RENEWAL LEAVE 2025

In the summer of 2025, Pastor Patty will take Renewal Leave, from Memorial Day to Labor Day (5/26-9/1). To learn about the ‘why’ behind the leave, read this statement from the Prairie Board from Sept. 2024. These leave’s theme is Silence, Sauntering, and Silence. To learn how Patty is embracing this theme, click here.

Fear not! The Prairie Board and staff have been preparing for this time away behind-the-scenes for a while. We will have leadership in place to make this a smooth, stress-free summer for congregants and visitors alike. While Patty’s welcoming spirit and weekly message will be missed, we will have plenty of folks ready to stand-in in a number of ways and make Prairie the open, welcoming, loving campus that we have always been!

Questions? Check out the FAQ below and please reach out to PrairieLayLeader@fumc-cs.org for any additional information.

VIDEO ANNOUNCEMENT

We made this video as our Lily Grant application (and we got the grant!) back in March 2024. To learn more from our board (and Pastor Patty herself!) check out the video!

Journey with Patty through our summer of renewal activities! 

Pastor Patty will be on renewal leave from Memorial Day to Labor Day 2025 to engage in a time of spiritual deepening. Part of how we will stay connected to Patty while she is on renewal leave is through a series of activities and events designed to mirror her themes of Silence, Sauntering, and Saints. These events will help us engage in times of reflection and adventure, just as Patty and her family will be immersed in their summertime of rest and reflection. These special events will invite us to deepen our connections to one another and our faith.

In addition to our Sunday worship, the following events and activities are planned. Save the dates! Please stay tuned for more info and registration opportunities!

 

SILENCE

Labyrinth Journey begins June 8th at worship!

As Patty has shared on many occasions, silence and meditation practices have been deeply meaningful to her spiritual journey. Now you can explore local resources and deepen your own contemplative practices. Join the “Silence Team” to learn about walking the labyrinth and centering prayer. Whether these practices are new to you or part of your routine, please come join us as we journey with Patty from afar. More resources to come, but save these dates!

 June 8, after worship, a portable labyrinth will be available in the cafeteria

 Three local labyrinth walks (a member of the silence team will be there to host and accompany you):

            Benet Pines Retreat Center: Outdoor Labyrinth, June 25th @ 9:30 am

            The Grass Labyrinth: Outdoors, July 19th @ 9:30 am

            Colorado College – Shrove Memorial Chapel, August 24th @ 4:00 pm

 Centering Prayer, August 6th in the evening

An evening of contemplative practice will be facilitated by Sr. Íte at the home of Jill and Jay Sawyer. Come learn a new way to connect with the divine or gather with those who share your passion for prayerful practices. 

SAINTS

The Surprising Lives of Christian Saints – Every Sunday Beginning June 1, before worship at 9:00 

Journey with Patty and Prairie People as we learn about the surprising lives of saints. These Sunday morning offerings are available to “drop-in” at any point in the summer series. A schedule of the upcoming Sunday Saints will be available shortly. Rm 149 at BLPA.

Allegiance Movie Night – June 9th, 6:30 pm. The film is a musical inspired by stories from actor George Takei’s life, specifically during World War II when Takei and his family, along with 120,000 Japanese and Japanese-American citizens, were incarcerated in camps within the United States. Sign-ups will be available at worship soon.

Pilgrimage to Camp Amache, Granada, CO June 27th-28th  Online registration opens May 15th!

This local pilgrimage will serve to mirror Patty’s family visit to Dachau Concentration Camp in Germany. Colorado is home to the Amache Internment Camp, where nearly 10,000 Americans of Japanese descent were held in captivity during WWII. Forcibly removed from their homes, they lost their land and livelihoods. Recently designated as a National Historic Site, Camp Amache is part of a larger landscape of the history of discrimination in the U.S. The preservation of the camp in a desolate part of Colorado serves to help us all reckon with a part of our shared legacy of the human capacity to wound one another.

SAUNTERING

All-Church Gathering, July 11-12 at John Wesley Ranch 

Join us for a congregational gathering at the beautiful ranch in Divide, CO. There will be activities for kids, families, and adults. Camping under the stars is an option, as are limited overnight accommodations on site. Come for the night. Come for a day. Just come up and wander, play, and connect with friends and our church family. Online Registration opens May 15th!

