Why 'A Williamson Odyssey'?

A good question, thanks to those who've asked! It started when Michael wrote on the front cover of our church newsletter in October last year letting our church family know about our LSL plans. That article is below...

L.S.L. a Williamson Odyssey

When 2011 rolls around it will mark 10 years as an Anglican minister for me (6.5 of these spent in here in Shellharbour City). This means I’m due to take Long Service Leave and I plan on taking Karen and our boys with me! Our plan is to combine the 10 weeks of LSL with 3 weeks of annual leave holidays and 2 weeks of study leave, making it a 15 week odyssey from the 7th February to the 19th May.

What about SCCAC? The Anglican Church LSL “rules” declare that I am to vacate the Parish entirely and install a Locum Tenens in my place. Hence, in consultation with the Parish Council the following arrangements have been made: Mal Forrest will be in charge of all operational matters of the Church for the duration of my absence, ably assisted by the Rev. John Cornford who will work part time for 12 of the 15 weeks (as the Locum Tenens).

Where will we go? Our long term dream and savings plan has been to tour the east coast of the USA in a motor home: touring the Civil War sites, Puritan towns, political heartland as well as taking in the scenery, see some old friends and visit Disney World with the boys. With the strong Aussie dollar and some discounted fares, we’ve been able to extend this now to include parts of Europe & the UK. With lots to see and lots to do, we are praying it will be a real milestone for our family.

In terms of study leave, I will be examining different models of ministry in other churches I expect will help us in our mission here. To this end I am enrolled in a 5 day intensive in Washington at Capitol Hill Baptist Church with Mark Dever. In the UK I will be spending a day each with staff and Rectors at 3 separate churches recommended to me by our First Fruits supporter. We also plan to visit the Sparks family and their church in Gijon, Spain; this will be a particular highlight of our trip.

All in all it will be a significant time of recuperation and stimulation to get us ready for the next 10 years!

So there you have it! Our odyssey starts in 10 days. Can't believe we're this close!