Rector's Sabbatical

Clergy Renewal

admin — 2008-02-12T22:37:55Z

Our rector is due soon for a sabbatical. Her interests have been focused on a program sponsored by the Lilly Endowment. Here is the link to the Lilly Endowment, and to the Clergy Renewal program.

Sabbatical Planning Team Meeting Notes 08/06/08

Belllavoie — 2008-08-13T14:55:08Z

Connie, Angie, Sue+ and Beth met in Sueâ€™s office at 6:30. We opened the meeting with a prayer of thanksgiving for our many blessings.

We discussed the idea of adding a holy water font to the worship space. Sue found several options available commercially, and visited the League of NH Craftsmen Sunapee Craft Festival. Sue saw Charles LeFond at the festival, and Charles has generously offered to work with us to custom design and fabricate a holy water font for Transfiguration.

Angie brought volume 3 of the series â€œThat The World May Know â€“ Faith Lessonsâ€ by Ray Vander Laan. This is a series of lessons filmed on location in Israel which provide a video tour of places where the stories of the Bible actually happened. Ray Vander Laan is a teacher and historian.

We previewed the â€œLiving Waterâ€ episode from volume 3 â€œFaith Lessons on the Life Ministry of the Messiahâ€. Ray filmed this at En Gedi, an oasis in the desert. â€œLife is possible because there is water, and water is life,â€ Ray shared the story of David hiding in the desert from Saul and living in the desert for months, when he arrives at En Gedi. For months David has been drinking the water found in cisterns, like at Masada. Cistern water is stagnant, warm and often has things floating in it. He arrives at En Gedi and sees living water, a flowing waterfall from the rocks. The area is filled with vegetation and life. Ray and the group with him explore the analogy of our modern culture living in a desert, and needing a place like an oasis for refreshment. We each need to spend some time in En Gedi with God, in prayer and study to get strength for life. There are many people that are spiritually dying of thirst, and we need to be able to bring water to them. We ask ourselves; are we living water to the community?

The â€œLiving Waterâ€ video prompted a discussion of introducing â€œliving waterâ€ into our worship space. We could incorporate a fountain of water flowing down a wall at the front of the sanctuary behind the bench. Perhaps we could place candles around a fountain to symbolize living water and the Holy Spirit. And living water reminds us of our commitment to the Millennium Development Goals, could we tie living water to a service project such as â€œThe Blood, Water Mission Groupâ€ which provide much needed water resources to villages in Africa. Our discussion centered on how to use the series effectively for our congregational renewal program. Each lesson from the series is approximately 20 minutes long. There are 7 volumes in the Faith Lesson Series for 56 episodes with additional series for Easter and Christmas. We will review the Easter and Christmas series for the Advent and Lent adult education programs. We will review more of the Faith Lesson series for an ongoing adult education program. Questions remaining; when can we hold adult ed sessions, frequency and duration of the program, will people come, is the content appropriate for the audience?

Possible adult ed for the fall; Churches Teaching Series book on â€œWhat the church teaches about the Bibleâ€

Book recommendations:

â€œJerusalem in the Time of Jesusâ€ by Joachim Jeremias, ISBN 0-8006-1136-5

â€œThe Robeâ€ by Lloyd C. Douglas, ISBN 0-395-40799-0

At our July meeting we reviewed the video â€œChurches for Common Prayer: Buildings for the Liturgical Assembly.' produced by the Episcopal Church Building Fund with The Episcopal Church Electronic Media Department. The consensus is that this video is a good match for our worship renewal plans.

Our next meeting is Sept 3 at 6:30 in Sueâ€™s office.

Notes submitted by Beth Bell Lavoie

Sabbatical Planning Team Meeting Notes June 4, 2008

Belllavoie — 2008-06-05T16:54:34Z

Sabbatical Planning Team notes June 4, 2008

Attendees: Connie Morton-Ewbank, Thelma Hutton, Angie Robidoux, Sue LeSueur, Beth Bell Lavoie

Agenda:

Diocesan Spring Event
Review submitted grant proposed activities
Discuss specific study programs
Develop Worship Experiences
Develop timeline for congregational renewal events
Discuss backup plans for congregational renewal if we do not receive the Lilly Grant.