Forest bathing, August 23rd, Fox Run Regional Park

Forest bathing? What’s that? In the spirit of sauntering, join us for an immersive experience in nature. Unwind into nature’s wonders on a mindful Forest Bathing (Shinrin-Yoku) walk, a wellness practice rooted in Japan that connects people with the natural world in a healing, personal way. Sign-ups will be at worship.

 Come join the fun! Come journey with Patty! Come learn new things and make new friends! It’s the Prairie Way! More details will be coming soon!

  • Patty will be on renewal leave from Memorial Day through Labor Day of 2025.

  • Rev. Steve Burnett has agreed to serve as an official clergy representative as needed. The staff are working on a plan to coordinate all Prairie Campus activities and Sunday services along with the renewal leave team (Steve Burnett, Steve Earnshaw, Cathy Eskew, Diane Williams, Marlene Bjornsrud, and Corey Kidwell).

  • FUMC-Prairie Campus will be supported by members of our congregation including clergy and lay members. We expect to invite outside clergy and other speakers to guest preach as well on Patty’s themes of Silence, Sauntering, and Saints.

  • This is a very important component of life at FUMC-Prairie Campus. The renewal team is working on a variety of strategies to support a warm and heartfelt welcome of visitors and newcomers during Patty’s absence.

  • If there is a serious emergency, Rev. Eric Strader is the administrative pastor for the downtown campus whose responsibility, even now, includes support with unexpected adverse events.

  • Patty will get a complete break from communication with congregation members so that she can fully engage in her spiritual journey.

  • Each of the three renewal themes: Silence, Saints, and Sauntering, will have activities offered to mirror Patty’s journey. Please watch for details on the signature events.

    An All-Church Campout is scheduled for July 11-23, 2025.

    A pilgrimage to the Amache Historical site of Japanese internment in Colorado is TBD.

    There will be a number of contemplative offerings including a silent retreat still TBD.

  • Yes! Patty is engaging in this renewal for us as well as herself. The Lilly grant requires that the pastor returns to the congregation for at least one year after the leave is completed. Bishop Oliveto confirmed this commitment as part of the grant application.

  • Patty is working with the planning team (clergy members Steve Burnett, Steve Earnshaw, Cathy Eskew, and lay members Diane Williams, Marlene Bjornsrud, and Corey Kidwell), staff, the Prairie Board, and others to develop a solid plan for the renewal leave. Patty remains our pastor and will drive all decision-making. During the leave, staff and congregational leadership will respond to any needs that might alter the plan (weather, illness, etc.)

  • Yes! In addition to our existing opportunities for spiritual growth (fellowship groups, book studies, small groups, shared attendance at community events), there will also be thematic activities tied to the concepts of silence, saints, and sauntering. These might include opportunities for meeting “off campus” outside of Sunday worship time and include visits to local/regional sacred places and historically significant sites.

  • Patty’s salary will continue to be paid per her contract. The Lilly grant will cover approximately $41,000 of additional expenses for Patty’s activities during the leave (transportation, housing, travel costs, etc.) and $19,000 for congregational expenses (staff coverage, speaker costs, field trips, supplies for activities, etc.).

  • The successful award of the Clergy Renewal Grant from the Lilly Foundation is anticipated to cover the costs associated with the renewal.

  • There may be an impact financially if summer attendance drops more than typical in the summer or people choose not to give during that time.

  • The Lilly funds will be divided between funding for the pastor’s activities and congregational expenses and activities.

  • Yes! Church will continue to be held at the Prairie Campus on Sundays at 10:00 am. This time of worship is important to us as a community and will also be important for newcomers seeking an inclusive, Christ-centered community to connect with in Colorado Springs.

  • Part of getting ready is beginning to communicate this opportunity early and openly. This allows us time to gather ideas, make flexible plans for the renewal time, dive deeper into the themes with Patty in advance of her leave, and practice some of the spiritual disciplines (silence, sauntering, meditation, and more) with Patty before she leaves. With plenty of “lead time,” we will be better prepared to journey with her from afar and share in our collective love and appreciation for our pastor and our community.

  • Patty and Roger are making plans to make sure Theo is well taken care of when they are away.

  • Please ask questions! This is a document that will be updated. Send additional questions to PrairieLayLeader@FUMC-CS.org.