Exciting Sabbatical: Kenya, Magic and Kilimanjaro
Every seven years the Methodist Church gives its ministers a 3 month sabbatical.
The following is a report of how Revd Roger Dunlop,
Minister from the Harrow and Hillingdon Circuit, spent his:
For my last Sabbatical I had 3 main aims:
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To strengthen my churches’ links with Karibuni Trust schools in Kenya – a charity set up by one of my predecessors at Northwood Methodist Church.
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To explore ways of using magic tricks as visual aids in a Christian context.
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To climb Kilimanjaro.
The three aims were sufficiently varied to enrich me physically, spiritually & emotionally, and also to provide me with more resources I could use back in my Circuit.
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The 7 day Kilimanjaro climb was a challenging but deeply rewarding experience which included a gruesome 6 hour slog in the dark followed by an utterly glorious sunrise as we reached the crater rim.
Back in Nairobi, staying at my sister’s, I was able to spend several days visiting schools supported by the Karibuni Trust. It was a tremendous privilege to be able to witness lives being transformed through the work of the Trust, and also great fun for me to do Gospel magic shows for wide-eyed audiences for whom that was a first experience.
Returning home I took the further opportunity of 2 weeks in Israel / Palestine over Christmas. I chiefly stayed with some Christian friends who attend a Messianic congregation but also with Palestinian Christians in Bethlehem on Christmas Eve and, at the recommendation of my neighbour and rabbi in Northwood, with a Muslim family in an Arab village!