Schedule future team meetings

Diocesan Spring Event

The Diocesan Spring Event â€“ Letting Out the Secret, The Episcopal Church in the 21^st Century has been postponed to May 9, 2009. The workshops planned for the event are perfectly tailored to our Congregational Renewal Program. The new date coincides with our renewal plans. We hope to get 2 to 4 people to attend each session, and will incorporate the spring event into our plans. We also hope to bring speakers to Transfiguration to share topics from the event with the congregation.

Grant Review

We identified the following specific events in the grant proposal:

Celebration dinner with music to launch the Quest
One Speaker
2 Road trips
One Hymn Sing
Concluding Congregational Retreat when Sue returns

Concluding Celebration and Hymn Sing (could be part of the retreat)

Monies awarded through the grant must be spent within 2009. The grant awards will be announced in October 2008.

Study Programs

The team will be meeting to preview the DVD series that Angie identified, and the DVD that Connie found through the MediaCenter. Connie will review the list of materials she found at the MediaCenter and report at the next meeting. At the conclusion of the reviews, we will pick the specific study program(s) we will use. Suggestions:

What do we know about authentic Celtic Worship
Book club â€“ provide a library of suggested readings, and have discussion groups
DVD series

Childrenâ€™s program with crafts â€“ develop a childrenâ€™s banner for processing into worship, or draw characters from Bible stories in the shape of Celtic crosses.

Worship Experiences

We discussed the following worship experiences:

U2charist
Multimedia worship experience - (reference Spring Event Workshop â€œNew and Exciting Ways of Enhancing Sanctuary by The Rev. Jean Oâ€™Bresky, the Director of the ChurchMediaCenter )
Sunday evening worship
Labyrinth service
Anglican Chant
Worship as Service â€“ provide an intergenerational opportunity for community service
Mix up the music â€“ recorded music, and music from different hymnals.
How would evensong look today?

Use the womanâ€™s Hymnal â€˜Voices Foundâ€ to develop a women centric service for Motherâ€™s day

Timeline

The following activities must be considered when planning the timeline:

October 2008	Grant Notification
10/25/08	Possible Harry Potter Party
11/8/08	Diocesan Convention
11/22/08	St. Nicholas Fair
11/27/08	Thanksgiving
11/25/08	Thanksgiving Interfaith Service
January 2009	Annual Meeting
July 2009	Awesome Mountain Camp

August 15, 2008	Sue is meeting with Bishop Gene on August 15. Sue will begin looking for supply coverage. We need to consider supply as well as part time coverage in case we do not receive the grant.
July, Aug, Sept, Oct	Planning Team meets 1x month
October 2008	Grant notification
11/2/08	Celebration Brunch between worship services on 11/2/08 (planned by team, funded by donation basket)
11/30/08	Advent Study Series, Sunday, 4:00 PM for 4 weeks
Feb 2009??	Celebration Dinner with Music to Launch Quest
May 9, 2009	Diocesan Spring Event
Spring 2009	1 road trip with Sue
Spring Summer 2009	Worship Experiences
Summer 2009	Speaker
Summer 2009	1 road trip while Sue is on Sabbatical
Summer 2009	Hymn Sing
Summer 2009	Childrenâ€™s study series and craft activity (banner or Bible Stories crafts)
August 2009	Retreat, concluding celebration and Hymn Sing

Backup Plans

Many of the congregational plans can occur even if we do not receive the grant. The largest impact would be to the budget for supply clergy.

Budget Administration

Whether or not we receive the grant, the vestry is still responsible to develop a budget for Sueâ€™s sabbatical. We will recommend that the vestry sets up a separate account for Grant funds.

Other Discussion

When we have concluded our Congregational Renewal Program, how will we know if we were successful? What is our objective, and what do we hope to accomplish? We hope that we will experience worship together as being in the presence of the Living God.

Need to set the Date for 2009 Awesome Mountain Camp. Perhaps AMC could explore the components of worship; Gather, Praise, Thanksgiving, Petition, etc.

Next Meeting:

July 9 in Sueâ€™s office at 6:30 PM. We will be viewing DVD study programs.

Future planning meetings will also be held at 6:30 in Sueâ€™s office on August 6, September 3 and October 1.

