The Bishop of North Sydney, Dr Glenn Davies, was welcomed back to work yesterday following his recovery from a serious head injury.
Dr Davies plans to work from St Andrew's House for four to five hours per day on alternate weekdays, and will continue to do work from home.
"I need to pace myself and give myself plenty of rest," Dr Davies says. "I may be feeling well but my body is not yet fully recovered."
The bishop has confirmed that he will be attending Synod, which starts on Monday.
However he says "I shall discipline myself not to be involved in too many debates'.
"After synod I should be fairly well back on deck," he says.
Dr Davies had multiple injuries, including a fractured skull, after being struck by a falling tree branch in the Blue Mountains on September 2. He had heavy bruising and deep lacerations to his face requiring 25 staples.
He says he is "grateful for the response of so many across the Region and the Diocese, for their prayers for his recovery'.
"I have been overwhelmed by people's love, concern and prayer, and the testimony to God's grace is his answer to these prayers," he says.
In particular, he gave tribute to his wife, Di, who has been a pillar of support and an exceptional carer over this time. He also expressed his gratitude to Archdeacon Terry Dein and his personal assistant Roslyn Allibone for their "marvellous support for me both personally and professionally'.
Time to assess work-life balance
He says one of the benefits of his recovery has been the time he has had to reflect on his usually busy schedule and find an appropriate balance of workload in the future.
"I'm a people person " spending time with people is important but it has to be balanced," Dr Davies says.
"Any wise pastor has to take time for personal refreshment to maximise time for ministry, counsel and advice."
He says the suffering he has faced due to his injuries "hasn't adversely affected my faith one iota " quite the contrary'.
"It hasn't caused me to question: "why me?' Dr Davies says.
"I know God is a loving God " the accident has reinforced his loving care and protection. All things are in God's hands, including accidents.
"Things could have been far worse and you have to trust God even when they are far worse. It's always easier to trust God in good times and we need to trust God in those testing times even before we know the outcome."
No lasting damage
Dr Davies says while he will continue to have check ups, there appears to be no lasting damage from the accident.
"Thus far the report has been good. The fracture of the skull has healed well after six weeks and the scar on the forehead will be a constant reminder.
"It's a wonderful excuse when I get things wrong to say: "I've had a head injury, you know'," he quips.
"My wife thinks I've already overused that response."
