[Anglican Journal, by Joelle Kidd] Rob Hardwick, bishop of the diocese of Qu’Appelle, will spend much of his four-month sabbatical – 14 May to 3 September 2018 – bicycling across Canada to raise money for ministry projects within the diocese and beyond. Hardwick plans to cycle from Victoria, British Columbia, to St John’s, Newfoundland, a total of about 7,877 km [approximately 4,895 miles]. With one rest day factored in each week, the trip is expected to take 82 days, with Hardwick aiming to cover 114 km each day that he rides.

This may seem a less-than-restful sabbatical, but Hardwick says that the pedalling pilgrimage will be an “opportunity to pray – throughout the ride – for unity and reconciliation, and also for unity across the church.”

Hardwick says, the idea of biking across the country to raise money came to him in a dream. In this dream, to raise $1 million [CAD, approximately £1.16 million GBP] for mission and ministry across the diocese, the 7,800 km of his journey were “tithed,” with each of the diocese’s identifiable givers donating $780 over five years.

If this dream were a reality, according to Hardwick’s calculations, this would mean that the diocese’s existing 1,553 donors would be contributing, together, just over $1.2 million: a figure that works out to 43 cents per day, per donor.

• Read Joelle Kidd’s full article on the Anglican Journal website.