Submitted by Beth Bell Lavoie

Sabbatical Planning Team Meeting Notes 5/7

Belllavoie — 2008-05-09T14:44:18Z

The Sabbatical Planning Team met each Wednesday from April 9 until May 7. What started with Sue LeSueur, Connie Morton-Ewbank, Thelma Hutton, Angie Robidoux, Beth Bell Lavoie, and Heather Deranian, grew to include Nancy Gallant and Miriam Smith. We met weekly over dinner, and with wonderful fellowship, to brainstorm ideas for the congregationâ€™s renewal while Sue is on sabbatical the summer of 2009. With a May 14 deadline for submitting a grant proposal to the Lilly Endowment Inc., we knew we had a lot of work to accomplish in a very short time.

Sueâ€™s sabbatical is a â€œSacred Quest: Tracing the Path of Celtic Liturgyâ€ and affords her an opportunity to explore a subject and geography dear to her heart. The plans we have developed for our congregational renewal provide a chance of us to explore something very dear to our hearts; worship and liturgy as expressed by Episcopalians and practiced by the members of the Church of the Transfiguration. We have planned for fellowship opportunities to share experiences and ideas with one another, speakers to help inform us, recommended readings, a study program to expand our knowledge, field trips to experience new spaces and liturgy, retreats for rest, hymn sings to uplift, and clergy coverage to support our work. We hope we have found a way for each person in the congregation to participate, by choosing one, many, or all of the opportunities we have planned.

The outcome of our study will allow us to increase our understanding of the personal relationship we have with our Creator through liturgy, to spiritually refresh our worship and to physically refresh our worship space. Upon Sueâ€™s return, we will be able to share what we have learned from our time apart and separate quests to enhance our corporate worship.

We hope to answer the questions; â€œWhat does refreshing our worship look like?â€ and â€œWhat does refreshing our worship space mean?â€ We will explore components of worship such as music, symbolism, engaging the senses, intentional incorporation of children, alternative services, and inspiring the imagination. We will look at ways to reconfigure the worship space, paying particular attention to making it more child and handicap friendly, using media such as projectors for the liturgy, extending our reach to people that cannot physically be in our church â€“ virtual worship space, and making paint, lighting, flooring and seating improvements.

We are planning to call a part time minister who can facilitate our congregational renewal plans, as well as preside at three worship services per week and offer pastoral support. Area clergy have agreed to provide for pastoral emergencies such as funerals.

We plan a celebration dinner to launch Sueâ€™s quest and our congregational renewal program. Because Sueâ€™s quest is focused on Celtic traditions and ours incorporates fellowship over meals, we will be sharing a traditional Irish dinner with music provided by a local Irish fiddle group. During the sabbatical period the congregation will spend time at renewal, spiritual growth, study, rest and refreshment. In our Book of Common Prayer, Eucharistic Prayer C, we are reminded â€œDeliver us from the presumption of coming to this Table for solace only, and not for strength, for pardon only and not for renewal.â€ We will reexamine, renew and revitalize our worship liturgy and ritual. This will be accomplished as we share our worship experience with each other during services, small study groups and fellowship events.

When Sue returns, we will spend time in a parish retreat integrating what we have learned and sharing our renewal journeys. We will explore when does worship begin, what does it involve, why do we do it and where do we hope it leads. We will conclude by renewing our worship, mission and Mission Statement

Due to the grant proposal requirements, we focused our plans on the timeframe of Sueâ€™s sabbatical. However, we want to take advantage of the work we have done on the grant to develop plans for congregational renewal even if we arenâ€™t awarded a Lilly Grant, as well as to plan events leading up to Sueâ€™s sabbatical.

We posted our notes from our meetings on the church portal forum. Please add your thoughts and comments. We welcome and need your feedback.

The next meeting of the Planning Team is on June 7 at 6:30. We welcome additional members of the congregation to join us. Please contact Beth Bell Lavoie so we can plan the meal!

Sabbatical Planning Team Meeting Notes 4/30

Belllavoie — 2008-05-01T15:42:56Z

Sabbatical Planning Team notes 4/30/08

Attendees: Connie Morton-Ewbank, Thelma Hutton, Angie Robidoux, Sue LeSueur, Beth Bell Lavoie

Agenda:

Review Susanâ€™s Narrative
Review requirements for Parish Narrative
Begin building Parish Narrative
Connie compiled a comprehensive search for materials on worship and liturgy available through the church lending library and distributed an 18 page list. WoW! Thank you Connie!

