Sabbatical?

By Russell Taylor

Book 2 in the Rev. Josh White series

Josh White has found a new love after been widowed several years before. In addition to that he has been asked to look after a second church some miles away.

The members of the churches agreed that he needed a break, so they gave him the opportunity to go on a sabbatical. He chooses to go to Yorkshire where he becomes involved with situations he was not expecting.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Russell Taylor
• Release date: Oct 7, 2020
• ISBN: 9781005270636

Russell Taylor

Russell Taylor was employed for many years in the engineering department of a large steelworks in North East Wales. Following the closure of a large part of the works in 1980 he worked in Local Government in Management Services and Housing Maintenance. After taking early retirement in 1996 he joined the staff of Emmaus Bible School UK where he was involved in their prison ministry. he has also been involved in a broadcasting ministry with GBS Radio but is now enjoying writing.He is married with one daughter and two grandchildren and is active as an Elder in an independent chapel in North Wales.

Book preview

After what had been a difficult few years for the Reverend Josh White, following the sudden death of his wife four years before and, more recently being involved in a situation which included being accused of kidnapping, things were beginning to look up for him as there was a new love in his life.

He had been the minister of Union Church in Winterbury, a fairly large town in the south of England, for the past eight years, but he had recently been asked to take on the responsibility of Zion Baptist Church in a smaller town about ten miles away as their minister was on extended sick leave. This was at the beginning of the year.

A few weeks before that he had been offered the opportunity of going on a sabbatical which was something some of the major denominations offered their ministers after they had been at a church for seven years.

Since agreeing with his church to go away for a few weeks on sabbatical, he had become quite close to Audrey who had become the new love in his life, and he was beginning to wish he hadn’t agreed to this time away. Audrey, who was a widow and had twins, a boy and a girl aged almost six, had begun to feel the same about him, although they had only known each other a few months.

He had first met her in October of the previous year after visiting the office where she worked on business. A few weeks later she had asked for some advice concerning a problem she was having after losing her job. He had begun to like her, but the friendship didn’t blossom until after Christmas, which he had spent visiting his parents in Yorkshire.

Audrey and her children then became an important part of his life and his feelings for her grew and by February he knew he was in love with her. At the same time, Josh’s sister, Rachel came to spend a couple of weeks with him as she was going through a rough time following the ending of a relationship.

The evening before he was due to take her home and go on his sabbatical, he went to see Audrey and found her quite low at the thought of him going away. He had made up his mind to ask her to marry him but couldn’t pick up the courage. After comforting her, he told her how much he loved her, but still couldn’t pick up the courage to ask her and made up his mind to do this the next time he saw her. As he was leaving, he told her he would ring the following evening from his parents’ home.

*

Rachel had seen Audrey a few times while she had been visiting and taken a liking to her, and so told Josh that he ought to be careful not to lose her. He told her he would have a talk with her when he thought the time was right. Rachel, on the other hand had been out a couple of times with a man about her own age who was a member of the congregation at Josh’s church, and they had apparently exchanged telephone numbers.

It was Friday, the twentieth of February, and they set off for Yorkshire. The weather was atrocious and the numerous lorries on the M1 made driving quite difficult with all the spray they were sending out from their wheels, so they couldn’t drive as fast as Josh would have liked.

Josh appeared to be in a world of his own, and Rachel noticed it and asked him why he was so quiet.

‘I was thinking about Audrey’ he replied.

‘What about her?’

‘Before I answer that, what do you think of her?’

‘I think she is a lovely person and if you were to marry her, which I have a feeling you are thinking of, I’m sure you will be very happy. Her children also seem to think a lot of you.’

‘I’m glad you said that because last night I almost asked her to marry me.’

‘Wow! Why didn’t you?’

‘I couldn’t pick up the courage, and I was scared of her saying no.’

‘I don’t think she would have. Do you have reservations about the children and taking on a ready-made family?’

‘Sort of, but not from my point of view, but theirs. There is always the possibility that they might not accept me, especially when they get older, so I want to ask her when the children are present so that I can see their reaction.’

