I propose a twelve sabbatical around the theme Refreshing the Roots of Ministry. I will engage four areas of my earlier and current life that have been formative in my spiritual life. I believe that this will help me, at mid-life, affirm and celebrate some of those things that have shaped my spirit and my life of service to the church. These four areas are 1) my connection to creation (nature), 2) my connection to family roots in Appalachian American culture, 3) the influence during my teen years of the American civil rights movement in the south, and 4) the historical and spiritual roots of my adopted spiritual home in the Episcopal church. The time will include 1) manual labor in creating a small arbor in a wooded area at my home and hiking in the north Georgia mountains, 2) visiting a family homestead in Kentucky and readings in Appalachian American literature, 3) day trips to some of the important sites of the Civil rights movement, and 4) two week Anglican Spirituality and History tour with the University of the South School of Theology.