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Vital Spokes in the Bethel Staff Wheel
By dave.stone | June 5, 2007
The women behind the scenes on Bethel’s staff have an amazing ministry and do amazing work in fulfilling their current calling to help pastors, directors and volunteers do more visible ministry. Pictured from left are Kelly Machart, Krisheena Mason, Karen Mclarnin, Jan Sederburg, Joanne Lueck, Lorna Foelber, and Brenda Hollingsworth. We sat down with them and asked five questions.
1. What is your role on staff, and what do you spend the majority of your time doing in that role?
Kelly Machart (KMac): Children’s Ministry, Resonate and Outreach Administrative Assistant. I probably spend most of my time doing Sunday School attendance, creative “stuff” and basic office roles after that. (typing, emailing, etc.)
Krisheena Mason (KMas): Small Group Development Communications Secretary
Karen McLarnin (KMc): I am administrative support for Joseph Christopherson and Growth & Healing, John Schultz and Benevolence, and Kent Ladendorf and Sports/College Ministries. I have more daily interaction with people than some support staff because of the nature of the Growth & Healing and Benevolence ministries.
Jan Sederburg (JS): I am the event coordinator for Bethel. I plan and put together the details for conferences, events, workshops, receptions and outreach opportunities.
Joanne Lueck (JL): Senior pastor and assimilation pastor secretary
Lorna Foelber (LF): My role is to support Women’s Ministry, Worship, Technology, and Media.
Brenda Hollingsworth (BH): Facility Coordinator – My time is spent coordinating the use of the facility, which includes assigning meetings to rooms, supervising the custodial work, buying supplies, keeping track of the church’s general use stuff like tables and TV’s, and taking care of keys and security
2. What makes you jazzed to come to work at Bethel?
KMac: Creating something new, some new poster or mailing. Anything I get to design
KMas: I really enjoy the work, the people I work with, getting an opportunity to do/learn new things, and helping others.
KMc:The staff is kind and encouraging. I am also blessed to watch people whose burdens are lifted through the counseling and benevolence ministries
JS: I love working at Bethel because everyone here works as a team. I love to be around people and my job lets me be involved and meet many. I also love my job here because I can see God work through the efforts that we put out to bring others to know Him and/or get closer to Him. My heart is here; I believe this is where God wants me to serve Him and it is a natural fit, it’s what I love to do.
JL: To serve the Lord with such a wonderful staff who truly are about the Lord’s work; to meet the new people who come to the office and all the little ones who stop by my desk
LF: I get excited when I can learn new things. I also like to investigate and solve problems. Also – I am more of a short-term project type of gal (meaning I enjoy getting things up and running smoothly by figuring out a process – then I am ready to pass it on, let someone else take it over and start something new).
BH: Knowing that my work keeps the gears oiled so the work of ministry here can take place.
3. What’s the most difficult part of your job?
KMac: Most difficult is dealing with day-to-day routines with the last minute or surprise tasks that pop up in the most busy time
KMas: I really don’t know what the most difficult part of my job is. I pretty much enjoy everything that I do
KMc: It’s difficult when Joseph’s schedule is full and people call wanting an appointment. But I know God takes care of his children: When Joseph isn’t available God will take care of them another way.
JS: The most difficult part of my job is the unknown and then effectively responding to it.
JL: When there are several deadlines due all at the same time, I pray a lot!
LF: Since I do enjoy challenge of new, fresh projects, the ongoing mundane elements of my job can become tedious. I push through these by knowing they are an essential part of how our church operates and knowing God is pleased when I do something well.
BH: The most difficult part of my job is encountering the problems caused by people being thoughtless about how their choices affect the groups using the facility after them. I push through it by asking myself if there is anything I need to do, and accepting that God made people with differing strengths.
4. As you work in the culture of Bethel, what do you see God doing around here?
KMac: Changing towards the future, the younger generation. We are so modern but yet we are still well rounded for every age.
KMas: Changing things and teaching a love of serving. The church adapts to new ways of doing things and reaching people, better than any other church I’ve been to so far.
KMc: I see God’s servants who deeply desire to minister. The desire leads them to evaluate and shape their work for greater effectiveness. I see a desire in Bethel’s leadership to keep our persona approachable to people of today’s culture.
JS: It’s exciting to work at Bethel because when people come to Bethel. They become part of the family. They are welcomed, called, invited to help serve, basically they have the opportunity to get involved and to start serving and following God and many do. It’s exciting to be apart of that process.
BH: I see God sharpening us. None of us is perfect, and Bethel isn’t perfect, but we’re being changed, little by little, and I still encounter people who sense that God is here the first time they come to Bethel.
LF: God is definitely drawing the people in a closer walk with Him. You can’t come to Bethel long without getting involved in His work. We are about His business–loving and serving Him with our whole hearts, souls and minds. This coming year our thematic goal is going deeper with Jesus. It has been exciting to see how everyone seems to be passionate about growing closer to our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.
JL: God is working in the people here. There is spirit of excitement and expectation based on the thematic goal for next year: Pursuing Jesus Deeper (my shortened version)
5. Just for fun, if you could go back to one summer in your past and re-live it, which one would it be and why?
KMac: I used to visit my mom, in New Orleans, for the summers. They were all fun. I suppose re-doing a trip with them to the Florida beaches would be my pick now. Why? Florida. Beach. Any more questions?
KMas: One summer, huh? I really don’t think I could pick one, because they all have had their moments
KMc: When Jim and I were first married we worked at a Christian gasthof near Salzburg, Austria for a summer. The area was beautiful, the culture fascinating, and I enjoyed it with the man I loved. What could be better?
JS: I can’t think of one particular summer that I would go back to. All my summers have been great. I love having my kids at home, we go camping, boating and go on adventures to other places, in some ways it’s like our 3 month family vacation of being together.
JL: Probably the summer that Tom and I went with the High Schoolers on their first ministry trip to Westport. It was such a joy to serve with them, to see their hearts and ours changed, and to serve the people at Westport.
LF: mmm – good question! We had a family reunion (on my side) a few years back. All of my siblings (there are six of us) and their children were able to come, along with my aunt and her family. It was a very fun two weeks of all of us just hanging at the beach with my parents. Since we all live in different areas of the country (from Maryland to Hawaii), it isn’t very often we are able to get together.
BH: It would be the summer after my junior year of high school. I was working at a Christian kids camp in the kitchen and loved the camaraderie. Two weeks of the summer was High School Camp which was held in the woods, with everyone building their own shelter from logs, twine and black plastic, and cooking over a #10 can homemade cook stove. Those are good memories.
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