‘I suppose that’s understandable because they would be taking on a surrogate father in effect.’

‘Any way, enough about me, what about you and Alan? You seemed to get on quite well.’

‘We did, and we’ve exchanged telephone numbers, but the distance will probably prevent us seeing each other again.’

‘You know my way of thinking. If it’s the Lord’s will, He will help overcome barriers. And, by the way, if it’s any help, there is always room at my place if you want to visit.’

‘Thanks, I thought there would be.’

After stopping at the motorway service near the East Midlands Airport, they eventually arrived at Sheffield at two thirty.

Their mother met them at the door and asked Josh how long he planned to stay.

‘Just the one night, as I need to make the most of this break, and there will be too many interruptions here when I am trying to study.’

Josh was tired after driving and asked if they minded if he went for a lie down. He went upstairs, but before he lay down, he rang Audrey to tell him that they had arrived safely in Sheffield and he would be moving further north the following morning.

After talking for about ten minutes he rang off and settled down for a nap. He was soon in a deep sleep and dreaming of his future with Audrey. In fact, he had to be woken up by his father when it was time for the evening meal.

At the table, his father opened the conversation.

‘What has been happening in your life?’

‘Is this a general question, or has Rachel been saying things?’

‘Well she kind of dropped a hint that you might have met someone.’

‘Is that all she said?’

‘Actually, no. She said you are planning to ask someone to marry you, and that, like you, she is a widow, but has two children.’

‘That’s right. Her children are twins aged almost six and she has been widowed for three years. She is six months younger than me.’

‘Is she a Christian?’

‘Yes. You ought to know me by now that I wouldn’t be thinking of marrying her if she wasn’t. She currently goes to a United Reformed Church near where she lives, but she has been to hear me preach a few times when I have been preaching at Zion, the church I am helping out at.’

Josh then showed her some photographs of Audrey and the children and a selfie he had taken which included him with them.’

‘They look a nice family,’ said his mother.

‘They are, aren’t they, Rachel? You’ll like them when you meet them. Perhaps you can come down sometime.’

When their parents cleared the table, and went to wash up, Josh turned to Rachel and asked if she had said anything about Alan to them.

‘No, I haven’t. I’ve been too busy telling them about you.’

‘Perhaps it’s my turn to talk about you to them, like you did about me.’

‘Don’t you dare. I’ll tell them when, or if the time is right. If I say anything now, they will only give me a lecture telling me not to rush into anything.’

When the washing up was done, they all settled in front of the fire in the living room, and spent the evening catching up on things.

Chapter Two

After breakfast the following morning, Josh said goodbye and headed north. The roads were quiet, and it didn't take him as long as he thought it would to reach the village of Oakston. In fact, he was there much earlier than the time he had arranged.

On the edge of the village there was a small pay-and-display car park, and he left his car there. The village didn't look anything special on first appearance, and he hoped as he walked into the village for a look around, that he would find it more interesting and picturesque.

He passed some council houses and the entrance to a more modern private housing estate. There was a small Tesco Express supermarket and next to it a garage which seemed to specialise in repairing tractors and other agricultural machinery, although there were a few cars on the forecourt. He saw a sign to the cricket club, and he was wishing it was the season for the sport as he would have enjoyed relaxing watching a game.

Eventually he came to a sign pointing to the village centre. He wasn't disappointed. In fact, it was bigger than he expected it to be. There was a cobbled square with a large oak tree prominent in the centre and alongside it the remains of what looked like a couple of ancient stone crosses. He resolved to try and find out more about them.

Surrounding the square were several shops. These were mainly gift shops, although there was a ladies’ fashion shop, a fish and chip shop and several tea rooms. Two shops which he knew he would be spending time in were a second-hand book shop and an art shop and gallery. There were a couple of public houses which offered accommodation and food. Just up a side street he could see the tower of the parish church and he wondered where the independent church was situated. He decided this had more going for it as a village than Lower Castleford, where he had visited the previous year.

One of the pubs, the Blue Bell, looked very quiet, so he decided to go in. If anyone knew about what was going on in the village it would be the pub landlord. When he entered the place seemed empty, but the landlord soon appeared and asked him what he could get for him.

