OK, so in the wisdom of the council, given financial realities, a member of the presbytery staff has to be laid off. You’ve known that person and appreciated his or her work. You don’t have a solution for the financial challenges that your presbytery confronts, but you do want to acknowledge the good work of the person that has been laid off. What do you do?
I want to suggest three actions that you can take on behalf of your colleague. First, get in touch with them — preferably in person but at least by phone and express your feelings of sorrow concerning their being laid off. Think through that conversation ahead of time. It is not your place to either defend or express anger at the presbytery’s decision. That might be appropriate at another time, but in this moment, you need to simply be present to a colleague. If they need to vent, be prepared to listen, but mostly you need to simply tell them that you are sorry that this has happened and that you will have them in your prayers.
Second, write them a personal note that expresses your appreciation for their work. Be as specific as possible. In this case a written note is far better than an email, or other technological forms of communication. Let them know that you have taken the time to be personal.
Third, you might want to prepare and send them a letter of recommendation. Not only can this be used in search for future employment but it is an opportunity for that person to be reaffirmed right at the time when their spirit may be low. If a number of people in a presbytery did this, it might help take some of the sting out of being laid off and remind them of their gifts. Whether they used them or not, they would have a collection of affirmations that they could read when they needed affirmation.
There is no easy action that you can take, but these are three things that you can do that would express faithful appreciation for that person.
