North Beaver Creek Lutheran Church. Sabbatical Proposal. For 2014

Transcription

1 North Beaver Creek Lutheran Church Sabbatical Proposal For 2014 Contents: Sabbatical Timeline (May 20 - August 20) Pastor s Budget & Explanation Congregation Budget & Explanation Sabbatical Narrative: the purpose, activities, plans, benefits for both the congregation and pastor and description of NBC & Pastor Liz.

2 Grant Application Outline of Renewal Program Use the following format to present a chronological outline of the proposed activities. A. Proposed dates for the overall program: May 20, August 20, 2014 (include month and year for example, from January 1, March 31, 2014) B. Outline of events and activities (use additional pages if necessary). Please account for all time to be used as renewal; do not leave gaps in your renewal timeline. Provide details of your renewal program in your answer to question Part A-3. Dates (month/day/year) May 20, May 24, 2014 May 25, July 6, 2014 June 3, July 3, 2014 Events or Activities Pack, move to family cabin (home base for the sabbatical time), and take time to transition to the Sabbatical. Live in and explore New York City for six weeks. See one show each week and enjoy urban life. Take a 15 session cook class covering the basics of cooking. People who will accompany you whose expenses would be paid by this grant N/A N/A N/A July 7, 2014 Travel Day N/A July 7-14 A week home at the cabin transitioning from New York to Scotland & Norway. N/A July 14, July 28, 2014 July 28, August 14, 2014 August 14, August 20, 2014 Storytelling Coaching and Workshops through the Scottish Storytelling Centre Explore and enjoy Norway. One week to explore on foot and two weeks aboard the Hurtigruten Ferry/Cruise line. Re-acclimate and reconnect with family and friends. Return home to the parsonage and to North Beaver Creek! N/A N/A N/A 2013 LILLY ENDOWMENT NATIONAL CLERGY RENEWAL PROGRAM at Christian Theological Seminary 12

3 Grant Application Budget Worksheet for Pastor s Renewal Activities Important: Please enclose a budget narrative that explains how the figures were calculated and gives a complete explanation for each item or activity. Be sure the budget narrative specifically reflects particular activities, the number of people, and the amount of time that is covered by each budget item. Enter amounts without commas or cents Travel Airfare $ 3000 Automobile expenses: Personal car per mile Car rental costs and gasoline Other ground transportation Meals and lodging Tuition or fees Books Telephone Postage Equipment and supplies Other (passports, inoculations, entrance fees, etc.) Set-aside for post-leave activities (maximum amount, $2,500) Estimated increase in tax liability as a result of receiving grant (must include an explanation of how this amount is calculated)* Total $ Signature of Pastor Signature of Treasurer * Pastors should work with the congregation s treasurer and/or personal tax adviser to determine the potential impact of this grant on the pastor s personal income tax. When determining the potential tax impact, note that the grant will be paid by Christian Theological Seminary to the congregation, not directly to the pastor. Please do not call Christian Theological Seminary or Lilly Endowment with questions regarding personal tax implications; it is not appropriate for either organization to give tax advice.

4 Budget Narrative - Pastor s Renewal Activities Travel (ground + airfare) = $3450 The air fare portion of the budget is based on the average price using Orbitz.com (a budget travel website). The flights are: 1. Round Trip La Crosse, WI to New York City $500; 2. One Way (less expensive than a multi city ticket) La Crosse to Edinburgh $1100; 3. Edinburgh to Oslo $100; 4. Oslo to La Crosse $1300. Total airfare comes to $3000. Ground transportation is public transportation (personal car travel is minimal). In New York a 30 day unlimited metro pass + two 7 day passes equal $172. Another $100 is added for New York travel for bus, airport transfer and possible day trip travel outside the city. Total for New York ground transportation is $272. For the Scotland portion of the trip $60 is budgeted for the Ridacard 14 day pass that covers all travel in Edinburgh and to/from airport. Norway travel is mostly covered in the Hurtigruten Cruise package; however, the 3 day Oslo Pass will cover the ground transportation outside the cruise package. The pass costs $85. Another $22 is added for unforeseen travel expenses makes the Norway portion $107. Total budget for ground transportation ( ) = $450 Meals and lodging = $19990 For meals and lodging we used the US government per diem rates, except for time at cabin. Out of the New York City per diem, Pastor Liz plans to pay for tickets to approximately six shows (one per week). Pastor Liz plans to sublet a studio apartment which will cost less than the per diem rate - based on preliminary web-based research, this is possible. New York City $312 (lodging, meals and incidentals) x 43 days = $13416 Edinburgh $328 x 14 days = $ 4592

