3.5 Months of Sabbatical Time, from February 1-May 18, 2025
For what sabbatical is and how Rev. Nicoline plans to spend her time, see below our FAQ.
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
The sabbatical period can work best for the congregation if all our teams feel encouraged and empowered to carry out their normal work and to use the opportunity to review and strengthen the ways in which they serve the fellowship.
Here some FAQs to help us navigate our time together:
If I reach out to Rev. Nicoline by phone, text or email during her sabbatical, will she get back to me? Unfortunately, no. During sabbatical Rev. Nicoline will not be engaging in communication with fellowship members. Under exceptional circumstances, one of the board delegates will communicate with Rev. Nicoline.
Who do I contact if I need support for a difficult life issue? Contact Dorothy Latta, Commissioned Lay Minister lattadm@gmail.com.
What if there’s a death in the family? Contact Dorothy Latta, Commissioned Lay Minister lattadm@gmail.com. In addition, the Rev. James Galasinski, Minister at the Unitarian Universalist Church of Canton, has offered to officiate should a member of the UUFP need a celebration of life during Rev. Nicoline’s absence. Reach Rev. James at minister@uucantonny.org.
Who can officiate at my wedding? Unfortunately, the fellowship doesn’t have anyone else on staff who is authorized to celebrate weddings. Rev. Nicoline will look forward to speaking with you upon their return, May 18, 2025.
Who do I contact to learn about membership? Reach out to Dorothy Latta, Commissioned Lay Minister lattadm@gmail.com. We are planning to welcome new members on Sunday, April 13, during our 1-:30 a.m. worship service.
Who do I contact to provide feedback about a worship service? Reach out to any of the staff who serve on the Worship Team: Jo El Miano joellen.miano@gmail.com or Jason Murray digitaloutreach@uuplattsburgh.org.
I have some feedback for the fellowship. Who should I speak to? Please reach out to one of the board co-chairs: Connie Shemoshemoconnie@gmail.com or Nicholas Hunt-Bull nicholas@hunt-bull.com.
Who can I talk to about support for my child at the fellowship? Please contact Kris Lutters, our Religious Educator klutters@gmail.com.
I’d like to know more about Fun Fridays. Who should I call? Darlynn Bates is one of the volunteer point people for Fun Fridays: darlynnbates@charter.net
My concern doesn’t fit into any of the categories mentioned above. Who should I contact? Please start by contacting either the Office Administrator, Lisa Bulriss: office@uuplattsburgh.org, or any member of the Sabbatical Planning Team: Nicholas Hunt-Bull nicholas@hunt-bull.com, Dorothy Latta lattadm@gmail.com or Jo El Mianojoellen.miano@gmail.com.
What is a sabbatical?
Context:
As per the Unitarian Universalist Association and the Unitarian Universalist Ministers Association ‘s “Handbook for Sabbatical Leaves for Ministers and Congregations,” the minister’s sabbatical leave is meant to serve a number of purposes:
For the minister, “sabbaticals are neither extended vacations nor tightly structured, highly focused study leaves. Sabbaticals are designed to foster rest, reflection and renewal, a respite in depth … the opportunity not only for formal learning and cultural enrichment but also time for receptivity and reflection. Receptivity opens the way to interior healing, fresh insight and perspective, and possibly a new energy that is less driven, more balanced and productive.”
For the congregation, the minister’s sabbatical can be an opportunity “to explore new ways of doing things, to shift tasks and responsibilities,” to revitalize or develop new capacities among lay leadership, and to use this pause in the relationship to engage in reflection and discernment about the evolution of their identity as a congregation.
Our signed Letter of Agreement with Rev. Nicoline affirms the following:
4.10 Sabbatical Leave: The Minister may use sabbatical leave for study, education, writing, meditation, and other forms of professional, religious, spiritual, or personal growth. Sabbatical leave accrues at the rate of one month per year of service, with leave to be taken after four but before seven years of service. No more than six months of sabbatical leave may be used within any twelve-month period. The thirty-six (36) months that Minister was engaged in 2/3 time ministry to the Congregation (September 2019-August 2022) will be applied towards accrual of time towards sabbatical leave.
Since Rev. Nicoline is eligible for five (5) months of sabbatical as of September 2024, this will leave a remaining six (6) weeks of sabbatical, to be taken by August, 2026.
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Rev. Nicoline’s Approved Plan.
Formal Learning Goals:
- Learn more about American history — both the history of structural, systemic racism, but also histories of resistance and reparations, so as to understand what accountability looks like for a community like ours in Plattsburgh.
- Learn more playful leadership techniques, to better engage people of all ages in the practice of building vital, multi-age community.
Informal learning goals.
- Become better able to grapple with some of life’s deeper spiritual questions, so as to better support both congregants and community.
- Become more grounded in embodied wisdom, since so much of my energy is spent on the “brain” tasks of managing, planning, and above all, producing. I hope that this more spacious sabbatical time will invite in unexpected learnings, deep reflection, playfulness, the ability to reground myself in my spiritual life, and integration.
To these ends I propose organizing my sabbatical around the following:
- February-April 2025, Online. Ten-week training in InterPlay, an embodied leadership practice.
- March 18-21, 2025. Finding Our Way Home, the annual retreat for UU Religious Professionals of Color. Montreat Conference Center, Montreat, NC
- March 24-29, 2025. Low Country Living Legacy Pilgrimage.
- Regular weekly worship with my local Quaker community, to learn from another progressive spiritual tradition and for spiritual deepening.
- Time for rest, reading, writing, spiritual practice and reflection.
Sabbatical Planning Team members are Nicholas Hunt-Bull, Dorothy Latta and Jo El Miano. Together, we are working on issues such as planning for coverage, communications with the congregation, any budget-related issues, and more.
Rev. Nicoline writes, “I honor the fact that many professions do not offer the privilege of a sabbatical, and to that end, I extend my deep appreciation for the fellowship’s willingness to support this process. I look forward to hearing any questions or concerns, to learning what you would like me to reflect on during my time away, and to being able to address these — together with the Sabbatical Planning Team, of course.”
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