Rector's Sabbatical Update
Dear All Saints Family,
A lot is happening in and around All Saints Church these days—stewardship season, confirmations, baptisms, interviews for our Youth Pastor position, Pentecost this Sunday, preparations for our June 15 Budget Meeting, and plenty of behind-the-scenes work on our church building search! It’s clear that God is at work in our community, and we are doing our best to be faithful stewards of all He has entrusted to us.
With so much going on, you may have forgotten that our Rector, The Rev’d Chris Schutte, will begin his sabbatical this summer! Chris has faithfully led All Saints for the past seven years, and we’re grateful he’ll have this opportunity for rest and renewal. We’ll send him off with our prayers on Sunday, June 15, at both of our morning services. Then, immediately following the 10:00 a.m. Budget Meeting, we’ll have a brief Farewell Celebration. We hope you’ll join us!
We want to take a moment to explain what a sabbatical is—and what it isn’t. A sabbatical isn’t simply a three-month vacation on a beach somewhere. Rather, its purpose is to renew a pastor’s heart and mind for long-term ministry within the congregation. It also provides time for rest, reflection, and family connection, and often helps establish sustainable rhythms for life and ministry moving forward.
What Happens While Chris Is Away?
We know some may be wondering how the church will function in Chris’s absence. Please rest assured that our seasoned and capable staff have been planning for this for months and are ready to ensure everything runs smoothly.
Julie Kelly-Stump, our Executive Pastor, will lead the staff and oversee day-to-day leadership alongside our pastoral and volunteer leaders.
Our clergy team remains available for pastoral care, and we’ve created a summer pastoral care plan. One clergy member will always be on call for emergencies. To reach them, simply email pastoralcare@allsaints-chd.org.
To prevent staff overload, we’re thoughtfully distributing responsibilities and leaning on volunteers and our intern for extra support. For example, Maria Cook, our summer seminarian, will lead the weekly Women’s Bible Study on Wednesdays at 10:00 a.m., reading The Liturgy of the Ordinary by Tish Harrison Warren. All women are welcome!
Ministry & Church Life Continue
Our ministry life will continue as usual:
The Vestry will vote on the budget this Tuesday and we will present it to the congregation via this weekly newsletter, in advance of the June 15th Budget Meeting for a congregational vote.
The Youth Pastor search is progressing, with an offer expected to be extended early next week. Travis Wilson will continue leading the youth through the end of July, after which the new hire will step in.
Our Sunday preaching will remain rich and varied. You’ll hear from many of our gifted clergy and lay preachers, and we’ve also invited a few guest preachers, including some former rectors, to join us this summer.
What About the Building Search?
The building search will continue during Chris’s sabbatical. As shared last Sunday, we’ve submitted a Letter of Intent (LOI) to explore the potential purchase of a former Methodist church in Durham, and we’re still awaiting a response. Julie Kelly-Stump and Paul Gramman, who have led this effort for several years, will continue to do so in Chris’s absence.
We are also preparing legal documents to ensure we can move forward with any necessary steps—even if a decision arises while Chris is away—particularly in light of his overseas travel plans. Chris will be fully aware of any property purchases made during his sabbatical, even though he may not be present to sign or authorize them personally. If another promising property were to hit the market or seem like a better fit for our church, we would not hesitate to reach out to him.
To honor the purpose of his sabbatical, however, we do intend to limit communication with Chris as much as possible. Julie and Hannah Ostoj, our Senior Warden, are the only people with access to his temporary contact information and will reach out only in the case of a true emergency.
Summer Life Together
We also have some fun and meaningful opportunities planned for the summer, and we look forward to sharing more details soon! Highlights include a church-wide outing to a Durham Bulls game, children’s ministry pool parties, new summer small groups, and Faith Formation classes.
In the spirit of sabbatical, we’ll also be inviting the whole church to reflect on the spiritual call to rest and renewal. We’ll be reading a book together that explores these themes in Scripture and daily life—we hope you’ll consider joining us as we learn and grow together in this season.
A Word About Leadership
The Vestry—led by Senior Warden Hannah Ostoj and Junior Warden Jeff Krieg—will continue to provide oversight of our church’s finances and governance. Our Anglican polity intentionally shares leadership among the Rector, clergy, staff, and Vestry. We are blessed with wise, capable leaders in each of these roles, and we are confident the church is in good hands this summer.
If you have any questions or concerns, please don’t hesitate to reach out to Hannah, Jeff, or Julie.
With gratitude,
Hannah Ostoj, Senior Warden
Jeff Krieg, Junior Warden
The Rev’d Julie Kelly-Stump, Executive Pastor