5 Oslo $398 x 3 days = $ 1194 $186 (meals and incidentals) x 3 days = $ 558 Family Cabin (11 days). Lodging is free, food based on current expenses = $ 200 Total for meals and lodging comes to $ Tuition and fees. (Cooking School + Storytelling + Cruise) = $12305 Learning to cook. The Institute of Culinary Education in New York City regularly offers at 15 session Basics of Cooking class that spans over the course of a month. Tuition for this class is $2465. Storytelling coaching. The Scottish Storytelling Centre and storytelling expert Michael Williams in conjunction with Pastor Liz are forming a two week program including 6 individual/small group sessions along with workshops and events hosted by the Storytelling Centre. The cost includes hours sessions at $90/session ($540) plus a budget of $300 for the various workshop and event offerings. Total for this program is $840 Hurtigruten 12 day Fjord Cruise. Cost for a single traveler is $7617 (cabin with a window). For another $380 the arrival package covers the travel expenses from the Oslo airport to the boarding the ship in Bergen. It also includes overnight accommodation in Oslo. The departure package ($590) includes overnight lodging for two nights, one night in Bergen and another in Oslo along with the travel costs. An additional $413 is budgeted for excursions while on the cruise. The total for the cruise plus arrival and departure packages is $9000. Books. $500 Pastor Liz is an avid reader who will enjoy this budget for books filled with stories, storytelling techniques, cooking, the art of welcome, and various theological works. Budget Narrative - Pastor s Renewal page 1 of 2

6 Grant Application Budget Worksheet for Congregational Expenses In the space below, please provide a line item budget that addresses how the congregation will pay for the pastoral functions during the pastor s absence. Be sure to include not only Sunday worship, but also other activities such as pastoral care, weddings, funerals, and so forth. Also address costs relating to the pastor s leave-taking and return and/or costs related to congregational renewal activities. Important: Please enclose a budget narrative that explains how the figures were calculated and gives a complete explanation for each item or activity. Enter amounts without commas or cents Pulpit supply and/or interim staff Honoraria $ Travel and lodging Benefits Congregational events relating to pastor s leave-taking and return Congregational renewal activities Please explain fully in Proposal Narrative, Part A, and in budget narrative Other Total $ Signature of Pastor Signature of Treasurer 2013 LILLY ENDOWMENT NATIONAL CLERGY RENEWAL PROGRAM at Christian Theological Seminary 14

7 The congregation s budget narrative is summarized as follows: Pulpit Supply and Interim Pastor The honorarium was established by approximate synod guidelines. The honoraria for the pastor will be $250 a week for 12 weeks or $3000. In addition, a stipend of $4800 is being provided to a seminary student based on a minimum of 20 hours a week at $20.00 an hour. Pastor Liz has agreed provide the parsonage to the intern in her sabbatical absence. Total honorarium and stipend comes to $7800. The travel and lodging for the pulpit supply and interim is based on IRS guidelines for mileage and average monthly pastoral travel expenses at $200 per person per month or $1200. Congregational Events On pastor s return from sabbatical the congregation plans to host a Mexican Fiesta Rally Sunday comprised of a partially catered Mexican meal and party supplies. The amount budgeted for this is $500. Congregational Renewal Activities The remaining amount of the grant, $4255, will be used to initiate the Welcome Place Project which may include improved outside signage, brochures, website development, and a big screen TV for education and worship use. Total for the congregation s sabbatical budget is $13755.

8 Written Portion of the Sabbatical Proposal Part A Program Rationale and Design A.1 Purpose Statement The purpose of our renewal program entitled Now the Feast and Celebration is to: 1) Enrich the congregation s ministry as a result of Pastor Liz s world explorations, enhanced storytelling skills and culinary experiences; 2) Provide Pastor Liz with a change in geographic environment to experience the wonder of God s creation in a new place; 3) Kick off a Year of Feasts program and a Welcome Place project both of which center on welcome and invitation through shared meals, stories and outreach; 4) Help the congregation think of themselves in new ways through an interim pastor and a Spanish speaking intern; 5) Help Pastor Liz grow from being a first call pastor to a seasoned spiritual leader; 6) Give Pastor Liz time to step away from the day to day responsibilities so she will return with renewed energy and a replenished spiritual reservoir, ready to ask the hard questions about what it means for us to be Church in the 21st century. A.2 Rationale for Renewal Program. The time is right for our congregation to have a year of feast and celebration. In 2014, North Beaver Creek (NBC) will celebrate 30 years working together as one congregation after being divided for 93 years. We will also celebrate Pastor Liz s eighth year of spiritual commitment to God s work through our congregation. Today, NBC is known for its generosity, outreach, and innovation. We are committed to growing spiritually and looking for new ways to reconnect with our neighbors and each other. Two of the major cultural shifts that NBC is acclimating to is the reality that the congregation is no longer the center of community life and we do not know each other or our neighbors as well as we once did. The sabbatical will give us, pastor and congregation, time to reflect about what it means to be a faithful

