Christ Episcopal Church Rector is recipient of $50,000 Lilly grant

Christ Episcopal Church of Toms River has received a grant in the amount of $50,000 to enable its rector, the Reverend Joan Pettit Anders, to participate in the National Clergy Renewal Program funded by the Indianapolis-based Lilly Endowment Inc. Christ Church is one of 149 Congregations in 36 states across the United States that were awarded the grant, which allows rectors to step back from their busy lives and renew their spirits for the benefit of their ongoing ministries.

Now in its tenth year, the program invites Christian 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. Reverend Joan Pettit Anders remarked, “I feel so honored to have been awarded this grant. I call it “our” grant because the Parish is sharing in this with me. Based on our findings, this will impact the direction and future of Christ Church.

Each congregation is eligible to apply for a grant of up to $50,000. Up to $15,000 of that amount can be

used to fulfill pastoral duties during the minister’s absence and for expenses related to the congregation’s

own renewal. The 149 grants awarded by the Lilly Foundation (www.lillyendowment.org) this year total $6.2 million.

The purpose of Christ Church’s program or, STEP (Spiritual Transformation and Evangelism Plan)as described in its proposal, is to “provide an opportunity for both the rector and congregation to more deeply focus on places where transformative evangelism is or has occurred and incorporate these new concepts here at Christ Church.”

The sabbatical runs from April to August 2010 and it includes trips to South Africa, Great Britain and finally the United States. The trip promises be a truly once in a lifetime moment. In fact, our rector was recently informed that she would be able to meet in person with Archbishop Desmond Tutu.

As part of this process, Christ Church has formed a “Sabbatical Sub-Committee” chaired by Senior Warden Vincent Tortorello to help with the planning of the grant and ways of incorporating findings from the grant travel, both from the rector and parish, into Christ Church and everyday life. According to Vestry member John Boland whose is also part of the Sabbatical Sub-Committee, “this grant is an amazing and welcomed opportunity for both Mother Joan and our Parish.” The grant covers travel costs for Mother Joan as well as funds to pay supply clergy and parish events before, during and after the Sabbatical. In fact, the parish has planned a farewell dinner for Mother Joan Sunday March 21, 2010 after the 10:15 service. The sabbatical Sub-Committee also developed a website (www.iboland.net/Joan/main.html) so parishioners can virtually walk with our rector in her extraordinary journey. The website, which will also have a link on the Christ Church website (www.christchurchtomsriver.org/) includes such features as a blog, pictures and information links so members of the parish can learn about the locations to where Mother Joan is traveling. Christ Church also plans to incorporate the sabbatical topic into our Sunday School curriculum to broaden their developing global understanding of people and places of the world.

The newest class of grantees brings to 1,290 the number of congregations that have received clergy

renewal grants from the Lilly Endowment since 2000. “We have heard wonderful stories from these

pastors who already have experienced their sabbaticals,” said Craig Dykstra, Endowment senior vice

president for religion. “Their time away has freed them up to pursue personal interests and needs in

ways that have given them new energy for ministry -- and their congregations have 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

accomplish day in and day out and to reinforce and build upon 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.

Mother Joan has now returned from sabbatical journey that took from South Africa, England and finally various cities in the United States ending with a visit to Los Angles and has resumed her fulltime duties as Rector of Christ Church of Toms River. However, according to Mother Joan, "the journey will continue for a long time."  The sabbatical was an amazing experience for both Mother Joan and the parish. To paraphrase a quote a previous quote from Mother Joan, the journey is only beginning.............................