Erick Olsen to visit Kenya in July

By Sally Quale

After nearly 11 years of service at The Church of Christ Congregational, the Reverend Erick Olsen will be taking his first sabbatical this July, August and September. He returns to the pulpit October 1.

“This will not be a vacation,” he emphasizes, but an opportunity to recharge his batteries with three months of intellectual and spiritual renewal, and the opportunity to focus on a specific topic—The Nature of Community.

Olsen will visit five different communities this summer, studying their structure and how the members of each live and work together. His intent is to return to Norfolk with new ideas for strengthening communication and love among the multi-generational community of the Church of Christ and, through them, the town of Norfolk at large.

Olsen will break new ground upon visiting the first community, Mbakalo, a “Village of Hope” in Kenya. Under the auspices of SOTENI, a non-governmental organization fighting HIV and AIDS in Africa, Olsen’s visit will be the first international mission trip undertaken by Norfolk’s Church of Christ. He and nine other church members will spend two weeks in the village in mid-July.

In addition to working to improve water and housing facilities and getting to know the villagers (most of whom speak English), the church group will also spend time studying the Mbakalo community with Olsen. They will compare and contrast the structure of the community, how the various groups within it relate to and work with each other, and in what ways most successfully. They will also devote time and attention to the large number of village children who are orphans as the result of HIV and AIDS, a continuing scourge throughout Kenya.

Once back from Africa, Olsen will visit four summer church camps sponsored by the Church of Christ Congregational. During the week he spends at each camp, Olsen will work, play and visit with the young campers, the young adult staff and the adult staff. Observing how these different age groups interact and work with each other, and what shared activities are most successful in promoting a strong sense of community within a multi-generational community will be of great help to Olsen.

Upon his return to Norfolk, Olsen will devote his final sabbatical period to reading, writing and preparing to bring new ideas for building community back to his congregation. He envisions the positive effects and influence that a loving and connected community at Norfolk’s Church of Christ can provide not only to themselves, but the entire Norfolk community.

Finally, considering it a sabbatical bonus, Olsen is savoring the extended time this period will give him to spend with his wife, Tina, and children Elias, Ellie and Olivia.