Happy belated Administrative Staff Day
Administrative Staff Appreciation Day was officially April 24th, but our office has been tremendously busy, and getting everyone together for a proper celebration took a little while. The office has been completely stuffed with food for the last couple of days in an attempt to show our sincere appreciation. Our office building even lost internet for the better part of Appreciation Day, and the silver lining to that was staff didn’t have that much work to do without the internet.
In this blog post, we’ll be honoring the tenure of our 5 current administrative staff: Darlene Mattox, Jenn Schlumbohm, Rachel Foreman, Scott Frobel, and Dave Green.
There are many, many reasons why our staff are so valuable to us; not only because of the work they do, but because of the work they enable everyone around them to do as well. From the important, all hands-on deck projects, like planning General Conference, to the day to day tasks of answering the phones, dealing with packages and mail, or responding to email inquiries, our staff work tirelessly to ensure that the office serves the body the Churches of God. Their varied perspectives on the way our office has functioned in the past often illuminate discussions with context that others lack.
In honor of our staff, all of which have served this office for more than a decade, we wanted to give them the opportunity to speak briefly to the CGGC body about their time here, some of their favorite memories, and why they’ve stayed all these years. In order of tenure, longest to shortest:
Rachel Foreman: Began September 1998
“There are lots of great things about working here, but what means the most to me is that's it’s a ministry. I’m not just working here to help some company make more money. In some small way, I can help make an impact on the world.
I have greatly appreciated the flexibility, support, and prayers from this office, and the denomination as a whole. I’ve been here since we had no children, and now both of my kids are grown and going off to the world. The whole 25 years I’ve been here has been a very supportive and understanding environment.
With an over 25-year history, it's difficult to pick out one memory. One particularly sweet memory is when on random days an announcement would be made to join Wayne Boyer in his office. We all knew that meant we were getting caramel cashew sundaes from Dietsch's and we would convene in Wayne's office to enjoy our ice cream and each other's company and take a break from work for a few moments.”
Darlene Mattox: Began August 2001
Something that stands out is just the number of staff people we had when I started here. And how the morale of everybody was great. Everybody was welcoming, and I enjoyed working with everybody. Everybody I worked with in the beginning, we all were very close. Everybody took you under their wing.
For example, a big memory is when Wayne Boywer was here, we used to get Ice cream pretty often. It was a neat time, and it’s something I miss. Another is when we went to Shipshewana as a staff for an overnight stay, and we just shopped. That was a lot of fun!
Jim Thomas (Darlene’s boss for 21 years) was also a super guy. He was a good boss to have and work with. He was a very understanding person and family always came first for him.
Jenn Schlumbohm: Began Dec 2010
"I like having a job in ministry, it’s more than just a paycheck. It’s making a difference in the Kingdom. I haven't been in global reach the whole time, but what I enjoy about that is supporting the missionaries and field leaders, and coming alongside them in the ways that I can."
"There are so many good memories. Overall, I think of all the Christmas parties, the bowling, etc. I remember at Ed Rosenberry’s retirement, we all practiced singing a song and serenading Ed. Lance had a big part to play in that."
Scott Frobel: Began August 2011
Not one to have his picture taken or to speak much on the record, Scott is our custodian and faithfully takes care of our building, lawn, and general maintenance. Whether it's putting in new blinds, moving unbelievably heavy desks from the 1980's, or keeping the building surgically clean, Scott does it all. We are tremendously grateful for Scott's dedication to his work. It's often behind the scenes, but that doesn't mean it goes unnoticed. Thanks Scott!
Dave Green: Began May 2013
Dave retired from position of Executive Director of the Great Lakes Regional Conference in 2011 and has been working part time in our office as the Manager of Special Projects since 2013. Dave brings a wealth of insight into our operations. His time as a pastor, as an Executive Director, and as a staff person here with a decade of experience means we always listen when Dave speaks. Likewise, his eagerness to jump into any problem or work we have is a blessing.
Next, a word from the Executive Director, Lance Finley:
“Over the years, we have had multiple staff, including support staff do very long roles, twenty plus, even thirty years. First, that speaks to the quality of the people and their staying power. And Second, it means people find it worth giving long pieces of their life to contribute to the overall mission."
"We’re a team that has learned to try to play together as well as work together. And that’s made for a lot of laughter and fun, amidst walking through some really hard things sometimes too. There is a unique culture here. I think we’ve had a fairly healthy culture. It’s the kind of environment that people have enjoyed and wanted to be a part of.”
It is, perhaps, true that we don’t say it enough, and when we do, we struggle to find the words to express our gratitude. So, as a definitive but brief statement, Thank you to all our Administrative Staff. May God bless each of you as he has blessed us through your excellent work and presence at the CGGC.
Lastly, as a final piece of our Staff Appreciation, we wanted to inform the CGGC body that Dee Callahan, a longtime assistant to Cross Cultural Ministries, passed away this past week, on May 28th. Dee worked with both Don Dennison and Travis Perry, serving this office for 22 years, until she retired in 2010. You can find a link to her Obituary here. She would have been 80 on July 22nd.
CGGC eNews—Vol. 18, No. 22
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