‘I’ll have a glass of Coke, thank you.’

‘Coming up. Are you here to do some walking?’

‘Partly, but mainly to get away from things for a few weeks and do some reading and writing.’

‘You must be self-employed to be able to take a few weeks off work to relax. What do you do for a living?’

‘I’m the minister of two churches down south, and the members felt I should have some time away from my responsibilities.’

‘I don’t go to church myself, but I can imagine it must be quite a stressful job sometimes.’

‘It can be at times, but mostly it is very satisfying.’

‘Where are you staying? I realise it’s none of my business, but we do bed and breakfast here, but I couldn’t offer the same room for more than a week or so, as they are all booked at different times, but I can offer a week.’

‘Thanks, but I made some enquiries through my church contacts and I have found a self-contained place with breakfast provided. I notice you do meals, so you will probably see me on some evenings for dinner. Is it necessary to book?’

‘Not at this time of the year, except on a Saturday and lunchtime on a Sunday, but we are quiet tonight. Would you like to book a table?’

‘Give me your number and I will ring you after I have booked into my lodgings. Do you know Ashbrook House in Union Street, and can you tell me how to get there? I’m parked in the car park on the edge of the village.’

The landlord took him to the front door and pointed out the directions and said, ‘It might be best if you walk there first and see if they have somewhere to park and then go back for your car.’

When he had finished his drink, he found Ashbrook House which had a couple of parking spaces at the front and then walked back to the car park to collect his car. The house was a substantially built detached place with what had been a double garage at the side. What had once been a path between the two buildings had now been built on to make a new entrance. The garage had been converted into a self-contained annex which he guessed he would be staying in.

When he arrived, he was met by his landlady who introduced herself as Mrs. Sarah Jarvis. She was quite a plump lady, but very attractive with tastefully dyed light brown hair. However, he felt there was a sadness in her eyes, so thought she must have had her fair share of troubles in her life. He guessed she was probably in her early to mid-fifties and wondered if she was a widow or divorcee, although she was wearing a wedding ring.

She then showed him where he would be staying, which, as he thought, was the annex and asked him if he would like a cup of tea after his long journey. After telling him to give her a shout when he was ready, she left him to unpack and settle in.

He was pleasantly surprised at what he found.

In addition to the bedroom which the double bed filled, there was a small living room where he hoped to spend most of his time working, especially if it was raining, a kitchen area with a microwave and a small fridge/freezer, and a bathroom. He couldn’t have asked for anything better suited to his needs.

He thought of exploring the village to see if he could find the church and anything else he might find of interest, but before doing this he knocked at Mrs. Jarvis’s front door for the cup of tea he had been offered.

She invited him into her living room and told him to take a seat while she put the kettle on.

When she joined him again, she asked him about himself and his church.

‘How long have you been a minister?’

‘Just over eight years. We are not a particularly big church, but I have been blessed over the years by the warmth of the fellowship; especially following the untimely death of my wife some years ago.’

‘You don’t sound like someone from down south. Are you originally from the north east?’

‘Yes, my father was a vicar near Sheffield before he retired, but I have been away from the county for so long that I have lost some of my accent. What about you? Have you always lived here?’

‘I haven’t always lived in the village. I am originally from Scarborough, but my husband’s family was from around here, and when we married, we moved here and bought a house on the outskirts of the village.’

She didn’t go on to give any information about her husband and he thought it best not to ask.

After a while, he went back to his rooms and rang Audrey. He realised her phone must display the name of the caller, because it was Ruth who answered.

‘Hello, is that Uncle Josh. When are you coming to see us again?’

‘Hello Ruth. It’s nice to hear your voice, but I can’t come for about another two weeks, because I am a long way from you, but I will come as soon as I can because I want to see you all soon.’

‘That’s good. Mummy wants to speak to you now.’

When she took over the phone, he told her about where he was staying and what his landlady was like, and how nice the village was. He then went on to tell her of some of the things he planned to do while there, but mostly that he was already missing her.

