Short was among 132 pastors to receive the award from the Endowment’s National Clergy Renewal Program, which provides grants for pastors to take sabbaticals.
Short intends to use the grant to fund his study of ancient Celtic Christianity during a 12-week sabbatical beginning mid-July 2008. He will travel to Celtic monastic sites in England, Scotland, and Ireland. Some of that time will be spent on the islands of Lindsfarne and Iona. Short also will study at the Tearmann Spirituality Centre in Glendalough, Scotland, and the St. Deiniol’s Library in Wales.
“I like how Celtic Christianity integrated the gospel into the culture around them,” Short says. “They had a very missional mindset.” He notes that the Celts were ministering to a culture that was indifferent or hostile to Christianity. “I think they have a lot to say to us in the 21st Century.”
The first two weeks will be spent vacationing with his wife, Kathleen, three daughters and two son-in-laws. Kathleen will accompany him throughout his sabbatical. “Lilly really presses you to include family,” Short says.
He is the second Covenant pastor in two years to receive the grant. Earlier this year, Bruce Metcalf, pastor of Hilmar Covenant Church, used a $45,000 grant to fund studies in Israel and other locations along the journeys of the Apostle Paul.
During Short’s absence, guest speakers will fill the pulpit and help the congregation further consider what it means to be missional in contemporary society.
The Endowment seeks to “strengthen Christian congregations by providing opportunities for the pastor to step away briefly from the persistent obligations of daily parish life and to engage in a period of renewal and reflection.” It is not part of the Covenant’s Sustaining Pastoral Excellence program or North Park Theological Seminary’s Making Connections initiative, both of which Lilly funded.
