The primary goal of this sabbatical will be renewal for the pastor and the congregation. The pastor’s renewal will revolve around 5 connected foci: family, worship, avocation, nature, and personal time and space. Since 2006, the pastor’s family has grown from a married couple with a few pets to husband, wife, three children and a few pets. This sabbatical will create space away from work responsibilities for both pastor and spouse to allow them intentional time as parents. (The pastor’s spouse has secured 6 weeks leave without pay). The pastor’s family will attend worship in various places as a unit and will live for 6 weeks at Columbia Theological Seminary in Atlanta, GA. In Atlanta the pastor will attend worship with his family without the concerns of leading worship. In addition, the pastor will be pursuing his avocation by interning at a brewery. While interning the pastor will develop a deeper understanding of the beer brewing process as well as connect with this ancient spiritual discipline once prominent in the life of the church. The rest of the time will be spent preparing the family for this transition, introducing the children to the natural beauty of Arkansas, reading, praying, worshipping in different churches, relearning how to play the guitar, refinishing furniture, fishing, volunteering at a local brewery, and brewing beer at home. All of these things are sources of inspiration and renewal for the pastor. Reflections from these activities will be shared with the congregation via a blog. During the pastor’s absence the congregants will take on greater leadership in the worshipping life of the church as well as overseeing the distribution of the pastor’s discretionary account, which is used primarily to help individuals with urgent needs such as food, shelter, utility and medical bills.
A-2)Clearly articulated rational for engaging in the clergy renewal program including why this is an appropriate time for renewal:
A person once described the life of a pastor as akin to the life of a stay-at-home Mom, constantly busy and always on call, but yet not able to describe everything done during any given day. As stay at home moms (and dads) need breaks from their daily routines to renew their sense of call as parents so do pastors engaged in parish ministry. The pastor has been answering this call full time since 2003 and as the pastor for First Presbyterian Church (FPC) Arkadelphia, AR since 2006. Arkansas Presbytery suggests pastors and their congregations consider sabbaticals as based on the biblical concept of sabbath (rest on the 7th day, or in this case the 7th year). This sabbatical was approved by the Session in 2009 and a committee has been working with the pastor crafting the renewal time since January 2011.
Over the last few years the pastor has been engaged in the art of homebrewing. Many church functions have included his brew as sources of fellowship and evangelism. From wedding showers to softball fundraisers the pastor’s pastime has been on tap. Such events have been wonderful opportunities to practice hospitality, share the gospel, and invite people to church.
Momentum has been building at FPC Arkadelphia. Since 2006 we have welcomed many young adults and young families with small children. While this has been exciting, the congregation is experiencing growing pains. The sabbatical will allow space and time for the congregation to renew its sense of identity as the veteran members and new members work together to worship and live as children of God in the absence of the pastor. It will also provide time for renewal for the pastor. Aside from the normal strains of a life in the ministry the pastor is often challenged to nurture emerging relationships between long-time members and those who have joined recently. Time away will encourage these relationships to mature on their own increasing the level of mutual trust among the generations.
The sabbatical is planned to begin in February 2012. For the first few weeks the pastor will spend most of his time preparing the family for 6 weeks in Atlanta and getting ready for a great adventure. The pastor’s family will begin worshiping at various local congregations. This will continue throughout the sabbatical and will undoubtedly be the highlight for the entire family. Fun Fridays will also begin - each Friday while in Arkansas the family will have various adventures exploring the Natural State, with day trips to waterfalls, hikes, family fishing trips, arrowhead hunting, caving, or even just throwing rocks into the river. This is the perfect time for the children because they have yet to enroll full time in school. The pastor will also begin his blog Stories of a Brewpastor this will be the primary medium for communicating experiences to the congregation and others interested in the sabbatical experience. At the end of February the pastor’s family will move to Atlanta. In Atlanta the pastor and his wife will be able to focus on parenting away from the concerns of careers. This will also be a time to reconnect with friends and family in the Atlanta area. The pastor will be spending three days a week interning nearby at Twain’s brewpub in Decatur, GA. While the pastor is working at the brewpub the pastor’s spouse will be volunteering at the Atlanta Community Food Bank (where she was employed from 2000 - 2003) and the children will be enrolled in Kid’s Day Out at Rock Spring Presbyterian Church, where the pastor and spouse worshipped when they previously lived in Atlanta. The other four days a week the family will spend time exploring Atlanta. Sundays the family will be able to visit numerous worshipping communities. While in Atlanta family and friends will be able to visit. March 18 will be a special day, when the pastor’s spouse will run the Georgia half marathon with friends. People from Arkadelphia as well as friends from seminary, college, and high school days will converge on Atlanta for this. It should make for a wonderful event to finish up their time in Atlanta. Some will run and others will cheer, afterwards they will all feast together.
