Grace and peace to you, dear friends in Christ. I want to thank you for the gracious sendoff you gave me last week. Even more, I’m so grateful for the gift of time you’ve provided me this summer. I’m currently at St. Gregory’s Abbey in Three Rivers, MI, a Benedictine monastic community in the Episcopal Church. I’m spending a week here with the brothers in their daily work of prayer and contemplation. Throughout the summer, I’m using my time to explore Benedictine spirituality. This retreat at St. Gregory’s is the spiritual and intellectual entry point for my exploration. I hope to return with resources for continued study and practice in the weeks ahead, with the long-term goal of refining the spiritual disciplines that ground my ministry in the parish.
If you haven’t yet, I encourage you to follow my adventures on Facebook this summer. I’ve already made a few posts over the last week and a half. As you’ll see, I’ve been spending lots of time riding my bike. I’m building up to riding a few centuries (100-mile bike rides) this summer. If you’re interested in seeing all the details of my training, feel free to follow me on Strava, a social media platform for tracking physical activity.
I will continue to keep you apprised of my adventures throughout the summer. I look forward to a grace-filled return in the fall. God’s blessings to you all in these summer months.
Pastor Matt
Augustana Lutheran Church of Hyde Park 
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