
In my sermon last Sunday, I spoke about how we are living in a time when we expect leaders to be available 24/7. Both bosses and employees fall into the trap of working anytime they are near the internet, which is all of the time if you have your smart phone with you! How many times have you sent a quick text or email to your office while technically being on vacation? How many times have you watched your kids check their phones on a holiday and wondered why they can't just put the phone down? We live in a time of hyper-connectivity and reward those who give beyond what is healthy even as we expect good self-care.
In the Mark 6 text from last Sunday, we heard Jesus saying to his disciples after they return from their first mission of healing and evangelizing that they needed to get away to rest, that they needed time to eat and take care of themselves after such an intense mission. He too wanted this, and yet was willing to respond to the needs of the people who followed them to that deserted place. The need for self-care and service to others was present even then, and it feels somewhat comforting to know that even Jesus and his disciples struggled to find a balance between work and rest.
I know I struggle to find that balance. Over the past year I have worked more 10-hour days, more 60-hour weeks, and had fewer days off than is good for me. Few will know or see the extra hours as so much of my work these days is about responding to email, planning gatherings and meetings (both near and distant), supporting leaders, and dealing with crises of one kind or another; and that is before the hospital visits and worship prep!
I am aware that, for some, the number of weeks off I get every year feels like too much. Someone asked me recently, "Are you taking another vacation already?" The answer is yes, and I shared what made that possible. I bet you might also want to know more about my time off agreement, particularly if you were not here in 2022 when some changes to my compensation package happened impacting both my salary, vacation and Continuing Ed I get each year.
When we were working on the budget in the fall of 2022, it became clear to me that we would face a significant budget shortfall due to the loss of the CAUSA rent. Rhonda Reibach, our office manager at the time, and I were looking for ways to reduce administrative costs, but it was clear that giving back a portion of my salary was going to be necessary to get us within a realistic range of fundraising in the 2023 budget. During the discussions with the Board about the shortfall, I offered to reduce my salary by $10K, not expecting anything in return. When the Board offered me two additional weeks of vacation, I gratefully accepted this offer. In 2023, my time off went from 4 weeks of vacation and 2 weeks of Continuing Ed to 6 weeks of vacation and 2 weeks of Continuing Ed. My salary and compensation remained the same in the 2024 budget.

For me, the additional time off has allowed me to get back to Maine twice a year to see my family. It has also allowed me to take 10-12 days after Christmas and Easter without cutting into my long-standing two-week trip to Maine in August. And while there is usually a reunion of some sort when I am "home", this year it is about supporting my folks as my step mom recovers from surgery.
Did I say how grateful I am to have this time?
I understand that 6 weeks of vacation and 2 weeks of Continuing Ed adds up to a lot of time away. I also know that online classes and conferences change how CE happens, meaning those two weeks are not weeks but hours here and there. This year I will be gone 6 Sundays total, with CE time spread out over the year. And while I have extended my post Christmas and Easter vacations by a few comp days, I always look to the tempo of the congregation to balance my commitments to you and my commitments to myself. With the exception of the first two weeks of August, the rest of my vacation is determined by when it is best for me to be away from the life and ministry of the church. The pastor's need for rest is always in tension with the needs of the congregation.
All of that said, I am grateful to be reminded that Jesus and his disciples had to deal with struggles around work/life balance. I am grateful that you are a congregation that knows how hard your pastors work. I am grateful that we collaborate to find both what is just compensation and what the limits are of our capacity, both fiscal and physical. That foundation of collaboration will make the next season of discernment around compensation for the Designated Term Pastor more realistic and fair for all.

Sunday night I leave for Maine and will have my cell phone with me. I may not check my email but I will keep praying for you. And while I cannot bring back a lobster to share, I will find a rock, a piece of driftwood, or a periwinkle from the Maine coast to give you as a token of my delight in being your pastor.
Happy August!
Pastor Robin
I see how sincerely and how focused you are at work and one of your blessings is how to balance this intensity with nature, beauty, and time for getting away and resetting. I'm glad we can offer that time to you.