Pastor Will's Sabbatical... "Sometimes Solar Waves are good for the soul"

The overly ambitious book stack I want to explore over my Sabbatical!

Hello friends! This summer I embark on my second Sabbatical while serving at Holy Trinity Lutheran Church and Lutheran Campus Ministry. The following blog post is some of the information I submitted for the application I completed for the NC Synod Peeler/Casey Fund to ask for extra financial support for my Sabbatical. I wanted to share it with you because I think it gives a great snapshot of what I hope to do over the three months of my Sabbatical.

I couldn't be more grateful for your support and the time HTLC/LCM gives our full time rostered leaders for a chance to reflect, refocus and recharge so we can continue to do quality leadership and ministry for our community of faith.

Describe either yourself, your organization, or your congregation.  What is your mission statement?  How does this project fit into your mission?

​         I’m Pastor Will Rose and I have been an ordained pastor in the ELCA for 26 years. I have served congregations in Florida and South Carolina, and I have been serving Holy Trinity Lutheran Church and Lutheran Campus Ministry (HTLC/LCM) in Chapel Hill for 14 years. I’m scheduled to have my second sabbatical with HTLC/LCM this summer, May 18 through August 18. Over the years, I have learned that I am an extroverted “people person” with gifts relating to all ages and stages in life and faith. HTLC/LCM is a place and community where I enjoy putting these gifts into practice, and yet, I still need time to catch my breath, be still and quiet, reflect, and experience sabbath through my Sabbatical.

I intend to use this time to rest and recharge, do some work and decluttering around my house that I have let go for way too long, travel with family, catch up on my “want to read” booklist, and finish writing a book I have tentatively titled “God is a Surfer.” Part of my intention is to also reflect on and report back on how to keep the momentum we have at HTLC/LCM moving forward. While I do not have a detailed day by day schedule for my upcoming Sabbatical, I intend to use this time for rest and renewal, reading and finish writing a book I have tentatively titled “God is a Surfer”, and traveling with family to see places and oceans around the world I haven’t seen yet and maybe witnessing a full solar eclipse. Another part of my intention is to reflect on and report back on how to keep the momentum we have at HTLC/LCM moving forward. 

My previous sabbatical occurred in the summer of 2019 right before the worldwide pandemic in 2020. It was a true blessing to have entered that space with the rest and renewal to be prepared to meet the challenges of our faith and the science of how we take care of one another and our neighbor, as well as how we should gather as people of God. When gathering as a community became risky and took new shapes, and congregants needed to learn overnight how to manage their own families, careers, and lives, it was up to our staff to keep things moving forward and recreate opportunities in new and technology driven ways. When the pandemic was over, it became a new challenge to reengage and expand our community, and our understanding of community. Over the last few years with shifting religious and political trends, and staff transitions at HTLC/LCM, we have been committed to work hard, rebuild, and energize our membership to continue to share the love of Christ. It has been a challenging and enriching 7 years and yet I am happy to report that our membership engagement is, indeed, growing. 

HTLC/LCM is a thriving and growing congregation on the doorstep of University of North Carolina (UNC). HTLC/LCM has always been a strong supporter of the NC Synod and ELCA, including members serving on Synod boards and committees. Our congregation understands how important it is to be a part of and work together with the whole Church. We are part of Reconciling in Christ Congregations/Organizations. We are an intergenerational congregation with ages ranging from 1 month old, to college and young adults, to long term members in their 90s. Our HTLC/LCM mission is “loving God, loving neighbors.” Our vision is “a Christian community of disciples living and serving through God’s grace.” Our core values are Worship, Lutheran Campus Ministry, Outreach, and Faith Formation.  

This past year the Outreach Ministry Team funded a local artist to paint a mural on the wall beside our door to the Campus Ministry Center. The mural has colorful balloons floating upward with a Bible verse from the prophet Micah, “Act justly, love mercy, walk humbly with God.” (Micah 6:8) The intent of the mural was to share in a public way a foundational scripture verse for how we understand God and our posture towards our neighbors (as well as catch people's eyes as they walk by, perhaps getting a selfie next to it). In an unstable, uncertain, and polarized world, we as ELCA Lutherans continue to lean into discerning how to put Micah 6:8 into practice. I share openly with people all the time that we are a healthy intergenerational congregation that understands our mission statement and core values. I also understand we are always in a process of becoming who God is calling us to be as a community of faith. 