Grant Proposal Brainstorming

Part A Section 1 thorough 5 Proposal Narrative â€“ Sue will write
Sue distributed a draft of her sabbatical narrative â€“ Part A Sections 1 through 5

Part A Section 6- Proposal Narrative
·         Worship is where congregational life begins, and ends for many. Worship is not a Sunday thing. The Holy is with us constantly, therefore worship is unceasing.
·         â€œDeliver us from the presumption of coming to this Table for solace only, and not for strength, for pardon only and not for renewal.â€ BCP Eucharistic Prayer C
·         Worship is the oldest, finest Anglican tradition â€“ everything we do has its roots in worship, empowering us to go out into the world to share the Good News.
·         We propose to interweave the Congregational Renewal plans to â€œexplore the evolution of worship and worship space through the development of Christianityâ€ with Sueâ€™s objective to â€œexplore the dialectic between Celtic Liturgy and its impact on culture.â€ Much of the congregationâ€™s renewal will include workshops, retreats, speakers and study groups. The outcome of our study will enable us to spiritually refresh our worship and physically refresh our worship space. As early worship was focused around the table/home with Jesus active with us and among us, we plan to provide for study and workshops around the table at meals and in our homes.
·         Questions for our Study
o        When does worship begin?
o        What does it involve?
o        Why do we do it?
o        Where do we hope it leads?
·         Guest Speakers: Charles Fulton or John Denson to speak on the â€œAmerican Airlines layout of worship space.â€ We need to budget for speaker, travel and accommodations, local speaker $100 plus travel and accommodations?
·         Hymn Sing with Gladys and guest musicians â€“ (Nick) budget $500.
o        Provide a collection box that parishioners can drop a list of favorite hymns
o        New hymnals â€œMy Heart Sings Outâ€ Pew paperbacks estimated $12 each, would need 75, total est. $900.

Part A Section 7- Proposal Narrative
Plans for celebration of Pastorâ€™s leave taking and return
Irish Dinner with Fiddler music
Leave taking dinner - $300 for food, $100 for music
(Check out Peddlerâ€™s Daughters in Nashua â€“ they have Irish Stew with Guinness)
Study Series: â€œThat the World May Knowâ€ DVD series by Ray Vander Laan, start series during sabbatical and bridge with Susanâ€™s return $120 to $150 for DVDâ€™s
Parish Retreat for Sueâ€™s Return
Saturday to Sunday noon. (Doesnâ€™t have to be on site overnight, can be held at church or Searles Castle or Barbara Harris Center on Sat and back at church on Sunday)
Parish Presentation of Congregational Renewal
Sueâ€™s presentation of Quest
Need funds for projector - $675

Part A Section 8 â€“ Proposal Narrative â€“ Sue will write
PowerPoint presentations
Retreat
Conversations in place of sermons both before and after sabbatical
Part B â€“ Congregational Information
Section 1
Founding: 1901
Years at current location: 44
Illuminating or distinctive historical events in the life of this church:
Helped start a mission in Londonderry in 1987 â€“ St. Peterâ€™s Church
Synagogue begin sharing space in 1993
Transfiguration sold parcel of land to Etz Hayim in 2008 to create an interfaith campus
Meeker Endowment received in ??
Headstart 2005
Started Middle Ground Student Lounge in ??
Section 2
Members: Sue to review parochial report
Average Sunday worship attendance: 48
Section 3
Last 4 pastors:
Thomas Vanderslice â€“ 2000 to 2002
John Bonell â€“ 1990 to 2000
Allan Monroe â€“ 1987 to 1990
Kendrick Child â€“ 1982 to 1987
Section 4
Lay Ministries, both internal and outreach, in which the church is involved
Outreach:
Food Pantry
Soup Kitchen
Our Little Roses
Antrim Girls Shelter
Lutheran Social Services
United Thank Offering
Gifts to Children of Incarcerated Parents
Prison Ministry
Prison Concerns Ministry
Upper Room
Millennium Development Goals
Episcopal Relief and Development
Community Care Givers
Groups:
AA Young at Heart
Girl Scouts
Music and Drama
Heifer Project
Headstart
Toddlerâ€™s Play Group
Youth Orchestra
Internal:
Mary Ellenâ€™s Kitchen
Committee to Cook Corn beef
Mabelâ€™s Guild ECW
Bible Study

