Hello Kids Volunteers!

I'm sure you're wondering why you're receiving an email from me. I want to give you an important update over the next few weeks regarding Esther Berry. A couple weeks ago, Esther shared with me and Tiffany Romine that she's been experiencing significant anxiety and fatigue in this season of her life. After chatting with her more in-depth, Tiffany and I believed it was prudent to meet with the Board to discuss quick, practical ways we could support Esther.

As you may know, ministry/clergy roles have some of the highest attrition rates of any career field. Most of those are related to burnout. I can personally attest to the difficulty of leading in the midst of anxiety and severe fatigue. Because ministry almost entirely consists of "pouring out" to others, prioritizing self-care can easily fall through the cracks. It's not intentional, but it happens. Because of those high burnout rates amongst clergy, I strongly believe it's our responsibility as leaders at Inspire to support struggling staff members so they receive the rest they desperately need. Leading from a well-ordered soul is so, so important. I've received this personally, and I was so thankful when people advocated for me.

When I brought these concerns to the Board, I was so proud of how they responded. I want you to know the conversations were filled with care, empathy and action. As a result, the Board unanimously discerned that we should offer Esther a period of four weeks of intentional rest with no work responsibilities, as well as practical ways to support her during that time. Tiffany and I met with Esther to share what the Board discerned and Esther has accepted those four weeks off. That will occur from April 1st to May 1st.

I want you to know that there's no "story-behind-the-story" here. Esther has done nothing wrong and there's no sin we're covering up. Please refrain from creating narratives in your mind that would suggest otherwise. I'm proud of Esther for speaking up and advocating for herself. I believe this time of rest and soul care will have lasting impact for Esther personally, her family, and Inspire.

I'm thankful for each of you as volunteers for how you serve so selflessly. We're asking that you'd each step up during this time so there are no noticeable changes within Inspire Kids. I believe that can happen. We've put together a group of amazing leaders we're calling the "Dream Team" consisting of Sue Vandenberg, Pam Engelsman, Sarah Degen, Carol DeWeerd, Suzie Smalligan, and Nancy Decker to help us navigate next steps and lead areas Esther and Megan each oversee.

We'll communicate more as we have more information, but in the meantime, we're asking you to consider three things:

1. Pray for Esther and her family that they'd receive Divine rest over these few weeks away.

2. Refrain from reaching out to Esther about anything work-related and contact Megan (megan@liveinspired.church) for anything related to Kids Ministry.

3. If you'd like to step up in Kid's Ministry while Esther is away, please contact Megan (megan@liveinspired.church) and she can help make that happen. These sorts of situations offer a great opportunity to make a deeper investment in serving here at Inspire!

If you have any additional questions, you can reach out to me (deprez@liveinspired.church) or Tiffany (tiffany@liveinspired.church).

We're grateful for each of you!

Matthew Deprez and the Inspire Church Board