betwixt

Today I met with my team to strategize. Our supervisor has been asking to meet with us to talk about what next year will look like. We are troubled by the fact that no one has mentioned hiring yet- and with all the planning that we've put in place for next year, we can't feel confident that the leadership won't jump in and try to change it rather than just letting this fabulous team do what they know how to do.
When I took this job, I looked for the "successor file" from the former youth minister- you know, the lists and calendars and maps and info the departing YM had left for me. I found that the former YM had done NO planning for the upcoming year (set to start a few weeks after my first day) - had not put together a schedule, had not hired speakers for the speaker series that was their faith formation program for high school- had not left any lists of teachers, volunteers, or even kids involved in Peer Ministry. The notes she did leave were scant, and useless. One suggestion she left me was that I should have a parent meeting at the beginning of the year, and that I should start that meeting by introducing myself to the parents. Now THAT'S helpful advice.
I started putting together my successor file a year ago- I had no solid plans to leave at that time, but I thought it would be a good idea to have a hard-copy, actual set of information to describe what we've done in my tenure there. I don't use published curricula as-is, so it is good to have something solid to point to when people ask what we're doing. I took pains to show the catechetical sources and direction that influenced all our programming, and put in a lot of supporting reference material.
Everything is all set, ready to go- the main missing parts with me gone will be emceeing-type duties, leader training, and lots of presence. I just hope they'll let it ride for the year, until whoever they hire (whenever they get around to that!) can get their feet underneath them.
It has been hard, getting ready to leave my kids and the great people I've worked with there- and I feel guilty leaving them, knowing it's not going to be easy and they are not supported from "above". But that frustration is exactly why I know I have to leave.