Interfaith
Awesome Mountain Camp
Interfaith Study
Thanksgiving Service
Traditional ministries
Altar Guild
Sunday School
Adult Ed
Pastoral Care Committee
Lay Eucharistic Ministers and Visiting Eucharistic Ministers
Worship
Leadership
Childcare
Acolytes
Section 5
Connie to compile summary annual budget from the church budget

Part C â€“ Pastoral Information
Sue to provide

Supply:
If clergy is retired, we may not have to make a contribution to the pension fund. Sue is checking on emergency coverage for funerals, so that maybe we can plan for â…“ coverage vs. ½ time.

Actions for Next meeting
Sue to finalize her portions of the narrative and provide parochial report data.
Sue to register on Lilly Grant website and see if there is an editable version of the proposal template.
Connie to compile summary annual budget for 2008
Beth to prepare parish narrative portions

Next Meeting:
5/7/08 in Sueâ€™s office at 6:30 PM. Objective of the meeting is to finalize the proposal. We will order subs for dinner.

Submitted by Beth Bell Lavoie

Sabbatical Planning Team Notes 4/23 meeting

Belllavoie — 2008-04-25T14:44:25Z

Sabbatical Planning Team notes 4/23/08

Attendees: Connie Morton-Ewbank, Thelma Hutton, Angie Robidoux, Miriam Smith, Sue LeSueur, Beth Bell Lavoie,

Agenda: Share available background information

We have been sharing wonderful conversations about what worship and the worship space means to each of us. We look forward to sharing our excitement as the congregation joins in the renewal process.

Clergy compensation:
Connie brought an electronic copy and distributed a hard copy of the relevant pages from the Clergy Compensation package. The team discussed several scenarios for Supply coverage, from Full time to 1/3 time.
·         Salary for full time for 3 months for a Senior Clergy would be approximately $19470. At 30% would be $6425 (13 hrs wk including their travel here: 5 hrs Sunday, 2 hrs Tuesday, leaving preparation time and travel at 6hrs). For ½ time we would need to budget $9,735.
·         Supply clergy to cover 3 services per week would be $300x13 wks plus 18% for retirement; $4,600 this would not cover pastoral emergencies. We also need to include budget for mileage.

As of March 2008 we have $3600 in the sabbatical fund, and we expect to add $500 for 2008 and possible $500 for 2009. The transfers from Operating Funds to the Sabbatical Fund typically happen in December of each year.

We can ask area clergy to backup Sue for Pastoral Emergencies, Sue will check on availability and cost.   Weddings and Funerals are a big concern. Cannons require 30 day notice and 30 day counseling for Weddings. If there was a funeral for a member of the parish, and Sue was home, she would want to be called and let them know that she was available.

We need to prepare our pastoral care team/ministers for the sabbatical.

Parish Narrative
We need to find a copy of the Parish Narrative prepared by the Search Committee for our last search. Beth will email Rae Salisbury, Bob Francis and Maggie Mackie-Ciancio and ask if they have a copy.

Brainstorming/Discussion
·         Sue knows 2 rectors that have received Lilly Grants for Sabbatical, and solicited tips and recommendations. Their advice was to â€œFollow the Directionsâ€. Due to the volume of grants the review committee receives, they are most likely to fund a proposal that explicitly followed the direction!
·         Although we plan to have a congregational renewal program that will begin well in advance of Susanâ€™s sabbatical, the proposal will contain only the events and subsequent budgets for the period of time that Sue will be on Sabbatical and during the reintegration process.
·         Continued discernment about worship and worship spaces; what it means to each of us, what seekers are expecting or looking for, how our experience of knowing the Living God is affected by our worship experience, what prayer looks like from a personal and a corporal perspective.

