EL DORADO HILLS, CA (October 10, 2007) \u2013 The Lilly Endowment announced Friday that it has awarded a $42,000 grant to Ron Short, pastor of Lakehills Covenant Church.<\/p>\n
Short was among 132 pastors to receive the award from the Endowment\u2019s National Clergy Renewal Program, which provides grants for pastors to take sabbaticals.<\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n
\u201cI like how Celtic Christianity integrated the gospel into the culture around them,\u201d Short says. \u201cThey had a very missional mindset.\u201d He notes that the Celts were ministering to a culture that was indifferent or hostile to Christianity. \u201cI think they have a lot to say to us in the 21st Century.\u201d<\/p>\n
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. \u201cLilly really presses you to include family,\u201d Short says.<\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n
During Short\u2019s absence, guest speakers will fill the pulpit and help the congregation further consider what it means to be missional in contemporary society.<\/p>\n
The Endowment seeks to \u201cstrengthen 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.\u201d It is not part of the Covenant\u2019s Sustaining Pastoral Excellence program or North Park Theological Seminary’s Making Connections initiative, both of which Lilly funded.<\/p>\n