Thoughts from the St. Paul Staff

Dear St. Paul friends,

How good it is to be back among you! Having been away on Sabbatical since April 19, I am busy re-acclimating myself to life at St. Paul. I am discovering afresh the spirit, community, and energy which make this congregation the wonderful blessing that it is.

I want you all to know how grateful I am for the twelve weeks that were afforded me for my Sabbatical. It was quite possibly the best gift I ever received in my life! To be honest, a lingering concern for me throughout my Sabbatical was that I not squander the gift. I did my very best to use the time effectively for study, writing, research, and rest - not necessarily in that order.

Some of you know that the focus of my Sabbatical was a study of spirituality in 21st Century America, with a particular emphasis on those who understand themselves to be "spiritual but not religious." I read numerous books and articles, reviewed demographic studies by the folks at the Pew Foundation (as well as others), conducted original research by utilizing an online questionnaire and meeting with organized groups in their homes, and spent well over 200 hours writing. As a result, I have finished writing a book, the manuscript of which is currently being reviewed by professors David Greenhaw and Leah Gunning-Francis of Eden Seminary. The book is entitled Lost Luggage? - How will institutional Christianity deal with alternative spiritual expression in 21st Century America.

In the coming weeks, my hope is to put together one or two study groups of 8-10 people each who are willing to work through the manuscript of my book with me, critique it with me, and help me to make necessary revisions as well as design a study guide that might be used by other groups. If, by chance, this sounds like it would be of interest to you, please let me know. I hope to get this group (or groups) started some time this fall.

Again, thank you for the time away and for so warmly welcoming me upon my return. God is doing some marvelous things at St. Paul. I look forward to sharing them with you in the months and years ahead.

Blessings and peace,

Pastor Drew