Updates from Carol Tippe about her Sabbatical Leave
Sabbatical Update 8-1-00
"Abide in me as I abide in you.Those who
abide in me and I in them bear much fruit,
because apart from me you can do nothing"
John 15:4-5
I wrote the following statement about 'abiding with God' about half way
through my sabbatical time, capturing some of the important ministry
words and images bubbling up to the surface in a time of quiet
reflection. Thank you again for your support of my renewal time of
quiet, rest, study, travel, play, prayer, writing, and reading! What a
blessing!
Its an adjustment coming back to work, but full of the love and care of
our St. Marks staff and congregation!
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The Heart of Servant Leadership
Servant Leadership is about serving the world with the eyes of the heart
God's heart-
and accompanying persons in that love and compassion.
It is about dwelling in Hope with another -
listening actively to the life story
and affirming God given gifts.
It is about naming with,
yearning with,
abiding with,
integrating with,
connecting with,
and finding peace within the storytelling of a journey.
Servant Leadership is about seeking God as the source of all action and
creation -
taking time for stillness,
valuing renewal and remembrance;
listening intently with God, as I live and move and have my being
in my Creator God.
Servant Leadership is about leading with vunerability, mutuality, and
love
with my God, myself, and each person I encounter.
It is about the wonder and mystery of an attentive heart
resting in God's vision.
God's Hope and Healing,
Carol Tippe
Parish Nurse
I thank each one of you for your prayer support as I start this
sabbatical time! I look forward to this extended time for spiritual
growth and rest, and time to discern new directions for health ministry!
I started off the sabbatical by taking a few days with the girls to
go into Chicago and visit my brother and his family - alot of good time
with cousins in the hotel pool. I really felt the personal sabbatical
itself started when I visited Birmingham, Alabama and talked with Ron
DelBene, a spiritual director and author that I have respected for quite some time. I thank Ron for his listening ear, his quiet and peaceful soul, for helping me name some of the directions of this sabbatical journey. I will meet with him in May and July as well to reflect on this discernment process.
On the weekend of March 24-25,2000 I helped to lead a workshop for
new parish nurses in the Dubuque area. The workshop was held at the
Sinsinawa Mound Center, a Catholic Dominican spirituality retreat center
in Sinsinawa, Wisconsin near Dubuque. If you haven't ever been there,
you need to try the peace and healing of this place! It is about 1 1/2
hours from Iowa City just over the Wisconsin bridge from Dubuque. Great
food, expansive views of rolling farmland, and time for peace. As an
added benefit, 10 new parish nurses got an introduction to the role of
health ministries in a local church!
Last week was spent at home with rest and renewal on the agenda. I
would appreciate your prayers for the completion of a paper that I need
to write now for this fall's national parish nurse conference, The
Granger Westberg Symposium. They publish a proceedings book and need
the papers quite early. My paper, "Spiritual Growth and Sabbatical
Leave: Weaving Opportunities for Renewal into the Ongoing Life of the
Parish Nurse", is difficult to write at this time since I've only begun
this sabbatical journey.
Last Saturday I traveled to Ankeny, Iowa for the annual Celebrate
Health Ministries statewide conference. The conference this year
focused on the spirituality of aging. There were eight parish nurses
from this area that attended. A good time was had by all, networking
and learning along the way.
Continue your prayers, please! I travel to Maryland April 9-15 for
the Shalem Institute conference, "The Spiritual Life of Spiritual
Leaders". Some excellent national leaders will guide the conference
time: Tilden Edwards, Gerald May, and Rose Mary Dougherty. Lee will
also be gone during part of this same time period, so prayers for my
family as well. He is going to the National Brass Band contest in
Columbus, Ohio. My folks are coming to take care of the girls.
God's peace and hope to each of you! Carol
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February 9, 2000
Dear Friends in Christ,
Several repeated questions about the sabbatical leave for our parish nurse, Carol Tippe, have come to the attention of the committees of Health & Wholeness and Staff-Parish Relations. We thank everyone for their questions and support of the sabbatical leave program. On the back of this page is the finance report of the leave. Please continue to direct your questions to the SPRC, Health & Wholeness, Carol Tippe, and/or Pastor Harlan. Printed below are the five most often asked questions and answers:
- When does your vacation start? Sabbatical time is not vacation, but a time for spiritual growth, study, and Sabbath rest. Carol will be traveling to conferences, completing study, and spending time in prayer and journaling for her benefit and for the benefit of the church. The Sabbatical time is four months: March 15 to July 15, 2000.