Actions for Next Meeting
Sue will check with the diocese to see if they have compensation guidelines for Sabbatical clergy coverage that differs from the Clergy Compensation Guidelines
Locate a copy of our 1st mutual ministry cycle report and or survey results since Sue joined us.

Next meeting will be on 4/30 at 6:30 at Sueâ€™s office.
Agenda for 4/30 meeting:
·         Timelines and costs for activities during the sabbatical and reintegration
·         Sue to share her narrative.
·         Finalize the outline for the Grant Proposal.

Submitted by Beth Bell Lavoie

Suppy Needs during Sabbatical

Belllavoie — 2008-04-13T21:22:23Z

Regular Supply provides for 2 Sunday services and costs $200.00 plus mileage. An Interim could be available for Sunday and Tuesday worship only, or Full time to assume all Sueâ€™s responsibilities, or somewhere in between, such as all worship services and for emergencies.   Sue will be gone for 13 weeks, and the committee felt that in addition to Sunday worship we would want clergy to lead Tuesday worship as well. Our recommendation is for coverage for all worship and for emergencies.

We also discussed the pros and cons of having 1 interim for the whole period versus one per month.   If we can find someone that can facilitate a discussion about the formation of worship and worship space, it would be better to have one rector who can participate in our program. Sue recommended Cassius Web if he is available

What does refreshing our worship space mean?

Belllavoie — 2008-04-20T17:55:46Z

The Planning team has been brainstorming 'What does refreshing our worship space mean?' and we have identified the following list. We would love to hear from as many people as possible your ideas about how to physically refresh our worship space.  Please feel free to add to this list and/or expand on each bullet with some examples.   Please let us know what there is about our worship that feeds your soul now as well as what you would like to see added or changed.

What does refreshing our worship space mean?

Making the space more child friendly
Making the space more handicap friendly
Different layout
Using media, like projectors
Extending our reach to people that cannot physically be in our church â€“ virtual worship space
Invite a worship space architect to speak
Paint, lighting, flooring and seating improvements
Relaying out the worship space.
Preserving what must be preserved

What does "Refreshing our Worship Mean?"

Belllavoie — 2008-04-20T17:52:35Z

The Planning team has been brainstorming 'What does refreshing our worship look like?' and we have identified the following list. We would love to hear from as many people as possible about what kind of worship feeds your soul, and how we can incorporate and update our worship experience at The Church of the Transfiguration. Please feel free to add to this list and/or expand on each bullet with some examples.   Please let us know what there is about our worship that feeds your soul now as well as what you would like to see added or changed.

Music
Symbols
Words
Senses
Intentional incorporation of children
Interactive
Include our study and discussion as part of the worship, during the sermon
Develop a Transfiguration liturgy
Alternative services
Evening worship with Compline
Inspire the imagination

Sabbatical Planning Team Notes 4/16

Belllavoie — 2008-04-20T17:47:10Z

Sabbatical Planning meeting April 16, 2008

Attendees: Connie Morton-Ewbank, Thelma Hutton, Angie Robidoux, Nancy Gallant, Beth Bell Lavoie,

Agenda

Finalize Timetable for Grant Preparation
Review Proposal content and Lilly Grant Documents and requirements
Identify data needed to prepare grant;
Describe Worship within the context of congregational renewal.
Define the specific activities the congregation will be completing within the grant proposal timeframe

Time table:
1^st meeting 4/9 â€“ Kickoff and set up framework for Congregational Renewal Program
2^nd meeting 4/16 â€“ Focus on Worship and proposal content
3^rd meeting 4/23 â€“ Collect and share background information

Parish narrative from Search Committee
Capital Campaign Planning information from seminar that Connie attended
Budgets
Archived Bell Articles from last sabbatical
Clergy Compensation guidelines for Supply guidelines
4^th meeting 4/30 â€“ Draft Activities, Timelines and costs
5^th meeting 5/7 â€“ Conclusion, finalize details and review draft proposal

Lilly Grant Requirements:
We reviewed a document from the Lilly Grant website that gives examples of:
â€œWhat makes a high-quality proposal?
1.       A sense of purpose
2.       A sense of balance
3.       Evidence that the congregation understands and affirms the value of a renewal program for its leader
4.       Benefits both the pastor and the congregation
Above all else, the Endowment seeks proposals that exhibit coherence. In a coherent proposal the character of the congregation, the personal and professional needs of the pastor, the proposed activities and accompanying budget, and the shape of the planning process come together in a way that makes sense and indicates a meaningful and efficacious renewal experience.â€

Activities funded by the grant must be completed between Jan 1, 2009 and Dec 31, 2010.