Upon returning to Arkadelphia Fun Fridays and worshiping as a family will continue. Also, the pastor will experiment with various brewing techniques while volunteering weekly at Diamond Bear Brewery in Little Rock. During this time the pastor will relearn guitar by taking lessons once a week. Numerous furniture refinishing and home improvement projects will be attempted by the pastor while he finds time to fish, read, relax and pray. This rhythm will continue until the 3rd week of May when the pastor is scheduled to direct Mo Ranch’s College Connection, a week-long retreat for college students.
June will add preparations for the post sabbatical event. The fish that have been caught and the beer that has been brewed will be prepared for a large fish fry at the pastor’s house to which the entire congregation and others who have supported this journey will be invited. In the midst of these preparations the pastor and his spouse will travel to the American Homebrewers Association National Conference (location to be announced in June 2011).
Renewal is key, renewal for me as the pastor and for the congregation. My activities while on sabbatical have been planned around those things which give me energy. Energy which will rekindle my enthusiasm for parish ministry. Activities such as spending time with family, worshipping and hearing others preach, brewing beer, enjoying nature and taking advantage of personal time will recharge my own batteries. Two years ago my wife and I had vacation plans that changed at the last minute. I had scheduled a Sunday away from the church and we found ourselves at home on a Sunday morning with our children. We took advantage of this pleasant surprise by getting our children dressed together (I am usually at the church already on Sunday mornings by this time leaving my wife with the daunting task of dressing 3 children under the age of 4) and worshipping as a family at another church in our community. It felt wonderful being a normal family for once. We are looking forward to many such Sundays while on sabbatical. On vacations in the past we have always made a point of attending other churches wherever we are, at those times I have found a great deal of inspiration from being able to worship instead of leading worship. I plan on taking full advantage of these opportunities while on sabbatical.
Over the last few years I have delved into the hobby of beer brewing and discovered many new and exciting relationships as well as a deep rooted spiritual connection to the process. I have taught a class at Ouachita Baptist University on Mead Making and have been asked to lead a workshop for Arkansas Presbytery on the Ancient Spiritual Discipline of Brewing. Many of my beers have been a part of church fellowship activities and we have even found new church members among other brewers in this area. By interning at area brew pubs while having access to a seminary library I am hoping to take this understanding of brewing to a new level. Recent research by Dr. Michael Holman points out that beer is in the original texts of scripture but has often been left out of mainstream translations due to misinterpretations and bias. He asserts that beer played an important role in the life of ancient Israelites. For many, however, beer is still a taboo subject in the church even though it has significance in the life of Christians from both a scriptural and historical point of view. If I can dig into this connection between brewing and spirituality perhaps I will be able to make various connections which may help erase other preconceived notions among people of faith.
I am also looking forward to times spent in God’s good creation. I have always found strength in nature from fishing, hiking or just spending time out of doors. Sabbatical will allow me the opportunity to do this and introduce some of the glories of the natural world to my children. I am hopeful to find plenty of time to indulge in reading, prayer and working with my hands on various projects. I believe work is prayer, these opportunities for work will provide much needed opportunities for prayer. While on sabbatical I will be communicating my activities and reflections via blog for church members and anyone interested to check. The hope is that these posts will lead to a study curriculum for our church’s men’s Theology on Tap discussion and Bible study group.
For the members of the congregation I believe renewal will lead to growth. According to a long-standing member of the congregation, who is also a part of the sabbatical committee, this church has a tradition of hiring ministry professionals to take care of the majority of church responsibilities and programming. They have hired music and worship professionals to lead worship and pastoral professionals to tend to pastoral concerns. In my absence members of the congregation have already volunteered to ‘step up’ and lead in these areas. Our newly formed board of deacons has been gradually taking on more and more of the pastoral concerns of the congregation, and a handful of members have voiced their willingness to prepare and lead worship. We also have two elders who have been elected and trained by the presbytery to preside at the eucharist. It is my belief that a congregation whose members take active roles in these leadership positions is a healthy congregation. Hopefully this time of renewal will lead not only to a healthier congregation but also to a healthier pastor!
