2008 December | Rincon Mountain Presbyterian Church

Church Receives Grant for Pastor’s Sabbatical Leave

December 15th, 2008

For Immediate Release - November 25, 2008

Rincon Mountain Presbyterian Church has received a grant of $44,470 to enable its pastor, Philip S. Kruis, to participate in the 2008 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 sprits for the benefit of their ongoing ministries.

Now in its ninth year, the program invites congregations and ministers to consider and plan a period of intentional reflection and renewal. It provides a time for ministers to take a break from their daily obligations and gain the fresh perspective and renewed energy that a carefully considered “sabbath time” of travel, study, rest and prayer can provide.

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. The 133 grants this year total nearly $5 million.

In order to reestablish and renew the three critical qualities of a good pastor-balance, strength, and endurance-in Pastor Phil’s life, the leadership and congregation at Rincon Mountain Presbyterian Church heartily and unanimously granted him three months of sabbatical leave in 2009. The accompanying grant from Lilly Endowment Inc. will allow him to pursue this renewal with freedom and vigor.

The theme of Pastor Phil’s sabbatical leave is “He Shall Renew Their Strength: A Pilgrimage Through Reformation to Restoration”. During this leave, Pastor Phil will regain balance between his family life and ministry obligations as he and his family visit Holland together to explore the roots of their Dutch ancestry and the history of the Christian Reformed Church in which Pastor Phil grew up. He will strengthen his mind and spirit as he learns about Reformation history in Germany, visiting sites relating to the life of Martin Luther, and in Geneva, Switzerland, through in-depth examination of the life and work of John Calvin as he attends the celebration of the 500^th anniversary of the famous reformer’s birth. Pastor Phil will renew his endurance for continued ministry through times before and after the Europe trip set aside for reflective thought, stimulating reading and restorative rest. Ultimately, the desire is that through this sabbatical leave, Pastor Phil will be refreshed through a change of pace, renewed in the vigor and focus of his ministerial calling, and rejuvenated in his marriage and family relationships.

This year’s congregations represent 20 denominations and 36 states.

“We’ve 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 newfound 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 and to reinforce and build upon important work being done on both sides of the pulpit. “In our religion grant making, 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,” Dykstra said.

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