The blog began in April 2008 as I prepared for a three month sabbatical adventure to three different spots in the world for the one purpose of seeing and experiencing life and ministry afresh (summary below). It exceeded all I had hoped and imagined.  Got back to Kansas City in the middle of July with actual blogging skills and a new fearlessness about computers in general and Apple in particular.  Why stop now?  Plus, a friend of a friend reportedly said, “I’m sorry she came home.  I liked that blog.”

So on we go.  The cookie image still holds - this is a place to stop, reflect, taste and enjoy the wonders of the world.  Welcome.

How to access the blogs?

Look at the top of this page.  There are three options for clicking upon:

    Welcome

    Blog

    My Albums

Click on Blog and off you go!

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What is a sabbatical and why?

It provides a time for a minister to take a break from daily obligations and gain the fresh perspective and renewed energy that a carefully considered “sabbath time” of travel, study, rest and prayer can provide. 

Prairie Baptist Church has received a grant of $42,750 to enable its senior pastor, Heather Entrekin, to participate in the 2007 National Clergy Renewal Program funded by the Indianapolis-based Lilly Endowment Inc.  It is one of 133 congregations across the country that will support their ministers in the program, which allows pastors to step back from their busy lives and renew their spirits for the benefit of their ongoing ministries. 

Now in its eighth year, the program invites congregations and ministers to consider and plan a period of “intentional reflection and renewal.”  Each congregation is eligible to apply for a grant of up to $45,000.  Up to $15,000 of that amount can be used to fulfill pastoral duties during the minister’s absence and for expenses related to the congregation’s own renewal. 

This year’s congregations represent 19 denominations and 37 states.  “We have heard wonderful stories from the pastors who already have experienced these sabbaticals,” said Craig Dykstra, Endowment senior vice president for religion.  “Their time away has freed them up to pursue personal interests and needs in ways that have given them new energy for ministry - and their congregations have discovered that they didn’t fall apart without their minister around.  Indeed, they too experienced refreshment and a new-found sense of their own strengths.

The Endowment’s larger goal is to bolster the good work that America’s pastors and congregations accomplish day in and day out, to reinforce and build upon important work being done on both sides of the pulpit.  “In our religion grantmaking, we hope to strengthen the efforts of today’s excellent pastors because it is no secret that pastors who have reconnected themselves to the passions that led them to the ministry in the first place are more likely to lead healthy and vibrant congregations,” said Dykstra.

   

When?  April 14 - July 15, 2008

Where?

        Calvary Baptist Church and Church of the Savior

        Washington, D.C.

        Evangelical Baptist Church

        Tbilisi, Republic of Georgia

        Salt Spring Island

        (Island of Artists)

        British Columbia, Canada

Purpose?

First, to give Heather time away from the daily grind of ministry to find spiritual rest and renewal by reclaiming the gift of drawing, spending time with family, traveling and enjoying hospitality.  She will renew her spirit by living at a savoring pace in three interesting and different communities.

Second, to enable Heather to learn about the missional church Prairie seeks to become by experiencing thriving churches which share in common with Prairie contexts, challenges and hopes.  Prairie wants to be a place of bold and faithful Christian hospitality and service and to learn from others who are doing it.  Our changing, fragmented culture and denomination call for fresh perspective, insight and courage for ministry.  The challenges and changes of our time and culture can make it difficult to imagine what it means to be a wholeheartedly missional congregation for the future.  We trust that this sabbatical will lay groundwork for future mission, new relationships and cooperative ministries to help us gain a sense of our place and possibilities in the larger church and world.