9 and welcoming church in this time and this place. To encourage this, our congregation will kick off the Year of Feasts ministry with four to six households inviting people to their homes for shared meals and stories. Pastor Liz will join in the Year of Feasts by taking cooking classes in New York City and returning to share her new cooking prowess by offering hospitality in her own home to small groups. In addition to the Year of Feasts, the congregation will begin a process to examine how we might actively welcome and invite our neighbors through the Welcome Place project. This project is a concentrated focus on signage, space, and communication systems (website, brochures and advertising). For Pastor Liz, her time with the storytelling coach will help her to ask new questions in new ways questions of herself and the congregation - so that both will be better able to share our story of faith as a way to invite others into God s story. For almost seven years Pastor Liz has focused on the basics of ministry, trying to fulfill both perceived seminary and congregational expectations. The sabbatical will allow Pastor Liz time: time to reflect, to pray, and to discern what kind of leader God is calling her to be now. It will be a time for her and the congregation to transition to a relationship not solely based on perceived expectations and past learning. Often a change in location can help a person understand things differently. Knowing this, Pastor Liz will be in New York City, a place as different as it can be from rural Wisconsin, a place where she admits she will be out of her comfort zone. As Pastor Liz begins to see herself in new ways, the congregation is likewise edged out of their comfort zone by inviting an intern with a new perspective who will help then see themselves through new eyes. Simultaneously, Pastor Barb Knutson, a daughter of the congregation, will be invited to provide experienced pastoral care and insight. It is here that spiritual renewal for the congregation will most visibly happen in worship experiences that reflect the renewal themes.

10 Our theme shares its name with one of NBC s favorite liturgies, written by Marty Haugen and entitled Now the Feast and Celebration. There are three feasts that we will be celebrating: A Feast of Welcome that focuses on meals and hospitality; A Feast of Word which will explore the world of storytelling; and finally, A Feast of Wonder courtesy of the beautiful fjords of Norway. A.3 Activities and Timeline. The first week of the Sabbatical is reserved for a time to decompress, to pack, to prepare, and to rest. Pastor Liz will use her family s cabin as a home base for the duration of the Sabbatical. After a short week to transition, she will be going to New York City for a Feast of Welcome. What better place to meditate on the theme of welcome than the city famous for welcoming guests and immigrants from all over the world! Undoubtably her experience in such a different place will change her perspective and give her new questions. Her time in New York is not merely an experiment in urban living. She will take a 15 session Introduction to Culinary Arts class through New York Institute of Culinary Education. The goal is for her to learn the basics of skilled cooking for the sake of her health. Likewise she is eager to model welcome and hospitality to the community using these new skills. After almost six weeks in New York she will head home for a week of transition and rest at the cabin - with maybe a night or two of showing off her new skills for family and friends! From a Feast of Welcome she heads for a Feast of Word in Edinburgh, Scotland. Storytelling is one of Pastor Liz s passions, a craft she continually seeks to master, so while in Edinburgh, she will meet with a coach, Dr. Michael Williams, from the Scottish Storytelling Centre. This center is one of the best in the world, offering a variety of workshops and events throughout the year. There Pastor Liz