When the call finally ended, he rang the pub in the village and booked himself a table for seven o’clock and then went and finished his unpacking.

As he was leaving for the pub, Mrs. Jarvis stopped him and asked if he was planning to go to her church the following morning.

‘Yes, because your people have been good in finding me this place to stay for a few weeks.’

‘Good, you will be made very welcome as we are a friendly fellowship. It will also be good to see a new face, especially during the winter, because we usually only see visitors from April onwards.’

‘Do you have a minister, or do you rely on visiting preachers. This accommodation was arranged for me by your church secretary.’

‘We do have a minister. Her name is Janet Hargreaves. She’s been with us about twelve years. She and her husband were missionaries for some years in Africa, until he became ill. They then felt they should return home to receive more specialised medical care. As we didn't have a minister at the time, the church made the manse available to them. This was initially just for the short term, but when he died the church called her to be the minister, and she has been with us ever since. She has proved very popular.’

Josh was a little concerned about this as he had never worshipped in a church with a lady minister, although he wasn’t fully against women ministers as many of the smaller churches would have closed if hadn't been for women taking leadership roles. He was also concerned about the fact that she was popular among the congregation. This made him wonder if she might be somewhat liberal in her preaching by giving people what they wanted to hear rather than what they often needed. He would know more the next day.

Mrs. Jarvis continued: ‘The reason I stopped you is that she and I usually have dinner together on a Sunday and I was wondering if you would like to join us. It will be good for us to hear something about your church. We alternate between each other’s houses, and this week it is my turn. We would love you to, and it won't be any extra trouble.’

‘Thank you very much, that will be great. What time does your service start?’

‘Ten thirty and we usually finish just after half past eleven then have a cup of tea and biscuits afterwards. We don’t have an evening service.’

He left her and walked to the Royal Oak. On entering he found just a couple of tables occupied, and he was shown to a table which had been set for two in the corner of the room and he was given a menu from which he ordered a gammon steak with egg, chips and peas. While he was waiting, he looked around him and studied the few people who were there, wondering if they were local, and if so, did they attend any of the churches in the village, or been approached by them.

The meal came, and he sat quietly and enjoyed it and the sticky toffee pudding and custard he had for dessert. By the time he had finished it was almost nine o’clock and he went to the bar to pay. He told the landlord how much he had enjoyed the meal and that he would probably be seeing him again over the next few weeks. He then walked quietly back to his rooms, taking a roundabout route as he felt he had eaten too much. He spent the rest of the evening relaxing with a book.

Chapter Three

After breakfast on Sunday, he asked Mrs. Jarvis if the church could be called traditional in that the men usually put on their best suits and wore a tie, as he hadn’t brought a suit with him.

‘No, we believe you should be dressed in what you feel comfortable in, although some of the older men still like to put on their Sunday best. Just dress how you want. I’ll give you a knock when I am leaving unless you would rather go on your own.’

‘Fine. I’ll be ready but if we are seen arriving together it might get tongues wagging.’

‘I don't think it will, because most people in the church have been told you are coming to the village and why you are coming.’

On arriving at the church, they were welcomed at the door by one of the deacons and they went in and sat together. There were about forty people in the congregation. The service was very traditional sandwich type with four hymns, a prayer, Bible reading and sermon. In fact, it was not much different than at his own church. As it was not long until Easter, the minister was week-by-week going through the seven sayings of the Lord while on the cross. She brought out things from the reading that he hadn’t thought about and was wishing he had taken a notebook with him. He just hoped he could remember them when he got back to his room.

After the service ended, most of the congregation met together in the adjacent hall for a cup of tea and Josh was introduced to their minister.

‘It’s good to have you with us. I’m Janet Hargreaves and you must be Josh White. I understand you are on a sabbatical and will be around for a few weeks. Perhaps you could take one of services.’

‘I’d love to, but you know very little about me. I might preach things that are contrary to your beliefs.’

‘When Sarah told me you were coming, I looked up your church on the internet and found out something about you. I also listened to a couple of your sermons which I found I got a lot from. So, I feel quite confident in inviting you to