Nine years ago I took a leap of faith and started working again. I had been a stay at home mom for 10 years. My kids were both well settled into their new school as second & fourth graders and so I decided I might like to find a new way to serve. I had been volunteering at my church, Northwoods Presbyterian, for about two years. I had found my way onto a few committees and various volunteer teams. I still remember telling our missions director, Sharyl that if she heard of any openings out in the non-profit world for part time, please let me know. Little did I know that those few words would land me as the Director of Member Ministries at the church I love within months of stating them.
Now here I am 9 years later crossing another bridge…Crossing back over into my world “at home”. I have loved my job, my staff, and my church family. What a joy it has been to be around the most giving people. People who are generous in their love, their time and their talents. I have LOVED every minute of my Director of RANDOM Ministries (self-proclaimed rename of my title!)…From summer game nights to new member coffees… from Golden Gathering Alzheimer’s Respite Care to staff meetings. From working with VBS to speaking to the Discovery Women. From Narthex to Fellowship Hall and early service to late lunches… From Anne and Sharyl to newcomers Shelley and Beth. From one tiny cubicle on one side of the room to another tiny cubicle on the other side of the room. From extreme cubicle makeovers to fellowship closet clean ups. From late night meetings to early morning planning sessions. From early beginning desk lunches to fabulous friendship lunches shared in the conference room with my faves Norma, Heidi, Ann Marie, and Nicole. From staff retreats to calendar plannings. From having them as my pastors to having them as my friends. From laughter to more laughter 
and co-workers to family. From databases to hot dogs. From Church Life and cookie socials to hot dogs & sausages on a stick! From my amazing volunteers to my amazing friendships…
Northwoods has been a true bright spot in my weekly commitments.
Now, though… It’s time to transition again. Back to the house. Back to some of the things I’ve put on the back burner…(like cooking my family dinner! Ha.) I am sad to say goodbye to my title of staff and excited to say hello to my status of “member”. I am excited to worship at the church I love and still serve in some meaningful ways.
I am excited to put more time & energy into my You Got Joy speaking business and excited to have more time to pound out my custom made Good Carma hand stamped jewelry! I am excited to spend more time with my family in the evenings and being able to travel up to TCU at the drop of my hat to see my favorite girl!
I am excited to finally clean out the clutter! I am excited to try new recipes. I am excited to put more lunches on the calendar with some of my amazing girlfriends! I am excited to sleep in on Monday mornings and stay up late on Sunday nights! I am excited to travel more with my husband. I am excited for everything that follows the phrase… I WONDER WHAT COMES NEXT…
Thank you Pastor Paul and Northwoods for allowing this “introvert” to serve you and help in making Christ’s Disciples, Celebrating God’s Grace, Creating Community and Making a Difference!
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