The Middletown Press (Middletown, CT)
Priest on 1,800-mile journey to find God
Summer sabbatical will take him through East Coast Greenway
EAST HADDAM — The rector of St. Stephen’s Episcopal Church is in the beginning portion of his 1,800-mile bike trip through New England for his summer sabbatical.
The Rev. Adam Yates was inspired by his walks with his beagle Daniel on the East Coast Greenway and wanted to see where the Greenway goes through New England, according to a news release. The Greenway is quite long, connecting the Florida Keys to the Canadian border in Maine. So, instead of walking, he decided to ride a bike, the release said.
He has been preparing for this part of the challenge since February.
This trip is a twofold challenge: A physical one of biking 40 to 60 miles every day, and an internal, personal and spiritual challenge. As Yates “moves from town to town, community to community,
he will be listening and watching for where he sees God at work in the world around him, a practice which is an extension of the Listening for God group at St. Stephen’s, the church said.
“We’ve been talking a lot in our church about going out to seek God in our neighborhoods and communities. This summer, I’m excited to have the opportunity to dive deeply into that work as I explore New England on my bike,” Yates said in a prepared statement.
Yates has been filing dispatches since May. In Something New, he said his preparations recalled “Weekend Song” from “Mister Roger’s Neighborhood,” which Fred Rogers would sing at the end of every episode: “I’ll be back, when the day is new / and I’ll have more ideas for you / and you’ll have things you’ll want to talk about / I will, too.” In Rhythms, Yates said being on sabbatical began with losing track of the days of the week.
“This in itself is not surprising for I had heard others describe the same experience and knew to expect it. What did surprise me was the speed with which I experienced it — within five days of starting sabbatical — and the severity with which it hit. I spent a full 10 minutes in the car while driving trying to sort out what day it was,” he wrote in his blog.
Yates is making arrangements to stay at Episcopal congregations along his route and inviting parishioners into conversations in exchange, according to the release. When he returns in September, Yates will share what he learned.
“After a priest has served a community for a period of time, it is important for them to take time to step back to reflect on what their ministry in the parish has been so far, to discern the work that God is calling them to do in the parish next, and to begin developing the skills to accomplish this new work,” according to the church.