About the Lilly Endowment

Less than six weeks remain until the sabbatical begins.  Every day I chip away at remaining tasks.  Last week, Leroy and I signed a contract to rent out our house for three months.  Yesterday I bought a pair of lightweight pants that convert into shorts.  Today I hope to order the final plane tickets, for a short flight between Cyprus and Israel. 

Col. Eli Lilly, founder of Eli Lilly & Co.

The sabbatical itinerary wouldn't be possible without a grant received from the Lilly Endowment through its Clergy Renewal Program.  In 1937, the Lilly Endowment was created as a private, philanthropic foundation by three members of the Lilly family of pharmaceutical fame.  Stocks from Eli Lilly and Company funded the Indianapolis-based foundation which remains a separate entity.  The endowment broadly supports the causes of religion, education, and community development.  Religious funding is aimed at strengthening congregations in a variety of ways.  Among those is the National Clergy Renewal Program established in 2000.   Grants up to $50,000 allow 150 congregations each year to fund a sabbatical leave for their pastor.

I first learned about the Lilly Endowment Program for Clergy Renewal in late 2010, more than two years before I was eligible for a sabbatical.  In early 2011, St. Stephens-Bethlehem UCC began its application process by forming a ten-member Sabbatical Planning Team.  The application was submitted in May 2011, and a grant of $49,780 was awarded the following September.  The grant will cover virtually all of the costs of the sabbatical journey, including travel, accommodations, and meals.  It also supports the arts theme of the sabbatical by funding a camera, art supplies, and an Ipad (for blogging.)  The grant will provide the salary of a supply pastor at St. Stephens-Bethlehem in my absence, as well as sabbatical theme-related activities for the congregation from April through June.

I've joked that if we didn't receive the grant, I would probably end up sitting in a tent in the woods for three months.  An exaggeration, maybe, but not too far from the truth!  The Lilly Endowment grant is making possible a once-in-lifetime experience.  I'm still shaking my head in wonder about it!   I will be always remember and be grateful for the generous gift of a forward-looking foundation established over seventy years ago.