Plans for the Fall

Beloved of Highland Hills,

If you are reading this (always a good start to a letter, right?) then chances are we are well on our way to welcoming our second child. I'm writing this from the comfort of July while the baby is still calmly growing in my belly, but hopefully you are reading it quite a few weeks later.

Highland Hills has a long history of supporting women in ministry from the very first deacon ordinations and ministers on staff, even when it was not the most normal thing to do. When Basil was born, even for the Virginia Baptists I had to compile my own version of a maternity leave. In our denomination, maternity leave is not very common for pastoral staff. It is simply because there are not many women who are both of the age to have children and are serving as senior pastors. So we, dear church, get to do something a little outside the norm.

I like a good plan, and I like sharing plans. Some of you are well versed in what will happen in the next few weeks, and others not as much, but it is better to put it into writing. So this week, I start maternity leave and will be out for the next twelve weeks. Ethan also starts paternity leave, and he will be gone for the next three weeks. In other churches, to have both pastoral staff out might be sheer chaos, but we have been on a journey of practicing shared leadership for two years already. We are blessed to have quite a few practiced and good preachers who will be filling the pulpit when Ethan is gone, or are helping to lighten the load while I am out. We are also incredibly lucky to have Cameron Schroeder doing her internship at the church this fall, and she will be taking on some ministerial responsibilities during this time.

The work of the church will continue on, pretty much just as normal. Wednesday nights and Sunday nights will function as they always do, and ministry will still happen. That's the beauty of shared leadership—it doesn't depend on just one or two people. I know that God will do great things this fall at Highland Hills, even if my fingerprints are not all over it. I'm grateful for the work of our deacons to care for their families, the work of the Coordinating Council to plan meaningful ministry events, and for the work of the Holy Spirit to be our guide, always. Personally, I'm also grateful to serve at a place that gives space for a tender time of healing and bonding with this new family member. I look forward to introducing you all to him!

Grace and Peace,

Caitlin