While we have a diverse congregation, it is essentially divided into two groups, retirees and young professionals. Those who are retired understand the value of having enough time to pursue new opportunities and extra-vocational interests. The younger doctors, lawyers, and educators among us recognize the importance of taking leave from day-to-day activities in order to gain fresh professional insights. Several of us in the academic field have been fortunate enough to experience sabbaticals of our own.
Our minister falls into the young professional category. With a wife who is employed by a local university and three lively pre-school children he has had little opportunity to avail himself of the benefits offered by a sabbatical. The time away from church responsibilities would provide him with a chance to worship elsewhere with his family, thus gaining new perspectives to share with the congregation. He would also benefit from opportunities for rest, recreation, hobbies, and spiritual renewal. He and his wife have established strong roots in our community. We know it is his desire to remain with us and we feel he would return with a renewed dedication to our congregation.
Meanwhile, the absence of our minister would give the congregation a chance to assume new leadership roles. Our newly-elected Deacons are prepared to look after our members who are in need of special care. We have recently trained two of our Elders to serve communion. Various members of our congregation have been serving as lay readers during Advent and Lent and several are capable of delivering a sermon if given the opportunity to fill the pulpit. Our four committees are actively taking care of routine business and special events and our church office is managed by our Financial Secretary. So our congregation is already well prepared to assume the responsibilities of the minister while he is away, and we would all benefit from the growth experience of working together in his absence.
We have been fortunate to have a religion professor from one of the local universities lead worship during the pastor’s absence in the past. It has been good for our congregation to hear the professorial approach to worship in counterpoint to our pastor’s unique style. Several Elders have volunteered to lead worship during the sabbatical. Two of our Elders have undergone training and have been approved to preside over communion when the pastor is unavailable. Our Worship committee plans to work with the professor to assume the role of interim minister if his education duties allow as well as with the trained Elders available to preside over communion. The Elder volunteers will lead worship during times the professor is unavailable. Our Deacons will assume an even greater responsibility for congregational care and administering the pastor’s discretionary account. By accepting the challenges of increased worship responsibilities, including study and preparation, as well as the exposure to different interpretations of the message, our congregation will have a broad and fulfilling experience which will renew our enthusiasm to worship as the children of God. After months of experiencing the variety of messages, having our pastor return with renewed vigor will bring a chance for us all to reflect on and celebrate our faith journeys during the sabbatical.
On the final Sunday prior to the sabbatical we will have a commissioning service for our pastor and his family as well as for those leaders in the congregation who will fulfill certain pastoral functions.
During the sabbatical the pastor’s experiences will be shared with the congregation via his blog with opportunities for the congregation to post their experiences as well. After the sabbatical there will be a large celebration and a chance for the congregants and the pastor to share what has happened over 6 months. There will also be worship services planned and led by members of the congregation after the sabbatical and Spirituality/Brewing sessions led by the pastor for any members who are interested.
Once informed about the Lily Grant, the congregation of FPC organized a committee to research and discuss the benefits of applying for the grant. Comprised of current and former elders and other interested members of the congregation, the committee met regularly to discuss the grant and invited a past recipient of the grant to address the entire congregation. Committee members discussed the grant with congregational members and determined that there is a broad base of support within the church for this grant. With this support and the approval of the session, the committee feels that the congregation is whole-heartedly behind this grant.
Part B - Congregational Information
B-1)Date of and number of years at present location for congregation, include distinctive historical events:
FPC Arkadelphia, AR was founded in 1858 and originally located at two different sites downtown. In 1954 a new building was completed at the current location. It was built in the latest modern architectural style and won an award for church design. In our 153 year history of worship there are many events both illuminating and distinctive. Among these are the installation of the Teller Company pipe organ, a one-million dollar renovation to the building, which was redesigned by the original architectural firm, and the celebration of our 150th anniversary.
Historically, FPC elected Elders for life. In the early 1970s this practice was changed to elect Elders to serve for a period of three years, along with Deacons elected periodically. This practice continues to serve the congregation well. An especially important event was the church’s vote to join the PC(USA) in 1983. While there was considerable discussion about this move the majority voted for the change and it was embraced by the entire congregation.
Recently the congregation has been revitalized through the efforts of our current minister and his wife. We have added about 30 young members. In addition to changing the makeup and average age of the congregation, they have energized the church. An especially welcome change has been the number of babies born in the last few years, leading to many new programs for children and the construction of a playground.
The minister has also led us in the creation of a series of worship services for the Advent season, consisting of a sermon by a noted guest minister and performances of Advent music by professional musicians. These very successful services have been well attended by the community.