         One of the things I am most proud of in my tenure here is our congregational focus and exploration of topics around Faith AND Science (notice I’m intentionally using the word “and” and not “or”). In a college town, there are plenty of science minded and gifted folks, but we have worked, read, and prayed about the intersection of how our faith and science can work together to enrich and shape our relationships, our community, and the wider world. I’ve also done this work and exploration at the intersection of faith and pop-culture. I believe “everyone geeks out on something” and I have found ways to integrate faith and the story of Christ with the diversity of stories we consume and are entertained by.  

          This upcoming year we turn 80 years old as a congregation in the ELCA NC Synod. Reflecting on 80 years of ministry at Holy Trinity, it’s clear to see God has done great things with and through us, is doing great things with and through us now, and God will continue to do so in the years to come. In a world of shifting ideas, beliefs, trends, and challenges, it remains our mission to love God and love our neighbors. 

What areas of ministry will this project address and how was the need determined?

       Over the last few years we have been focusing on the word “engagement” rather than “membership” in our community of faith, asking, “How are people engaging with one another and our community at HTLC/LCM?” We understand that people engage with our church in different and diverse ways: from in-person gatherings, small group gatherings, weekly email newsletters, engaging with our website and blog, our social media, as well as worshiping with us through online streaming. We continue to do our best to be warm and welcoming and visible in our surrounding community, inviting everyone to “come and see” what God is doing with and through us. 

My intent for this sabbatical is to spend the first month (of 3) focused on my own rest and renewal through reading non religious/theological books and finishing household projects that have been neglected due to a busy work life. The second month I plan to continue to read, and also carve out time to work on my own writing for a book I want to publish that integrates my love of surfing and science and theology. In the final month, I plan to connect with my own family and travel, perhaps catching some waves along the way. My children are grown and becoming independent people. I realize that time with our intact nuclear family is precious, and as this season in my parenting life shifts, I want to create memories with them exploring the breadth of God’s creation. I also plan to reflect, journal, read books, and set up goals that apply to leadership and guiding HTLC/LCM in our present context. I still feel called to HTLC/LCM. I want to explore what has gone well and reflect on what we can do to continue to make a difference in our member’s and our neighbor’s lives. 

HTLC/LCM has a sabbatical policy for full time rostered ministers. We are offered a sabbatical every 7 years for rest and renewal, continuing education, and to recharge for the energy and inspiration needed to guide and shepherd a congregation in today’s world. HTLC/LCM has a sabbatical fund, but it has been depleted over the years because of long term ministry by our rostered leaders. We are asking the Michael Peeler/Virginia Casey Fund to help supplement this particular sabbatical so we can continue to make this a priority for our called rostered leaders. 

What are the major goals of this project?

Rest and renewal

In the second chapter of Mark, Jesus explained that the sabbath was created for people, not people for the sabbath. God rested and reflected on the good that he had made. Stepping back is a vital way that we discern things that are going well, as well as evaluate our blind spots as we renew our commitments to our vocations. So much of my life and vocation revolves around planning, leading, and processing weekly worship and gatherings. While this attention to daily matters is valuable, I would be remiss to not use my Sabbatical to spend some weeks decompressing, reflect on the bigger picture, and discover different and new ways to experience sabbath/rest. 

Reading and writing.

We can only find our blind-spots when we search for them. Gaining new perspectives and insights from the experiences of others helps reveal new paths and opportunities.  Creating ideas of our own helps us to explore new thoughts and to express ourselves in novel ways. I want to intentionally carve out time to slow down, learn some new things, read, and grow through listening to new perspectives. 

I have started writing a book tentatively called “God is a Surfer”, and I plan to spend a large part of my time during my sabbatical finishing this book. As a lifelong surfer, and after 26 years of ordained ministry, I have experiences, stories, and insight about the ocean. I also have experiences, stories, and insight leading all age groups and stages of faith, communities, and retreats that relate to my love of surfing and the ocean. I will also spend some of the time at a silent retreat and/or camp to have some quiet time without distractions to finish the draft of this personal endeavor. 

