Parish Renewal 2023
Traditionally and contractually, clergy are granted a Sabbatical.
Sabbatical: This term comes from the word “sabbath,” and means seven or seventh. It means a period of rest and an intermission in labor. A sabbatical year is the seventh year. It is a time when persons are relieved from their duties for study and travel. It is now used for a period of leave that is not necessarily every seven years. Sometimes it is called a “sabbatical leave.
St. Andrew’s has received a generous grant from the Lilly Foundation to fund a Clergy Renewal Leave (like a sabbatical) for Rev. June and Parish Renewal Activities for the church while she is away. The theme of the Renewal Leave is “Invoking Wholeness: Through Connection, Contemplation and Creativity”. The parish will be involved in activities that parallel some of what Rev. June will be doing during her time away.
Click here for an overview of Rev. June’s activities and a brief message from Rev. June.
Renewal Theme: Invoking Wholeness
Through Connection, Contemplation and Creativity
As Rev. June embarks on her Renewal/Sabbatical, we here at St. Andrew’s will also be spending time in renewal. Through a generous grant, we have the resources that will help us with Rev. June’s time away and also includes activities for us. The renewal is centered around Connecting, Creativity and Contemplation. During June’s absence, Sunday services will be conducted most often by Rev. Brian Wilbert. There will also be a few Sundays where another visiting Clergy or a Deacon will be our celebrant.
Here are important dates:
May 21 – Leave-taking Celebration, one service at 10 am followed by lunch and activity. This service will include many special elements you won’t want to miss.
June 10 – Bishop’s Bike Ride & Cook-Out, 11 am – 2 pm
June 11, July 9, August 13 – Summer Soul Enrichment Contemplative Practices Project – presented by Harry Finkbone following Sunday worship. Includes lunch.
June 11 – Centering Prayer (a way of being still and open to God)
July 9 – Visio Divina (a way of seeing God in visual art)
August 13 – Ignatian Examen (a way of seeing God in our daily lives)
August 25-26 – All Parish Retreat at Bellwether, 6 pm Friday – 4 pm Saturday. Theme: Come Together: Renew and Connect; A fun-filled overnight at Bellwether to strengthen connections and build relationships. Our clergy leaders will be Rev. Anna Sutterisch, Canon for Christian Formation, and her husband the Rev. Noah Sutterisch, Priest-in-Charge at All Saint’s Episcopal Church in Parma. All St. Andrew’s members are invited. Includes: Dinner Friday, Breakfast & Lunch Saturday, overnight accommodations, and all activities. Total cost for the retreat is $25 p/adult, $10 p/child age 12 and younger, max $60 p/family. (Scholarships available)
September 17 – Rev. June returns.
September 24 (Please note date change)- Renewal Leave Closing Celebration at Shagbark Haven, (June and David’s micro-farm property in Oberlin), 4 – 8pm, with wood-fired pizza, “Bounty from Shagbark: Tasting Table”, live music, bonfire, s’mores, games and more.
October 28 – Quiet Day, Contemplative Day at Shagbark Haven, 10 am – 3 pm, half-day or entire day/time options, (10 – 12 and 1 – 3) Overlap invitation for lunch at 12 noon. “Stations of Shagbark” – Spirituality of indigenous peoples and glacial till.
Post Renewal – After September, TBD
We will gather for some “town hall” type conversations about how we experienced connection, contemplation and creativity and how it invoked wholeness in ourselves, our parish and our community. We will consider information from these “town hall” conversations as we plan for the future at St. Andrew’s. Rev. June will also share about her time in Japan with an “Evening in Japan” dinner and activities. We hope that some of the things we experienced (parish retreat, spiritual practices etc.) will be a part of our discernment about how God continues to lead us to “Share God’s Love. “
Please contact any of the members of the Renewal Leave Committee if you have any questions. Members of the committee are:
Celeste Brlas, Greg Hebble, Will Parsons, Shannon VonGunten, Doraine Toms, Michelle VanWormer