Renewal Leave Begins in 35 Days! (Not Like Anybody Is Counting)
/I wanted to update you about renewal leave. The church council/renewal leave team have been working hard behind the scenes to put things in place and I am delighted to report that all our Sundays are covered! As Kristina reminded us in council last Thursday, part of CTS/Lilly’s thinking around clergy renewal leave is that the minister AND THE CHURCH can experience renewal. And getting things in place to run smoothly while I am away will create the opportunity for the community to have that experience.
While I am on leave, Rev. Kathy, Jackie, and Steve will be facilitating worship. Steve and Kirk will be sharing music. Jennifer and Steve will be providing special spiritual practice experiences, and Jackie will be preaching and Kristina providing backup if needed. We also have a great slate of guest preachers including Rev. Melissa Tumaneng (Associate Conference Minister), Rev. Dr. Monica Cross, Rev. Dr. Laura Jean Torgerson, Rev. Rhina Ramos, and Rev. Paul Gaffney. And as you now know, we have called Rev. Kathy Cramer to be our sabbatical minister. Rev. Kathy will be with us on April 26 to observe worship, and Council Leadership and I are having Zoom conversations with her to bring her up to speed. If you have not seen our introduction of Rev. Kathy, you can see it here: Meet our Sabbatical Minister — United Church of Hayward
Our field trip to Filoli Gardens will be Sunday, May 31. Kristina will be writing a separate Updates article to give you more information about, and how to opt in with your preferences for rides, lunch, times, etc. within the next couple of weeks. All expenses for this excursion are covered by our CTS/Lilly grant. For those of you that do not live in the south Hayward area, we are hoping you can also spend time out in nature on this day in your location, so we can share observations and perhaps do a spiritual exercise together with Rev. Kathy when we return to Zoom worship on June 7.
I also wanted to help us prepare our hearts for renewal leave together. So, I have designed a worship series based on the five things we identified in our congregational survey that make our hearts sing, which was the renewal leave proposal theme.
Spring 2026 Post Holy Week Sermon Series Theme: “What Makes Our Hearts Sing?”
April 19: What Makes Our Hearts Sing? Spiritual Connection and Spiritual Practices (Resurrection Appearance #2): John 20: 18-29. When Jesus shows up in the upper room after his resurrection, several things happen that point us toward deeper spiritual connection and practice. He makes connections in this pivotal story between breathing, the holy spirit, and peace. Join us for conversation and a group “Lectio Divina” practice on this passage as we talk about what this may show us about Jesus’ spirituality and about what makes their (and our) hearts sing on the journey. You ‘all will be doing some new spiritual practices during renewal leave. And I will be practicing the Greek Orthodox “Jesus Prayer” in preparation for our visit to Greece and a form of Sufi prayer with my prayer beads called “Tasbih/Dhikr” in preparation for our visit to Turkey. So, this feels like an effective way to get our feet in the water.
April 26: What Makes Our Hearts Sing? Being Creative/Making Things and Enjoying What Others Have Made. Exodus 35. It is no accident that our “Virtual Art Wall” in Updates from the Journey has been popular. At UCH it makes our hearts sing to participate in creation with God, and to enjoy what others have created. You know photography is my artform, and it is central in my renewal leave proposal. But I am also- inspired by Laurie- going to try a new beginner project by trying some watercolors based on my photography. I do want to be clear that heart singing creation is not just about art- it’s also about the skills and beauty that create community. Join us for a conversation about Exodus 35 in which “stirred hearts and willing spirits” create the first tabernacle together by bringing time, talent, and treasure of all kinds forward for an incredibly important community project.
May 3: What Makes Our Hearts Sing? Living Into Jesus’ call for a relational life and getting to know our neighbors and each other better. I Corinthians 13. We are familiar with Jesus calling for us to “Love God with heart, soul, mind, and strength and neighbor as self” which shows up in one way or another in all the Gospels. But did you know that Paul (in one of his most openhearted, spiritually connected moments) also has something important to say about being in relationship? I will be visiting the agora of Old Corinth on renewal leave (where this letter Paul sent may have first been read) and have been thinking about the Corinthian church. So, we are going to dive into I Corinthians 13 in which Paul talks very poetically about the greatest relational calling, “love.” This is more than just a popular wedding reading. So, join us for deeper conversation about the “Heart Singing (and Shaping)” aspects of relationship, loving, boundaries, and “looking through the glass dimly” before we can “see face to face.” (I will also bring Rumi, who wrote some of the most beautiful poetry in the world about his relationship to the Divine and his beloved Shams Tabriz into this conversation- as we will be visiting his shrine, and learning more about the Sufi tradition in Konya, Turkey on renewal leave.)
May 10: What Makes Our Hearts Sing? Learning New Things Together: Romans 12. Most of us would not list vulnerability and change as things that make our hearts sing. But our survey indicated that “Learning New Things Together” is heart singing activity- even though that activity can be full of vulnerability and change. I find tension worth a deep dive, especially since I am going to be putting myself in completely unfamiliar places and cultural situations, I am unfamiliar with on renewal leave, and so are you. Paul has some incredibly astute things to say about learning new things and embracing new ways of thinking in Romans 12. Join us as we deep dive into a practice that might make a tremendous amount of difference in our lives: Paul’s invitation to the “renewing our minds.”
May 17: What Makes Our Hearts Sing? Being Out in Nature and Finding God There. Psalm 104. The Psalms are full of natural images, and we are clear that noticing God in nature makes our hearts sing. Nature can be beautiful, and breathtaking, and intimidating and scary (which is the nature of spiritual mysteries). Join us for conversation about the elements of creation (earth, air, fire, water, and spirit) that feature so prominently in Psalm 104, and for reflection on the wisdom of getting outside, whether that is on a windswept Big Sur coastal walk (I am opening my renewal leave with a 12 day silent retreat at the New Camaldoli Hermitage in Big Sur), or watching the birds in your yard.
May 24: Pentecost. Acts 2 Celebration and Sending Forth of Rev. Jeanne (and Clive and Christy) to renewal leave. Blessing of Rev. Kathy as she steps in to serve as our sabbatical. minister. More details to come.
If you have additional questions about renewal leave, please contact Kristina. Thank you for giving me this incredible opportunity for sabbatical renewal. It is my hope that with all of the excellent work that we have done, we are setting this up for the congregation to experience renewal too.
– Rev. Jeanne
