Good Boundaries during Maternity Leave & Sabbatical

2022 has already been a big year for the people of Saint James

as life gets back to normal after more than two years of a world-wide pandemic.

Soon I will be leaving on a pandemic-delayed Sabbatical (May 16-September 5).

And then (sometime around July 1) our Vicar will have a new baby and enjoy a 6-week maternity leave. These two events will overlap each other.

During Pastor Bill’s sabbatical, The Reverend Sarah Trone Garriott will be serving the people of Saint James. She will be preaching often and will be our first call for emergencies. If and when Pastor Sarah is unavailable, other staff or supply pastors will be on-call.

Because Vicar Tori is learning how to be a healthy pastor in a healthy congregation, we want to demonstrate a healthy approach to her maternity leave and my sabbatical. This means, that members of Saint James should not call, text or email Pastor or Vicar during their time away. New parents and pastors on sabbatical need their time away to be healthy individuals and leaders.

If a member of Saint James has a message that would ordinarily be directed to Pastor or Vicar, that message should be directed to Linda Queck at (515) 276-0134 or Steward@StJamesJohnston.org. Our church’s phone number has an Emergency option that will be forwarded to a designated person during Pastor and Vicar’s overlapping absences.

Thank you for being a healthy congregation. And thank you for helping to prepare another healthy pastor for the Church.

Peace,

Pastor Bill

April 11, 2022

©️ 2022, Pastor Bill Bernau.