11 will work on goals centered on storytelling as a preacher, teacher and leader. Along with one-on-one coaching, she will choose from the workshops and events offered by the Storytelling Centre. The Feast of Word serves as an appetizer for a Feast of Wonder in Norway. Learning how to create meals and stories, Pastor Liz moves from creating to recreating: a time for rest and renewal of spirit. What better place to do that than in the wonder and beauty of Norway. She will spend one week on foot and two weeks aboard a ship for a Hurtigruten voyage in and out of the fjords along the Norwegian coastline. During this time she will soak in the beauty and wonder of God s creation. She will also take time to explore her ancestral roots. After feasting on Welcome, Word and Wonder, Pastor Liz will spend her final week of Sabbatical resting from travel and transitioning home. During this week she will work on a photo essay, a form of digital storytelling, to share with the congregation. Knowing that this is a full sabbatical, the first days back will be a time without scheduled meetings, visits, or classes to teach. The first Sunday back we will host a guest preacher while Pastor Liz leads us in worship. This way she might ease back into the day to day life and responsibilities of being our pastor. In September we will celebrate her return and our shared renewal with a Rally Sunday Fiesta, inviting our Spanish speaking neighbors to join us. A.4. Intended Benefits for the Congregation and Pastor - written by Pastor Liz. As Church, we are people of feasts and stories, faith and learning, mission and outreach, working to embody Jesus for the sake of our neighbors and world. To do this we need to be more intentional about creating space for hospitality and shared storytelling. This time of renewal is a time set apart to celebrate what God is doing in, through, and around us while gathering around each other s tables for shared meals and stories. Our renewal theme is Now the Feast and Celebration, the next line being all of creation sings for joy. I want this time away to be one of joy. For me, seeing and exploring Norway will be a time of

12 joy and beauty. Both North Beaver Creek and I share ancestral roots in Norway. I would love to share my experience of Norway with them. Both the six weeks in New York City learning to cook and the two weeks working with a storytelling coach combine opportunities to prepare for our common goal of welcoming and inviting simply by taking the time to focus on preparing meals and stories. The Year of Feasts program will begin while I am away (as hospitality for our international intern). I will join the fun by hosting two simple meals every month for the next year. On a personal note, I want to be the kind of pastor who runs with perseverance the race : one who is a vibrant, healthy and faithful leader well into retirement. Going from college to Lutheran Volunteer Corps to dorm life in Seminary, I have never learned how to cook well and I am quickly approaching my lifetime limit for frozen pizzas. Learning to cook would be of great personal benefit for me and my overall health. North Beaver Creek is a vibrant, rural congregation that already tends towards an open and welcoming spirit. Building on that I would like us to focus on the real work of translating this spirit into action. The congregation s sabbatical time will begin this process and some of the grant money will help us to get started on the Welcome Place Project addressing issues of space, signage and advertising. After being here almost seven years, I feel like things are finally cooking. I get energy from ideas and generative work. However, I know that for me to stay and work together faithfully and fruitfully for years to come, a time apart is necessary for renewed perspective. This brief time away will make space for the congregation and me to see ourselves more clearly and to celebrate God s work in and through us. The work of knowing and telling our faith story as well as the work of inviting and welcoming others needs to be our next big focus. This time away will help to prepare and energize us to be an inviting people of feasts and stories.

13 A.5 Intended Benefits for the Congregation and Pastor- Bill Pfaff, Congregation Member Benefits for the pastor include a change in physical environment, perspective, social interaction and problems that don t go away. For the congregation one benefit is an opportunity to think about things in a different way through a different pulpit messenger. After Pastor Liz returns the congregation will be challenged in new ways because she will be the same person but with new perspectives and questions. Perspective change will come to Pastor Liz and the congregation as she sees new places through the eyes of people she has not yet met. My experiences traveling in Kuwait, the Caribbean, South America, Europe and Canada are the best examples I can refer to when thinking about changes in perspective. Not being able to eat or drink during daylight for Ramadan adds a perspective to giving up something for Lent. This perspective understanding will be given to Pastor Liz when she is away from the day to day routines of running a parish. The congregation will benefit because of this life changing opportunity being provided to her as she tells the congregation stories of her travels. The social interaction opportunity and dealing with problems that won t go away are intertwined. All persons have interaction with the same group of people on a daily basis. Some of these people are family, friends, work associates, church council members, etc. Getting away from these same people and being forced to find new ways to get along with strangers will help Pastor Liz re-think current assumptions; helping her to see new solutions to old problems or to create new opportunities to be mastered. When Pastor Liz is away, a different person will be preaching from the pulpit. It will be the same message with a new messenger; benefitting the congregation and Pastor Liz while she is gone and when she returns.

