What It Takes to Leave the Office for a Week
Leaving the office for a week sounds easy. Turn on the out-of-office, shut off the computer, and disappear before someone remembers one last thing they need from you.
The trick is making sure the place keeps functioning after your dramatic exit.
Before you leave, delegate the important stuff, explain who is responsible for what, and make sure people know where to find the information they need. Ideally, this prevents anyone from texting you with, “Quick question…” while you’re away from home knee deep into your conference wondering when the next coffee break is!
Set your out-of-office message and resist the urge to make yourself available for every minor crisis. If someone needs you to approve a colour choice in a spreadsheet while you’re learning about AI and eating pizza, that’s probably not an emergency.
Then comes the hardest part: trust your Minister. They may do things differently while you’re gone. That’s okay. If the work gets done, everyone is happy, and nobody accidentally sells the building, you’ve got nothing to worry about.
And when you return, there will be emails. Lots of emails. Probably enough emails to make you question whether leaving was worth it.
It was.
Prepare well, delegate confidently, disconnect completely, and enjoy the week. The inbox will still be there when you get back—patiently waiting to ruin everything you just learnt about taking a breath and not sweating the small stuff!
St. Paul’s Weekly Update
October 4 – Tanis – Virden. This will be our Thanksgiving service with communion. There will be Sunday School. St. Paul’s is worshipping at the homes – Westman 2pm and the Sherwood 3pm. Extra voices are always welcome to come along to help with singing hymns. It is also Food Cupboard Sunday and we invite you to bring a non – perishable food item for our hamper.
October 5-9 – LeAnne is out of the office and will be in Saskatoon attending the United Church Office Workers Conference. Should you need immediate assistance during this time please contact Tanis at 204-851-5505 or at vrdnstp.minister@gmail.com.
October 11 – Tanis will be worshipping in Griswold and Oak Lake.
October 12 – The church office is closed for Thanksgiving.
October 14 – 1:30pm SAIL Sing Along at St. Paul’s
October 15 – 11:00am Finance Committee
Church Office Hours – The church office is now open Monday – Thursday at regular hours of 9am – 12pm & 1-3pm.
Knit or Knot -Starting Tuesday, September 22, the knitting & Crafting Group will begin meeting again after our summer break! 2:00pm in the upper hall.
knitting isn’t your thing? No problem! Come and join us for the fellowship, fun, and good company. Bring your needlepoint, card making, or whatever craft interests you. So gather up your crafting supplies, bring your project, and come join us for an afternoon of creativity, laughter, and fellowship! Everyone is welcome!
Coffee Time – Join us Thursday mornings at 10:00am for a time of coffee and fellowship! This is open to everyone and all are welcome!
Food Cupboard Sunday – The first Sunday of the month is Food Cupboard Sunday and we invite you to bring a non-perishable food item for the Virden & Area Food Cupboard.
ALF Youth Retreat – Minnedosa, MB – Oct 23 to 25, 2026 – Faith in Film
Calling all grade 7 to 12s from Prairie to Pine Region (and beyond) to explore with peers for a weekend how movies inform our faith. If this interests your or you know someone in this age category that are interested in attending please let me know.
Registration Open: Click here for info Any youth from St. Paul’s who wish to attend will have their registration fee reimbursed. Registration deadline is October 12, 2026.
Change for Change Campaign – How is everyone’s change collecting coming along? Are your bags full? Change bags are due back in for Sunday, October 4.
The Outreach Committee is inviting everyone to collect their loose change over the summer and donate it to the Mission & Service Fund. Lovely decorated collection bags are available at the church, or you may use a bag of your own. Please return your collected change by the end of September. If you would like your donation included on your year-end tax receipt, please be sure to clearly label your bag with your name.
If you are not into collecting coins, our campaign is online also… help us turn change into change! Click here to help https://www.canadahelps.org/en/charities/119197150RR0001-st-pauls-united-church/p2p/change-for-change
