Is Charlie Here or Away?
Wednesday, June 25th, 2008In the recently-completed congregational evaluation of the senior minister, a couple of respondents commented on my time off. One wrote: “Vacation/sabbaticals/times off feel excessive to ordinary folks who don’t get such breaks from work.” That is likely true, and since I will be away so much of July, I thought this would be a good time to discuss my time off. I’m not attempting to be defensive; simply explanatory.
I receive four weeks of vacation a year. For 2008, Peggy took me to Hawaii April 7-15 to celebrate my 60th birthday. We are driving to Oregon July 23-August 5 to see the Shakespeare Festival, visit our daughter Emily in Portland, and visit church families, the Mowers and Atkins in Bend and Black Butte Ranch. We have booked a week in Palm Desert October 6-13.
Additionally, from June 30-July 3, our family is flying to Wisconsin to attend my brother-in-law’s memorial service. July 13-19 I will be spending my 21st consecutive year as a cabin counselor for Minis at Pilgrim Pines. In 1988, the Board of Stewards determined that is not a week of vacation, but a week of work among our church youth.
I grant you that absences from the pulpit during the time we have no associate minister seem like I am away more than normal, since the Worship Commission arranges for either the Revs. Don Westerland or Laverne Joseph to lead worship. I was away on January 13 with our confirmation youth at Sky Forest, but came back early from their retreat weekend at Pilgrim Pines on March 2 to lead communion.
For the past 30 years, my churches have granted me sabbatical leave, based on three months for every five years of service. I have used that time to take continuing education courses at seminary, read, plan sermons, visit seminary classmates in their churches on the East coast, and, on a 2006 trip to England, visit eight churches in ten days! I twice took all three months together, along with my vacation, but found that too long. In 2006, the Board allowed me to spread my three months over February and October 2006, and
October 2007. I thought these shorter absences would be more helpful to the church.
I typically work six days most weeks, and come back several evenings for meetings. (Which, of course, our volunteers come to after a day’s work!) My day off has been Monday for 35 years, and for all the Monday three-day weekends, I never take a compensatory day off. There’s always a Carillon deadline on Tuesday! I always have my cell phone on to be contacted. This year, while in the desert and Hawaii, I was called to schedule memorial services upon my return. And, like most ministers, doctors, funeral directors, I’m on call around the clock for crises, prayers at hospital bedsides, and deaths.
I hope this explanation is helpful to understand my work schedule. It often feels to me that I’m always here, but I can understand that others might not see it that way.
Charlie Ensley
Senior Minister