Sabbatical FAQ
Why is Fr. Applegate leaving? When is he coming back?
How long will Fr. Applegate be gone?
What will he be doing during his sabbatical?
How does this benefit St. Luke's?
Who is Fr. Stephen Williamson and why do we need an interim rector?
Is Fr. Fehr taking over? Is he leaving also?
How will we pay for this?
How does this affect the services at St. Luke's?
What about the restoration of the church building?
What if my daughter/son wants to get married while Fr. Applegate is gone? What about a funeral?
Who is in charge while Fr. Applegate is gone?
How do we contact Fr. Applegate if there is an emergency? A non-emergency?
What about Fr. Applegate's family?
What about the staff?
Who do we call for an emergency? A non-emergency?
Why is Fr. Applegate leaving? When is he coming back?
The purpose of a sabbatical leave is to provide opportunity for continued professional growth and new, or renewed, spiritual achievement through study, research, writing or other creative work. Professional leaves have the additional purpose of providing, in appropriate circumstances, opportunity for projects of indirect benefit to the granting institution, or for public or private service outside the institution. Yes, Stephen is coming back. His first day back in the office will be Aug. 30 and his first Sunday back at the altar is Sept. 5.
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How long will Fr. Applegate be gone?
Fr. Applegate's sabbatical begins May 24. He returns to the office on Aug. 30. He will also be gone for the month during January 2011.
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What will he be doing during his sabbatical?
Fr. Applegate has been accepted to a Doctor of Ministry degree program where he will be focusing on congregational development. The D.Min is offered jointly by two Episcopal seminaries: Seabury-Western Theological Seminary in Evanston, Ill., and the Church Divinity School of the Pacific in Berkeley, Calif. He'll take time for reading, study and visits to other congregations that are doing vital ministry. During his vacation he will take a wilderness canoe trip in Canada with old friends from his camp director days which will most certainly provide him many opportunities for more sermons.
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How does this benefit St. Luke's?
Many members of St. Luke's have expressed the concern that Stephen's work load and work ethic will "burn him out." While Stephen has always said this will not happen, we must realize that Stephen is here because of the grace of God and the power of the Holy Spirit. If you will, God has given St. Luke's a marvelous and talented resource to help us do his work. Therefore it is our responsibility to not only use this resource wisely, but also to care for and nurture it and allow it to grow and become even more valuable to us and to God. This is why we must send Stephen away for a period of professional growth and new, or renewed, spiritual achievement.
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Who is Fr. Stephen Williamson and why do we need an interim rector?
In these last 45 years, the Rev. Stephen Williamson has served as curate, vicar, rector, Canon to the Ordinary, regional executive, archdeacon and then vicar and rector again. Certainly, all of those years and experiences have given him some maturity, as well as white hair!
We need an interim rector for several reasons. Most importantly, we agreed to serve as a foundation for Fr. Tom Fehr's development as a priest. We signed on for a two year period. Fr. Tom has been here for almost one year, with another year to go in his residency program. It would not be fair to Fr. Tom, nor the Bishop, to expect him to do everything while Fr. Applegate is on Sabbatical. And as Fr. Tom has said, "this gives me an opportunity to learn from someone else."
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Is Fr. Fehr taking over? Is he leaving also?
Fr. Fehr will continue his residency at St. Luke's during Fr. Applegate's sabbatical. Fr. Williamson will serve as Fr. Tom's mentor during these months. Fr. Tom still has another year with us as part of his residency program.
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How will we pay for this?
The Vestry and Fr. Applegate have been planning for the sabbatical for some time. We have been depositing funds to a special sabbatical account since Fr. Applegate came to St. Luke's. There are sufficient funds in this account to pay for Fr. Applegate's sabbatical expenses, as well as pay Fr. Williamson for his time with us during the sabbatical.
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How does this affect the services at St. Luke's?
In short, there is no change to regular Sunday and midweek services. Sunday, May 23 is the last Sunday of the program year, as well as Fr. Applegate's last Sunday before beginning his sabbatical. We will transition to our normal summer schedule on May 30, with services at 8 a.m., 10 a.m. and 5 p.m. on Sundays, and at noon on Wednesdays. Fr. Williamson and Fr. Tom have worked out a joint schedule for the summer.
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What about the restoration of the church building?
The Vestry appointed Bill Hanes as superintendent during the restoration process. Bill has been doing a great job. We expect the restoration to continue and most likely finish in late June or early July.
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What if my daughter/son wants to get married while Fr. Applegate is gone? What about a funeral?
Fr. Williamson and Fr. Tom will be more than happy to assist with any requirements in these areas.
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Who is in charge while Fr. Applegate is gone?
This is a two-part answer. Spiritual and staff issues will be handled by Fr. Williamson. The Senior Warden, Mike Fisher, will handle any secular issues.
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How do we contact Fr. Applegate if there is an emergency? A non-emergency?
The short answer is we do not contact Fr. Applegate during his sabbatical. His seclusion is a necessary part of a successful sabbatical experience. Fr. Applegate, Fr. Williamson, Mike Fisher (Senior Warden) and Mark Moller (Junior Warden) have met to discuss what necessarily constitutes an emergency that requires contacting Fr. Applegate. Any decision to contact Fr. Applegate during the sabbatical will be made by Fr. Williamson and the wardens.
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What about Fr. Applegate's family?
First and foremost, it is absolutely necessary that we allow Stephen the quiet and solitude required for the sabbatical to be successful; and that we afford his family the same courtesy. While Terry, Kate and Ben are members of St. Luke's, they are also Stephen's family. Please respect their family dynamic and keep St. Luke's out of that relationship.
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What about the staff?
Fr. Williamson will be in charge of the staff during Fr. Applegate's sabbatical.
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Who do we call for an emergency? A non-emergency?
For pastoral emergencies, please contact Fr. Williamson at 740-877-2084 or Fr. Fehr at 513-312-2614.
For other, non-emergency situations, please contact the church office at 740-587-0167.
You may also contact either of the wardens, Mike Fisher, Senior Warden at 740-587-0506, or Mark Moller, Junior Warden, at 740-587-5268 at any time.
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