- What is the difference between sabbatical and a study leave or leave of absence? St. Mark’s UMC’s sabbatical leave program is an intentional and planned time of spiritual growth, study and Sabbath rest. This makes it quite different than the traditional academic leave or continuing education. The SPRC has worked with Carol to design the Sabbath program, emphasizing the need for discernment for Carol as a parish nurse and the future needs of the health ministries program of St. Mark’s. Much of what is planned fits into the visioning process for the church. The study includes mentoring, information, and new approaches from various leaders and ministry settings that will benefit both Carol and St. Mark’s UMC.
- How is the transition being planned for the four months coverage of health ministries by Karen Kuntz and the Health & Wholeness Committee? Karen is already orienting with Carol for 20 hours from now to March 15. She will be visiting families with Carol and doing some hospital visitation with Carol. As in any pastoral care ministry, it will be necessary for anyone who desires care from Karen as the parish nurse to contact her. Good pastoral care ethics dictates that information not be passed from one care giver to another without the involvement of the parishioner.
- Can we contact Carol while she is on sabbatical leave? Carol will not be available for any visits or by phone during her sabbatical leave. Karen will be available for office hours on Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Sundays and by phone for concerns and emergencies. Pastor Harlan and Karen will maintain the team approach to pastoral care needs, counseling and visitation. Access to pastoral care can be done as it always has been by calling the parish office.
- How can the congregation participate in the sabbatical leave? Sabbatical leave is a time of learning for both the staff member on leave AND the congregation. Congregational prayer for both Carol and the congregation, study, discernment, discussion, volunteering to assist in care giving, and when you are in need of pastoral care, speaking that clearly to either Pastor Harlan and/or Karen are all good ways to support the time of sabbatical. For instance, only Mercy Hospital has a program to call the church when someone is in the hospital, but it is not their priority to do so. Their first priority is to make the necessary treatment. It is really the responsibility of the person in the hospital and/or family or friends to contact the church. Jesus was met by many people requiring care, yet in every case it was the responsibility of the person needing care to make that need known to Jesus.
There may be many more questions about the sabbatical leave, simply because this is the first time that St. Mark’s has done this. When and if you have any questions, please contact the SPRC, Health & Wholeness Committee, Pastor Harlan, and/or the parish office with your questions.
Grace & Peace,
The Staff-Parish Relations Committee (SPRC),
The Health & Wholeness Committee,
Pastor Harlan Gillespie,
Carol Tippe, Parish Nurse,
Karen Kuntz, Interim Parish Nurse
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Planned Expenses
I. Sabbatical Program, March 15 through July 15, 2000: $5,100.00. Amounts listed below include tuition, fees, transportation to and from the event, room & board.
Spiritual Direction with Ron Delbene, Birmingham, AL: $1,800.00.
Spiritual Life of Spiritual Leaders, Shalem Institute, Bethesda, MD: 800.00
Health Ministries Association National Meeting, Houston, TX: $ 800.00
The Interconnected Web/Church of the Savior: $1,000.00
Be Frienders Basic Foundation Training, St. Paul, MN: $ 600.00
Prairie Woods Retreat Center/Retreat-Study Days: $ 100.00
II. Salary/Benefits for Interim Parish Nurse: $4,946.00. Based upon 20 hrs of transition & 15 hrs./week 03/15 through -7/15
Salary: $4,097.00
FICA: $ 314.00
Accountable Reimbursement Plan for work related expenses: $ 500.00
Worker’s Compensation: $ 35.00
III. Total $10,046.00
Income All income listed has been received to date.
Congregational Giving to the Parish Nurse Sabbatical Leave: $2,330.00
Pete Peterson Memorial: $3,840.00
Thompson Gift: $3,876.00
Total $10,046.00
Those persons wishing to contribute to the sabbatical leave for Carol Tippe may do so by making an offering to St. Mark’s UMC with the memo “Parish Nurse Sabbatical.” These contributions to the Parish Nurse Sabbatical offerings will offset the Peterson Memorial and Thompson Gift. This “offset” money from the Peterson and Thompson funds will go into the Sabbatical Leave Fund for future staff sabbaticals. Persons who wish to give to the Sabbatical Leave Fund for future staff sabbaticals may do so at any time making an offering to St. Mark’s with the memo “Sabbatical Leave Fund.”
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