Episcopal Church Foundation Vestry Papers - for leading congregations

I love the holidays. I enjoy Advent candles and the Christmas decorations, picking out a tree, the midnight service on Christmas Eve. And, I occasionally find them stressful. There’s always a lot to do. As an employee of the church I’ve had to print all the extra bulletins, make sure we had plenty of candles and other advent supplies, and prepare for Christmas, in addition to my own personal Christmas preparations. Most years I had a long to-do list.

It’s at times like these that we should strive to be conscious of the needs of the congregation. It’s easy to get caught up in the tasks that await us or to focus on our own families and neglect the church family. This may not be true of everyone, but I have found that, as a church employee, when I have a long to-do list, answering requests from parishioners goes down on my list of priorities. I’m more worried about checking all the immediate tasks off the list then attending to the less concrete needs of the congregation. I can become more concerned with the Christmas bulletins rather than considering whether parishioners have the support they need during what can be a difficult season for some people.

For many there’s an added level of stress and often depression that accompanies the usual business of this time of year: Emotions that come from a difficult family situation or loneliness. The church should be supporting its members in what can be both a joyous and a difficult time of year. The church can be a family for those without family, and a haven for those in need of one.

This means being gentle with parishioners and staff members as much as possible. Perhaps asking about holiday plans if appropriate, and doing what we can so that someone needing support and a place to be during the holidays has one. It means making sure that the staff workload is manageable, and encouraging everyone to ask for help when they need it.

Christmas is a celebration of the beginning of the body of Christ, and we should remember to take care of that body despite the extra amount of work we need to do.