Mt. Pleasant Presbyterian Church, Marshall Township , Wexford has received a grant of $43,115 to enable its minister, Rev. Dr. Daniel Corll , to participate in the 2004 National Clergy Renewal Program funded by the Indianapolis-based Lilly Endowment Inc. It is one of 132 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 spirits for the sake of their ongoing ministries.

Now in its fifth 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 could apply for a grant of up to $45,000. Up to $15,000 of that amount could be used to fulfill pastoral duties during the minister’s absence and for expenses related to the congregation’s own renewal. The 132 grants this year total $5 million. In the program’s initial year, 118 grants were awarded, 129 congregations received grants in 2001, 135 were awarded in 2002, and 117 were awarded last year.

Corll, pastor of Mt. Pleasant since June 1991, submitted a 4-month sabbatical proposal based on the belief that when a pastor and congregation is renewed, refreshed and reconnected to Christ, their relationship is strengthened. An ordained minister in the United Presbyterian Church (USA) for 25 years, Corll proposed an ambitious plan incorporating study, spiritual renewal, relaxation, travel, community service, time with family and time for pursuing his beloved hobby of woodcarving. Temporarily stepping away from Mt. Pleasant ’s pulpit in June 2005, Corll will begin his fully-funded sabbatical with what he calls, “a time for winding down.” Clergy can typically work a 60 hour week and work several weeks without a day off. He purposely built into his timeline an opportunity for rest and relaxation in preparation for a spiritual pilgrimage to Iona , Scotland . Iona is well known as a gathering place for people of all nations to express their faith. After two weeks, Corll will travel by train to St. Deiniol’s Library in Hawarden, North Wales for a week of classroom study and site visitation, focusing on how Celtic Christianity contributes towards greater depth in spiritual life and worship. Also written into the proposal, in what Corll termed “family adventure,” he and his wife, Debbie, along with their 4 children, ages 13-25, will fly to Anchorage, Alaska, rent a motor home and tour the state, traveling as far north as the Artic Circle. Finding uninterrupted family time is often difficult for pastors since they work weekends and holidays – the usual times that other families take vacations and spend time together. In addition, pastors are on call for emergencies and it has not been uncommon for Corll to cancel, shorten, or reschedule a family vacation because of an illness or death in the congregation. Says Corll, “Soaking in the silence and the beauty of unspoiled territory …what a way to connect to Christ…through the awesome wonder of God’s great creation. Knowing we can spend this time together as a family, without interruption and knowing the congregation is well cared for, is such a precious gift.” Corll will devote a portion of his sabbatical to community service, working with Hosanna Industries, a local housing and home rehabilitation mission agency, founded over a decade ago by a seminary classmate. Throughout his travels, Corll will be woodcarving, fashioning a nativity with woods he picks up along the way. It’s a hobby he enjoys but has little time for, and he’s even built in some time in Minnesota for a few days of concentrated study under the tutelage of a master woodcarver. Near the end of the 4-month sabbatical, and as he prepares to return to the pulpit and the hectic pace of a full-time pastorate, Corll will devote time to reflection and writing about his experiences.

During his 4-month absence, the Mt. Pleasant congregation will be well cared for with the grant providing funds for interim leadership and programming. Upon return, the congregation, church leaders and Corll will spend time sharing each of their experiences. The Lilly Endowment program encourages healthy, long-term pastorates, and stipulates as one of the conditions of receiving the grant that the pastor agree to remain with his or her congregation for a minimum of one year following the end of the sabbatical.

This year’s congregations represent 37 states and the District of Columbia (the Endowment runs a separate program for Indiana congregations). They represent 23 major Christian denominations and other church traditions.

“We have heard wonderful stories from the pastors who already have experienced these sabbaticals,” said Craig Dykstra, Endowment vice president for religion. “Their time away freed them up to pursue personal interests and needs in ways that have given them new energy for ministry – and the congregations discovered that they didn’t fall apart without their minister around. Indeed, they too experienced refreshment and a new-found sense of their own strengths.”

The Endowment’s larger goal is to bolster the good work that America ’s pastors and congregations are accomplishing day in and day out, to reinforce and build upon the 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.