The Rt Revd Gavin Collins is reflecting on a recent sabbatical of prayer, travel and renewal as he prepares to step into his new role as Acting Lead Bishop in the Diocese of Oxford next month.
The three-month sabbatical, taken between December and February, was his first extended period away from ministry in 17 years and was described as a time to “recharge spiritually and physically” ahead of a significant new season of leadership.
Bishop Gavin began with a bishops’ retreat at Canterbury Cathedral, before travelling to Peru. Peru is a place of personal significance from earlier in his ministry with Latin Link almost three decades ago.
In Peru, he revisited communities he had first encountered 28 years ago, including staying with the same host family and returning to Huascar, where a children’s playground he had helped build has since become a football pitch. During his visit, he also met a local taxi driver who had grown up with the playground, and even discovered that someone passing by recognised themselves in an old photograph taken when they were six years old.
In Cusco, he spent time with 24/7 Prayer Peru, which operates a permanent 24/7 prayer room and mission base on a mountain overlooking Cuso. Bishop Gavin stayed for three days of reflection and worship.
Christmas was spent with his 93-year-old father before heading on an extensive journey across South East Asia with his wife, Christina. They experienced a range of contexts from major cities to island communities and a historic Buddhist centre. The journey included revisiting places connected to his family’s history, including Kuala Lumpur, where Christina lived during her primary school years.
Across his sabbatical, Bishop Gavin worshipped in a wide range of church settings, from a large city-centre congregation in Bangkok, to a church on the eighth floor of a shopping centre known as HTBB in Kuala Lumpur, to more traditional parish communities. He worshipped in five capital cities across six Sundays.
The last week of his sabbatical saw Gavin attend the New Wine Leaders Conference as he began to transition back into ministry life.
Reflecting on the experience, he said the sabbatical offered a renewed sense of perspective on the breadth and diversity of the global Church:
“It wasn’t so much about learning something new as being reminded of the breadth of the Church; its poverty and its vibrancy. It was a gift simply to be part of congregations again without having a formal responsibility for the services, and to notice the importance of welcome and hospitality.”
Gavin noted how often church life is shaped by small, human moments of inclusion:
“Some churches are particularly good at spotting newcomers and drawing them in. Often it comes down to awareness and individual people, even who someone sits next to.”
He reflected that sabbaticals are an important but rare gift in ordained ministry: “We work six days a week and are almost always on call. A sabbatical is a gift every ten years. My encouragement would be not to feel guilty about recharging. In John 10:10, Jesus speaks of life in all its fullness; and we need space to enjoy that as part of discipleship.”
He added that accountability, family life and trusted colleagues are essential in sustaining healthy rhythms of ministry.
Bishop Gavin expressed particular gratitude to colleagues who enabled the sabbatical, including his PA team, fellow bishops, Archdeacon David and Associate Archdeacon Jane, who supported the Diocese during his absence.
As he prepares to take up his interim new role in the Diocese of Oxford, he says he does so with renewed energy, gratitude for God’s faithfulness, and a deepened sense of the global and local Church. Gavin is ready for the next chapter of ministry.
Licensed clergy and Licensed Lay Ministers in the Diocese of Oxford are encouraged to take a three-month sabbatical after every ten years of ministry, to seek renewal, rest and retreat. If you are ready for your sabbatical, please reach out to your area advisor.
