Sabbatical Frequently Asked Questions
These are questions that are frequently asked about a minister’s sabbatical leave.
Q: What is a sabbatical?
A: Ministerial sabbaticals are designed to foster reflection, rest and renewal
and to prevent ministerial burnout. Parish ministry is emotionally and spiritually demanding.
Sabbaticals provide time for recharging the batteries and renewing the spirit.
Q: How is a sabbatical different from a vacation?
A: Though a sabbatical provides time for rest and relaxation, it is
intentionally structured to also provide time for study, retreat and reflection.
Q: What will Reverend Macklin do during her sabbatical?
A: Reverend Macklin will focus on "Spirituality, Health and Excellence in Ministry."
She will spend unstructured time in northern Indiana with family and friends. In addition,
she will travel to Arizona for a retreat workshop with Angeles Arrien, author of
"The Four Fold Path: Path for the Teacher, Healer, Visionary, Warrior" and
"The Second Half of Life: Opening the Eight Gates of Wisdom."
She may also receive intensive training at the Kripalu yoga center in New England.
Q: How will the church replace Reverend Macklin in the pulpit?
A: The church will be served by Reverend Barbara Child, an experienced interim minister,
as well as our professional staff and lay leaders. Reverend Laurel Hallman,
minister of our congregation from 1981-1987, will be in our pulpit on October 7 and
Reverend Barbara Carlson, Minister Emerita, on October 28.
Q: What about Reverend Macklin's administrative and committee responsibilities?
A: Reverend Child will assist in some areas and lay leaders in others.
Q: What will the congregation focus on during the sabbatical?
A: The Board, sabbatical team and staff have chosen the theme
"Our Unitarian Universalist Identity."
Q: When will Reverend Breeden take his sabbatical?
A: When the co-ministry began in 2002, Reverend Breeden was contracted
for half-time ministry, and was congregationally called to ministry a year later
than Reverend Macklin. As a result, he stated that he will take his sabbatical in a
few years. He further quipped, "Reverend Macklin has been in ongoing ministry for 10
years without a sabbatical. I was a truck driver for 10 years, but truck drivers don't
take sabbaticals, they just shift gears."
Q: Who are the members of the sabbatical committee and how were they selected?
A: The Board selected Andrew Appel, Beth Hollingsworth, Clarke Miller and Jason Hill
to work with Reverend Breeden and Reverend Macklin.
Q: How will the church pay for the sabbatical?
A: Funds are earmarked in both the operating budget and the Special Purposes Fund
to cover the costs. The Church is applying for a Lilly Foundation Clergy Renewal Grant,
which could be as much as $30,000. Recipients will be announced in May, but the church has
the resources to underwrite a more modest sabbatical without the grant.