14 A.6 Congregation s Renewal Program As a way to cover necessary pastoral functions, we have made a tentative agreement with retired pastor Barb Knutson, a daughter of the congregation, for pastoral services and general oversight. We have tentative confirmation from Wartburg Seminary student Mytch Dolvier to provide worship leadership and pastoral care. She will also help coordinate the Year of Feasts and the Stories of Faith projects. The Stories of Faith project will be an intentional collecting of faith stories that will be put into digital format. Our hope is that she will also help us find ways to say hello and welcome to our new Spanish speaking neighbors. The celebration of Pastor Liz s leave-taking will include inviting Bishop Arends to preach, hosting a farewell potluck (in the strongest Lutheran tradition) and providing a sending blessing. Upon her return, we will celebrate twice. We will have a potluck and guest preacher on her first Sunday back. Then on Rally Sunday, the beginning of our Sunday school year, we will have our big feast and celebration of outreach and welcome with a Mexican Fiesta theme. During the sabbatical time we will kick off a year of congregational renewal by beginning these activities and projects: The Year of Feasts, Stories of Faith, and Welcome Place. A.7 Communication Plans During the sabbatical time worship themes and sabbatical themes will echo each other with Bible readings and music illustrating Welcome in June, Word (favorite bible stories) in July and Wonder (praise and creation) in August. When congregation and pastor reunite they will share insight through meals together, Pastor Liz s photo essay and continued work on projects started.

15 A.8 Submitting the Proposal Our process started in February 2011 with Pastor Liz presenting the idea to council for consideration. Later, with council approval, an exploratory committee was formed. A resolution was brought to the annual meeting in February 2013 and unanimously approved. Continuing positive interest by the congregation is very evident to both the Council and Pastor Liz. B.1 Historical Information of North Beaver Creek Lutheran Church The Norwegian Lutheran Church in Beaver Creek was founded on September 11, 1859 by Norwegian immigrants. In the late 1880 s the congregation split over the issue of predestination. The pastor left the founding church with a small group and they built a church a mile down the road from the original church. This congregation became the Norwegian Evangelical Lutheran Church in Beaver Creek (later named First Lutheran Church). The members who remained became Faith Lutheran Church. The two church buildings stood side by side operating separately until the early 1970 s. At that time both churches were without a pastor. Faith and First Church Councils made the decision to call one pastor together, but remain two separate congregations. By sharing a pastor, Pastor Madland, the two congregations started the process towards unification. In 1984, the 125 th anniversary of the original church, the two congregations officially merged together to become North Beaver Creek Lutheran Church. An important event for North Beaver Creek was the introduction of English in the worship service. Beginning in 1918 English was used only in two services for the whole year. Up through the 1930 s the English and Norwegian languages were alternated in worship. By the 1940 s English became the primary language used. Today we have new Spanish speaking neighbors who we have yet to reach out to as a congregation.

16 North Beaver Creek is proud of it s accomplishments. For example, we were one of the first congregations in the area to offer Holy Communion at every worship service and to all ages. We were the first congregation in the area to call a female pastor. We were leaders in learning the Spanish liturgy setting. Today, North Beaver Creek again leads the way by working to provide the pastor with a sabbatical. B.2 Membership and Average Worship Attendance. North Beaver Creek has 655 baptized members, 300 of whom are active (attending worship more than four or five times a year). The average worship attendance is approximately 110 people over a weekend. B.3 Names and Tenure of the Last Four Pastors. Rev. Timothy Ehling ; Rev. Harriet Danielson ; Rev. Robert Nelson ; Rev. Herman Madland B.4 Representative Sampling of the Ministries, both internal and outreach. Our ministry can be grouped into faith formation, worship, and serving others. Faith happens in many ways: through study of God s Word, women s circles, Sunday school, adult Bible study, confirmation program, and Vacation Bible School. Praising God s glory is accomplished through formal worship services, music, choir, and storytelling. Serving others occurs by participating in Lutheran World Relief (LWR) projects such as making quilts, and collecting items for layette and school kits. Locally, we collect food and funds for food banks, and organize area youth activities. Generosity is integrated in all aspects of serving others. B.5 Summary of the Congregation s Current Annual Budget. (Attached Separately)

17 Part C Pastoral Information C.1 Education. BA Wartburg College in Waverly, IA 2000 M Div Wartburg Seminary in Dubuque, IA 2006 C.2 Ordination and Tenure. Reverend Elizabeth Albertson was ordained June 25, 2006 into the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America. She has served as pastor to North Beaver Creek Lutheran Church since August 2006, a total of six and one half years. C.3 Pastor s Ministry and Community Involvements. La Crosse Area Synod Conference Dean 2009 to present; La Crosse Area Synod Executive Council 2009 to present; Wartburg Theological Seminary Board Member 2007 to present; Wartburg Seminary Search Committee 2013; La Crosse Area Synod Professional Service and Care Committee 2008 to present; La Crosse Area Synod Discipline Committee 2012 to present; Odyssey of the Mind High School Coach 2011 to present; Trempealeau County Law Enforcement Chaplain 2012 to present.