Although she will be spending some time away, Rev. Amy Lignitz-Harken’s sabbatical is all about “Coming Home.” The pastor of Mattapoisett Congregational Church will spend three-months away from her congregation, a common practice to give clergy rest, usually after five years of service.

“Ministers tend to be quiet and reflective. The day-to-day life of a minister can be very hectic and very unpredictable,” said Lignitz-Harken.

The reverend applied for and received a clergy renewal grant from the Lilly Endowment that will allow her, and her husband Bruce, to spend time traveling and exploring their interests, while also supporting the church while she’s gone.

“They do expect some intentional time of rest and reflection, doing things that really feed your spirit,” Lignitz-Harken said of the endowment. “Part of what they want you to do is reestablish those healthy rhythms that get you back in the practice of doing things that feed your spirit.”

For her, that means focusing on writing.

“That’s always been a passion of mine,” she said.

Originally from the Midwest, Lignitz-Harken was a journalist before entering the ministry about 13 years ago. She received her masters of divinity but also said, “I thought I would write the great American novel.”

Fiction didn’t turn out to be her forte, but she has published two study guides, and of course, writes a sermon each week. Having time to write more than a six-page essay for Sundays, however, is a challenge in her line of work where she can go weeks without a real day off.

With her sabbatical, which begins in August, the pastor will attend a spiritual retreat in Wales and two weeks of writing workshops at the New Mexico retreat center Ghost Ranch.

Owned by the Presbyterian Church, Lignitz-Harken said, “I wanted to do writing workshops in a spiritually supportive place.”

The sabbatical will also include traveling in Europe, a road trip across the U.S. and connecting with family and friends in the Kansas City area.

Throughout the time, Lignitz-Harken hopes to tap into the tradition of spiritual literature that helps people connect to God.

“I think there’s a need – people hunger for a sense of God,” she said. “If there’s a way to talk about that in a way that’s compelling and simple and graceful that would be helpful to people, accessible, meaningful, that’s what I hope to do.”

While Lignitz-Harken and her husband are away, the church will also focus on the Coming Home theme. Part of the Lilly Endowment grant goes to the church to support activities in the pastor’s absence.

During the three months she is away, the church will explore the community as a whole, from the history to its place in Mattapoisett. A series of Coming Home events are already planned, beginning with old-fashioned games, stories and a picnic on July 27. There will also be a session on opiate abuse, nature walks and community workshops before Lignitz-Harken returns to the pulpit on Nov. 13.

Lignitz-Harken said the church’s Coming Home focus will hopefully mirror her own journey over the next three months.

“The intentions is that these are compatible, so when you come together, you can both have grown in a similar way.”