{"id":5483,"date":"2021-10-28T12:27:47","date_gmt":"2021-10-28T16:27:47","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.wellspringsuu.org\/new\/?p=5483"},"modified":"2022-07-11T18:46:04","modified_gmt":"2022-07-11T22:46:04","slug":"a-letter-from-our-board-of-trustees-and-rev-lee","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.wellspringsuu.org\/new\/a-letter-from-our-board-of-trustees-and-rev-lee\/","title":{"rendered":"A Letter From Our Board of Trustees and Rev. Lee"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Dear WellSprings,

The last year and a half of uncertainty and constant change has impacted so much in so many ways, some of which are still emergent. We are so grateful for the resilience of WellSprings throughout this time, which is in large part due to Reverend Lee\u2019s skillful and steady leadership. We are also grateful to Reverend Lee for courageously and clearly communicating her need to slow her work pace over the next six months to begin to recover from the effects of this extended period of stress as she discusses in detail in the communication below.

Her plan focuses on maintaining the aspects of the Executive Minister role that are most essential to the continued health of the congregation. There will be clear communication, on days that Reverend Lee is not available, about who to contact for various needs. It is our hope that over the course of these next six months, we will collectively find ways to move further toward Shared Ministry, in which our ministers, staff, lay leadership, and congregational volunteers all work collaboratively in covenant with mutual trust and support toward our common vision and set of goals.

As always, we welcome your feedback \u2013 please don\u2019t hesitate to reach out to us with comments, questions or concerns at board@wellspringsuu.org<\/a>, or contact us individually through Realm.

Sincerely,

Your Board of Trustees<\/em>
Bill Cabin, Chris Chepel, Julie Choi, Chris Groppe, Tonie Scullion, Tiffany Shoffner<\/em>
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Dear WellSprings,<\/p>\n\n\n\n


In early September, I heard myself say to a colleague: \u201cI am dancing on the edge of burnout.\u201d Like all of us, I\u2019ve been through periods of stress in my life, and bad moods that come and go. This was different. It was a feeling that had been building consistently, over this past year.

\u201cBurnout\u201d is a term I\u2019ve always heard thrown around, but I\u2019d never explored its precise meaning. When I began to search for resources on burnout \u2013 what doctors and therapists say about it\u2019s causes, progression, and effects \u2013 I could see clearly that I was experiencing the signs, and that this was different from run-of-the-mill stress.

I was not feeling this way before last year \u2013 and I want you all to know, this is not your fault. Nearly every day since March 2020 has asked extraordinary things of all of us. Over time, that has simply taken a toll on me. My body, mind, and heart are increasingly finding ways to let me know I can\u2019t keep going on, without attending to that toll.

I reached out to our Board of Trustees, and I\u2019m so grateful for how kindly they received me. I wish we all had a workplace culture like the one here at WellSprings, and supervisors as dedicated and supportive as our Board. I\u2019ve asked for some accommodations, for a six-month period, that will help me recover, slow my pace, and take time to do what\u2019s necessary to reverse the trajectory of burnout and return to a much more whole and healthy place:
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