Beavercreek United Church of Christ (BUCC) is pleased to welcome Rev. David Zaworski as its interim sabbatical replacement pastor while its current pastor, Rev. Jennifer Seaich, is on leave from June 5th through September 10th, 2022. Pastor Jennifer has plans for travel in Europe and the U.S. to pursue a personal interest in baking, as well as dedicated time for rest and for personal and professional reflection, study, and spiritual renewal. The sabbatical is made possible by a generous grant from the Lilly Endowment, a private foundation, through its Clergy Renewal Program.

Rev. Zaworski has been both a full-time and an intentional interim pastor, serving churches in Forest Grove, Condon, Portland, Enterprise, Pocatello and others. BUCC feels very fortunate to have his experience and steady presence during the sabbatical time.

The Lilly Grant requires a church-focused sabbatical plan and a related series of localized activities by the congregation as well. Using Lilly funds, BUCC has engaged the services of the Rev. Jennifer Garrison (formerly, Brownell) as a consultant to the congregational portion of the grant. In the Lilly grant application, the church wrote, “Our goal for sabbatical renewal is to reflect, reimagine, and rekindle our relationship to the community around us. One outcome is to better understand the spiritual needs of the community in traditional and alternative ways…How do we foster contemporary relationships with the community?”. BUCC is very pleased to have Rev. Garrison with us to facilitate conversations around change, hospitality and outreach.