paul's letter to the Ephesians: "... ever since I heard about your faith in the Lord Jesus and your love for all the saints, I have not stopped giving thanks for you, remembering you in my prayers." And my congregation in Puyallup Washington came to mind.

Each day I give thanks to God for the privilege of this sabbatical experience. I also give thanks to God for a congregation that is generous in its care for this pastor and staff of SOTH.

Until next time, grace and peace to you.

Blessings -

Gary Mathiesen

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