Traveling to see places and oceans around the world I haven’t seen yet and maybe witnessing a Solar Eclipse

My family likes to travel and we hope to travel a few places over this Sabbatical;

Over this school year we have had a Lutheran Pastor and his family from Iceland worship with us at HTLC/LCM while taking his own study leave and Sabbatical taking classes at Duke Divinity School. He has invited my family to visit them in Iceland this summer and to give us a tour of the churches he serves and a camp that was pivotal in his call story. I’m looking forward to learning about Lutheranism in Iceland and reporting back to my own congregation about similarities and differences. And, I may have a chance to catch a wave in Iceland that would for sure be a great humble brag in my “God is a Surfer” book. 

We also plan to visit some friends in France. Our friend has a daughter who is interested in coming back to America with us so she can work on her English and take surf lessons at a week long surf camp at the beach I grew up on. Certainly seeing her learn to surf through her eyes and experience will shed some light on how to articulate surfing in my book.  

After our time in France we plan to make our way to Spain to possibly see a solar eclipse with my wife, Cindy on our 26th wedding anniversary, August 12, 2026.  Our hope is to travel to one of the places in the path of totality to experience the awesomeness of that moment. No doubt this will reawaken and inspire my curiosity and wonder, allow me to connect in new ways to our planet, and create life long memories.

How Does your project fit into the NC Synod mission statement?

      The NC Synod Mission statement of “Identify, Equip, and Nurture Whole and Healthy Leaders” resonates well with my stated objectives. Caring for our own mental and emotional health and wellbeing is imperative in today’s fast paced and ever changing world. Like flight attendants remind us each time we depart, “take care of your own needs before those of others flying with you.” They don’t tell us to ignore our fellow passengers. They urge us to be in the best position to care for others in our midst. This sabbatical will be a way to catch my breath, reevaluate my gifts for ministry and leadership, and come back to HTLC/LCM with renewed enthusiasm and energy to be the best pastor I can be. I get a lot of creativity and energy from engaging with pop-culture, sub-cultures (life surfing and geek culture), and cutting edge topics around faith and science. Over the course of this Sabbatical I intend to rest, recharge, and reset, but also explore new creative ways to experience and see the world that will extend to how I lead, guide, and continue to work with our team at HTLC/LCM.

Which of the synod core values does your project most align with?

All of the North Carolina ELCA core values are vital to a thriving congregation.  We are set free to be God’s beloved in the world. This allows each and all of us to be generous as we live and give in our communities. Our congregation is a Reconciled In Christ body and we started with a special service last year mid June to honor that. The planning for that reoccurring event has already begun. All of these point to Relationships. Our relationships with God through Jesus, our understandings of ourselves, and how we interact with our families, friends, community, world and the Earth are all reflections of our relationship to and with our Creator.  

My goal for this sabbatical is to catch my breath, refocus, and embrace reflection and discernment about how God is at work and surfing through my everyday small details, and larger life-changing big moments and challenges. The result will be a more renewed, focused, and inspired leader for the community of faith that gathers at HTLC/LCM.

Budget and Funding

Our personnel policy and tradition here at HTLC/LCM is to allow full time rostered leaders to have a sabbatical every 7 years. We have a Sabbatical Fund but it has been depleted over the years with more than one rostered leader on staff having sabbatical leave. The breakdown of estimated expenses keeps in mind the unstable and rising costs of fuel and how it impacts plane tickets and travel expenses. 

From HTLC/LCM Sabbatical Fund: $3000

From my HTLC/LCM Continuing Education Fund: $2000

Grant Request: $5000

Expense Budget: $10,063 

Our Church Staff, the Mutual Ministry Team and our Church Council have been working together for months planning, communicating and making sure all the bases are covered with volunteers, Sunday worship responsibilities, pastor care and visitations, and leadership. As always feel free to reach out to me or our Mutual Ministry Team or HTLC/LCM Staff with questions, ideas, insights, or concerns.