Hands deep in clay, I’m grounded, fully present and alive. Ahs abound. The Voice calls and urges. This sabbatical will be an opportunity to develop a spiritual practice of working with clay that is both sustainable and sharable. It will be a time to explore the intersection between clay as a spiritual practice and vocational calling.

I’m a local pastor of twenty-one years. I started working with clay ten years ago. Somewhere along the line, I began to understand myself as a pastor and a potter, each vocation animating the other. Yet, in truth, these two callings are not well integrated in my life or ministry. Clay is most often neglected in favor of this or that pastoral need, meeting, protest, project or deadline.

Exploration of this topic will take place via a three-tiered process. The primary tier is experiential – hands in clay. The second and third tiers will involve personal reflection coupled with collaboration and study.

Over three months I will:
- have my hands in clay four to five days each week
- reflect through journaling and meeting regularly with a master potter as mentor and spiritual companion
- attend a clay retreat
- develop plans and construct a pottery studio
- read about the creative process, spirituality and clay
- interview and collaborate with key people who have developed clay ministries
- develop an outline for a retreat focused around clay