It has come to our attention that some church members did not receive the letter about Tara's proposed sabbatical in the mail. Also, additional questions and answers have been added below.
Please plan on attending our Q and A session this Sunday, April 3rd immediately after worship in the Fellowship Hall. If you are not able to attend or, after reflecting on this correspondence you have suggestions or additional questions, please feel free to contact any member of the planning committee.
Dear friends,
Last year, the personnel committee of APC explored the possibility of a sabbatical for Tara Reck after reviewing the guidelines from the Presbytery of Mid Kentucky and its Committee on Ministry. It recommends a three month sabbatical for its full-time ministers of Word and Sacrament after he or she has been engaged in a ministry for five or more years. The purpose of sabbatical is to provide a time away from normal duties for rest and renewal, for sabbath time of deepening relationship with God and clarifying call. As the Lilly Endowment’s Clergy Renewal Program puts it, clergy sabbaticals ideally “provide opportunities for pastors to step away briefly from the persistent obligations of daily parish life and to engage in a period of renewal and reflection … times for intentional exploration and reflection, for regaining the enthusiasm and creativity for ministry, for discovering what will make the pastor’s heart sing.”
The exciting news is that congregations can apply for a $50,000 grant through the Lilly Endowment Clergy Renewal Program. After learning more about the program, this past summer, the Session enthusiastically supported the congregation applying for a sabbatical grant and appointed a 5 person sabbatical committee consisting of representatives from a variety of committees and families. This committee helped Tara complete the application and came up with some activities for the congregation in Tara’s absence with the input of our John Kupar, who would lead the congregation and provide pastoral care in Tara’s absence. If the grant is awarded, Tara would be on sabbatical from June- August 2023. We have compiled a list of question and answers that may be helpful and we invite you to join Tara, John and the task force members for a question and answer session on Sunday April 3rd after worship in the Fellowship Hall.
The Sabbatical Task Force: Barbara Kuhn, Ann Harryman, Dee Hoge, Kathryn Marino, Katherine Robertson and Joe Small
Questions and Answers
What is the Lilly Foundation’s National Clergy Renewal Program?
The Lilly Endowment Clergy Renewal Program at Christian Theological Seminary seeks to strengthen Christian congregations through renewal and reflection. These programs provide an opportunity for pastors to step away from the persistent obligations of daily parish life and engage in a period of renewal and reflection.
National and Indiana Clergy Renewal Programs are open to Christian congregations whose pastors are serious about parish ministry and who can envision the program as a means of renewing the pastor’s commitment to the congregation and ordained ministry. The annual programs are designed for those congregations and pastors who have a strong relationship with one another, a high degree of mutual trust and support, and are eager to see their relationship strengthened, renewed, and continued.
When is the grant due and when will we know if we have been awarded the grant funds?
The application is due on April 27, 2022. By August of 2022, we will hear if we have been awarded the grant. If the grant is approved, the sabbatical will take place June- August of 2023. If the grant is not awarded, the current plan is to wait and re-apply in 2024.
So, what is the sabbatical plan?
The plan is extensive and creates a meaningful and intentional Sabbatical experience for both pastor and congregation that emphasizes spiritual renewal and intentional relational investments. The theme of the sabbatical is “Connecting with Sacred Spaces: Exploring Natural Wonders.”
As Tara begins her time away, she will travel to a retreat location in Telluride Colorado. She will begin each day meditating on creation psalms. In addition to her spiritual practices, she will spend a week freeing her mind of church responsibilities, unwinding in the form of walking and resting, and connecting to the sacred through hiking, kayaking, and enjoying scenic sunsets. She will also reflect on the trips that are to come.
The next phase of the sabbatical will be a two-week family trip to Hawaii. Hawaii offers many opportunities to experience the wonders of nature with striking landscapes including picturesque canyons, volcanoes, and waterfalls. Also, Tara’s daughters can enjoy the diverse animal population and sea life in Hawaii, which lines up with their vocational aspirations. The Reck family will take a cruise with Norwegian Cruise Line that will begin in Honolulu and stop at 4 different islands, where they will explore lush landscapes and sea life. Opportunities for family bonding include hiking, zip-lining and snorkeling excursions. The goal, in addition to reflecting on the beauty of God’s creation, and where God’s presence can be felt in nature and wildlife, will be uninterrupted, protected time to renew and strengthen relationships within the family.