We reviewed each example and brainstormed ways that we can assure that we will have a coherent proposal.

The Lilly grant will probably not fund any capital improvements, and we will need to develop a plan for additional funding. However, the grant will fund speakers, books, study series, etc.

Supply Needs:
We currently have $3600 set aside in the Sabbatical Fund for Supply Clergy. Without having the Clergy Compensation Guidelines available for reference, we would guess that it will be around $6500 (13 weeks at $500).

We may ask the supply clergy to lead some study, to incorporate a childrenâ€™s worship service, etc.

Congregational Renewal:
During our Congregational Renewal Program we will
·         spend time at renewal, spiritual growth, study, rest and refreshment.
·         reexamine, renew, and revitalize our worship liturgy, ritual and space
·         begin preparation for a capital campaign
·         share worship experiences with each other during a service, possibly before Sue leaves on sabbatical, or as a kick off event. There are many places in scripture and gospel that speak to us of worship.

After Susan returns, we will spend time reintegrating and sharing our renewal journeys and updating our Mission Statement.

Brainstorming/Discussion:
What does refreshing our worship look like?

Music
Symbols
Words
Senses
Intentional incorporation of children
Interactive
Include our study and discussion as part of the worship, during the sermon
Develop a Transfiguration liturgy
Alternative services
Evening worship with Compline
Inspire the imagination

What does refreshing our worship space mean?

Making the space more child friendly
Making the space more handicap friendly
Different layout
Using media, like projectors
Extending our reach to people that cannot physically be in our church â€“ virtual worship space
Invite a worship space architect to speak
Paint, lighting, flooring and seating improvements
Relaying out the worship space.
Preserving what must be preserved

Add a new forum item for books that we are using;
            Celtic Benediction â€“ Morning and Night Prayer by J. Phillip Newell
            ISBN 0-802839045

Actions for our next meeting:
Collect copies of the last Parish narrative (Connie will contact the diocese, Beth will email Rae S, Maggie and Bob Francis to see if they might have a copy)
Locate a copy of our 1st mutual ministry cycle report and or survey results since Sue joined us.
Connie will locate a copy of the latest clergy compensation guidelines
Get latest estimate of projected Sabbatical Fund balance from Ed.

Our next meeting is Wednesday, April 23, 2007 at 6:30 in Sueâ€™s office in Lower Meeker. Connie will order Pizza.

Lilly Grant Proposal Team Formed

Belllavoie — 2008-04-13T21:17:45Z

Sacred Quest: Tracing the Path of Celtic Liturgy

Belllavoie — 2008-04-13T21:26:04Z

Here is Sue's draft outline of her sabbatical:

Sacred Quest: Tracing the Path of Celtic Liturgy

Outline of Sabbatical

Summer, 2009

Weeks

1-2

Intensive Research

Internet, EDS, Library, etc.

Readings

Liturgy and Ritual in the CelticChurch, F.E. Warren

Christ in Celtic Christianity, Michael W. Herren

The Irish Liber Hymnorum

Carmina Gadelica

Tightening itinerary

2-8

Quest

8-10 days in Ireland

Durrow, Clonmacnoise, Glendalough

TrinityCollege, RoyalIrishAcademy

15-30 days Scotland, Northumbria

5-7 day retreat on Lindisfarne

Durham Cathedral archives/museum

World of Bede history center

2 day break to ride steam train Ft.William to Mallaig

1-2 day break to visit AlnwickCastle

5 days Salisbury

Cathedral

9-13

Rest, Write-up, and Reintegration

Post-sabbatical

Study Series, parish retreat?

Add alternative service?

            Insert into regular time?

            Add at new time?

                        When?

                        How often?

