Today I received a call from a church secretary who was trying to track down one the members of the congregation.  The pastor was out of town on a missions trip and the pastor covering the church did not know the congregation’s code in our census system to find the member he needed to visit.  The secretary was newly hired and had no idea what process was in place to locate church members.

I was able to connect her with the information she needed and provide for her the sequence she would need to follow to get the information she needed in the future.  Throughout the phone call she kept thanking me for helping her.  During our conversation I realized she needed affirmation that learning a new job as a church secretary is difficult and even made more difficult when the pastor is not there to help you through procedures the first time.

At the end of our phone call I told her I appreciated her dedication to her job,  I also reminded her that there are many different ways to do the same thing in a congregation and for a year she will learn this particular church’s habit as each season of the church year comes along.  She appreciated my noticing her excellent drive to do the best she could and wishing her blessings as she begins this first year learning cycle in her new job.  Even though we did not meet in person I felt like I had met a new friend today.  Keeping positive relationships with local congregations is one way our Pastoral Care Department utilizes to build relationships with the congregations in our area.  I know the congregation involved indeed has a great employee they are in the process of on-boarding and the fact that I could help even a little bit in that process was my pleasure.  I hope this one phone call will build bridges that will help our interaction in the future.