Membership and Worship: FPC Arkadelphia, has 125 members averaging 75 in worship.
B-3)Names and tenures of last four pastors:
Names and Tenure of Past 4 Pastors: Reverend Dean G Stroud (1975-78), Reverend J Don Corley (1979-88), Reverend J Cathy Ulrich (1989-93), Reverend Gail R Perkins (1996-2004)
Worship and Outreach Ministries: Weekly worship as well as mid-week Lenten prayer services during Lent, evening Advent services and various other special worship activities. Eucharistic feast on high holy days as well as every Sunday during Lent and Advent. Meals provided for those who are ill, have had babies, or experience a death in the family. Participation in benevolent needs throughout the community and around the world. One day Vacation Bible School. Monthly fellowship suppers. Presbyterian Women monthly Bible studies and quarterly special offerings and events. Women of the Night (Young Women’s Bible Study). Theology on Tap (Young Men’s Bible Study). Pulpit Exchange with West End Presbyterian Church (historically African-American congregation a few blocks away). Choir scholarships for college students. Participation in Camp Kaleidoscope (summer day camp opportunity for children who would not ordinarily experience camp). Community ecumenical worship services.
Louisiana State University BA in History - 1999, National Outdoor Leadership School - 2000, Columbia Theological Seminary - Masters of Divinity 2004
Ordained 11/23/2003 as Minister of the Word and Sacrament by the PC(USA)
Pastor First Presbyterian Church Russellville, KY (September 2003 - December 2005)
Pastor First Presbyterian Church Arkadelphia, AR (January 2006 - present)
Budget Narrative for Pastor’s Renewal Activities:
The majority of the expenses incurred will involve supporting the pastor’s family while they are living in Atlanta for six weeks. The cost of the Kid’s Day Out program in Atlanta is $330/week, for 6 weeks that totals $1980, while in Atlanta the family must continue to pay for childcare in Arkadelphia in order to maintain those spots for the children upon return home. The cost for 6 weeks of childcare in Arkadelphia is $1590. Also, while in Atlanta the pastor’s spouse will be without pay, her salary for six weeks is $3000. Added to these expenses in the ‘Other’ category of the budget is the cost for weekly guitar lessons for the pastor at $15 per week for ten weeks ($150) and the cost of brewing ingredients of $500.
Automobile expenses involve driving to and back from Atlanta (1180 miles) as well as weekly trips to Little Rock for the pastor to volunteer at Diamond Bear Brewery (140 miles per week for ten weeks totaling 1400 miles) the total reimbursement at $0.50/mile is $1290.
Other ground transportation expenses will be the cost of 2 adult passes on MARTA (Metropolitan Atlanta Rapid Transit Authority, public transportation of Atlanta) for 6 weeks at $204. Lodging in Atlanta at Columbia Seminary is $1600 for 6 weeks, we are anticipating $1500 for groceries and feeding our family for 6 weeks. Also included in this line item is the anticipated lodging cost for the 2012 American Homebrewers Association National Conference. The exact location of the conference has yet to be released so we are estimating $150/night for 3 nights for meals and lodging totaling $450. Also because the conference location has yet to be released the fees and airfare for the pastor and spouse to attend are estimated at $300 per person ($600) and $500 per person ($1000) respectively. While living in Atlanta the pastor’s family cannot have their pets in the seminary housing. A pet sitter can watch the animals and house for $8 a day for 42 days for $336. Also included in the fees request is $55 entrance fee for the Atlanta Half-Marathon.
There is no line item for post-leave follow up counseling sessions because Arkansas Presbytery has a covenant with the Laurence Schmidt Center for pastoral counseling. As such the pastor has six free counseling sessions scheduled as part of the post-leave activities to aide processing the sabbatical.
The total for the above amounts comes to $14,255, estimating Federal Income Tax at 15% and State Income Tax at 7% the tax liability to the pastor should be in the amount of $3,136.10. These combined amounts total $17,391.10.
Budget Narrative for Congregational Expense
Assuming 80% of the pastor’s current monthly salary to compensate an interim minister whose primary responsibility will be to fill the pulpit and provide emergency pastoral care the church requests $12,086.40. The main post-sabbatical event cost is associated with the fish fry for all members of the church as well as others who have supported this journey. Assuming 50 people in attendance needing food, drinks, beer, and various other supplies at $10 per person totals $500.
1 comment:
I'm proud to say that I am a seminary friend of Kendal Land, and am extremely proud of this creative, thoughtful sabbatical proposal. Blessings as we all await the outcome.
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