Suggested Study Series

Belllavoie — 2008-04-13T21:23:52Z
This string is to list study series we might be interested in exploring as part of our Congregational Renewal Program Please add any study series you have experienced or would like to experience and a description or table of contents if available. Please change the Forum posting subject line to include the name of the series or the speaker. Thanks, Beth

Sabbatical Planning Team Notes from 4/9/08 meeting

Belllavoie — 2008-04-13T21:20:37Z

The Sabbatical team met for the first time on Wednesday, April 9 at Beth Bell Lavoieâ€™s home in Windham. Sue LeSueur, Connie Morton-Ewbank, Thelma Hutton, Angie Robidoux, Beth Bell Lavoie, and Heather Deranian met over dinner to brainstorm ideas for the congregationâ€™s renewal while Sue is on sabbatical the summer of 2009

Sueâ€™s Sabbatical:

Sueâ€™s sabbatical is a â€œSacred Quest: Tracing the Path of Celtic Liturgyâ€ to â€œexplore the dialectic between Celtic Liturgy and its impact on cultureâ€. Sue will begin with a period of intensive research and reading, and time to confirm the itinerary for the remainder of the sabbatical. The next phase includes travel to Ireland, Scotland and England for primary research and retreat. The last phase is to complete a write-up of her study and conclude with necessary rest and reintegration. Sueâ€™s Sabbatical is planned for the summer of 2009 and will be 3 months long.

Congregational Renewal:

The oldest, finest Anglican tradition â€“ Everything we do has its grounding in worship and sending us out into the world to share the Good News.

The Congregational Renewal program is â€œto explore the evolution of worship and worship space though the development of Christianityâ€. This fits nicely with Sueâ€™s study of Celtic Liturgy and culture, as we study worship throughout Christianity. Much of the congregationâ€™s renewal will begin well in advance of the sabbatical, through workshops, retreats, speakers and study groups. The outcome of our study will allow us to spiritually refresh our worship and physically refresh our worship space. As early worship was focused around the table/home with Jesus active with us and among us, we want to provide for study and workshops in our homes and around the table at meals.

Brainstorming/Discussion:

Road trips to Weare and Exeter for Evening Compline to experience their new worship spaces.
Invite speakers from Weare, Exeter and Etz Hayim to talk of designing new worship spaces
Speakers: Clay Mathews â€“ focus of the 1979 prayer book is on empowering people.
Explore â€œThat the World May Know â€“ Faith Lessons Seriesâ€ by Ray Vander Laan
Identify additional sources of funding for construction and furniture to refresh the worship space.
Include property planning in the process.
Capstone worship event in our refreshed worship space with Irish fiddlers incorporating additional Celtic music.
Conclude the Congregational Renewal by composing a new Mission Statement.

The team is meeting every Wednesday at 6:30 until May 7. Please contact Beth Bell Lavoie for locations. We are meeting over dinner at each other's homes.

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Weeks
1-2	Intensive Research
	Internet, EDS, Library, etc.
	Readings
	Liturgy and Ritual in the CelticChurch, F.E. Warren
	Christ in Celtic Christianity, Michael W. Herren
	The Irish Liber Hymnorum
	Carmina Gadelica
	Tightening itinerary
2-8	Quest
	8-10 days in Ireland
	Durrow, Clonmacnoise, Glendalough
	TrinityCollege, RoyalIrishAcademy
	15-30 days Scotland, Northumbria
	5-7 day retreat on Lindisfarne
	Durham Cathedral archives/museum
	World of Bede history center
	2 day break to ride steam train Ft.William to Mallaig
	1-2 day break to visit AlnwickCastle
	5 days Salisbury
	Cathedral
9-13	Rest, Write-up, and Reintegration

Rector's Sabbatical

Clergy Renewal

Suggested books and reading

Sabbatical Planning Team Meeting Notes 08/06/08

Sabbatical Planning Team Meeting Notes June 4, 2008

Sabbatical Planning Team Meeting Notes 5/7

Sabbatical Planning Team Meeting Notes 4/30

Sabbatical Planning Team Notes 4/23 meeting

Suppy Needs during Sabbatical

What does refreshing our worship space mean?

What does "Refreshing our Worship Mean?"

Sabbatical Planning Team Notes 4/16

Lilly Grant Proposal Team Formed

Sacred Quest: Tracing the Path of Celtic Liturgy

Suggested Study Series

Sabbatical Planning Team Notes from 4/9/08 meeting

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