In late July, Tara’s mother and daughters will join her on an expedition to Svalbard, Norway. Tara’s mother Marsha was diagnosed with ovarian cancer in February of 2022. The family is looking forward to planning a memorable trip together that will bring them joy and hope for the future. Both Marsha and Tara experience great peace and joy when surrounded by God’s natural world and hope to share this sense of wonder with the next generation.
Different from the unique terrain of Hawaii, Svalbard’s terrain will offer Arctic tundra glaciers, beautiful light variations, and unique animal life such as polar bears, whales, seals, Arctic fox, and reindeer, framed by the mountains and overlooking the sea. On a safari tour they will see fjord scenery, wildlife, and Arctic seabirds. On the final day of the trip, they will head to Bolterdalen where they will meet 80 Alaskan Huskies and will head off with some of them for summer-sledding on wheels.
During weeks between and after travel, once home, Tara will write in an online blog, reflecting on the entirety of this sabbatical period as she prepares to re-enter church life at the end of August. She will include experiences of God’s presence in nature and reflections on her calling to ministry which can be later shared with the congregation.
What will happen while Tara is away?
During Tara’s leave, our congregation will be well taken care of. It will be a life-giving and fun summer at Anchorage Presbyterian. We will have multiple communal events and meaningful spiritual exercises to engage through the three month stretch. We will mark Tara’s leave-taking with a brief commissioning service for the family in worship on her last Sunday before departure. Plans for covering pastoral functions during Tara’s absence will be coordinated by Associate Pastor, Rev. John Kupar, in consultation with the Session and the Sabbatical Planning Team. John will supplement his worship leadership with assistance from the 5 active ministerial colleagues in our community who regularly preach for us during summer months. Pastoral care will continue to be strongly supported, as it already is, by a strong team of deacons.
A focus on the first eleven chapters of Genesis will guide worship experiences including a sermon series and musical selections during the sabbatical period. Creation psalms and psalms of lament are additional sources to incorporate. The congregation will explore works by Wendall Berry, a Kentucky farmer, environmentalist, essayist, and poet.
In addition to the focus on God’s creative powers in the natural world as expressed in Scripture and other literature, the congregation will also be invited to once-monthly travel experiences designed to be family-friendly and attractive to an intergenerational mix. This programming will emphasize multi-sensory engagement with some of the natural wonders in Kentucky and exploration of spiritual practices (meditation, artistic response through music/visual art/writing, creative movement) appropriate for each location. Day trips include visiting Mammoth Cave, the Falls of the Ohio, and the Louisville Zoo. An overnight trip to the Red River Gorge, spending the night at Burnamwood Camp and Conference Center, will allow for the congregation to enjoy Kentucky in different ways by rock climbing, hiking, or canoeing.
What are the Sabbatical Planning Committee’s responsibilities? Who is on it?
There are six members of the planning committee who are completing the grant application, planning activities, and overseeing the Sabbatical itself. The members of the committee represent a cross-section of our church: Barbara Kuhn, Ann Harryman, Dee Hoge, Kathryn Marino, Katherine Robertson and Joe Small.
How will the church cover any necessary pastoral functions during Tara's sabbatical? Will this be an expense for the church?
The sabbatical grant provides money to the congregation to cover guest preachers, for celebration of the pastor’s leave-taking and return, and for programs or activities that will serve to renew the congregation as a whole. For the trips taken as a congregation, the planning committee decided that the congregation will be asked to pay a portion of the cost of these events, and the church will subsidize the rest. It is not expected that the church will incur any additional costs as a result of Tara's sabbatical, since funds for the congregation are provided as part of the grant.
Will Tara be paid during the sabbatical time?
Yes, per the recommendation of the Presbytery, the congregation will continue to pay salary, housing, major medical and pension during the sabbatical leave. A portion of her yearly vacation and study leave time, to be voted on as part of Tara's 2023 Terms of Call, will be contributed toward the leave.
Do we know anyone else who has received a grant?
Andrew Miller, our former Associate Pastor, has received this grant as well as Ann Deibert, Co-Pastor of Central Presbyterian Church here in Louisville. CTS plans to award as many as 125 grants to the congregations that submit the most outstanding applications.
