Steve Holtrop as Santa and Lori Garde, program assistant for the graduate counseling program, as Mrs. Claus.

Dr. G. Blair Dowden, president of Huntington University, makes a stop at the treats table in Shelly Francka’s office.

Kristi Welker, online admissions counselor, and Tanya Horvath, admissions counselor for professional programs, are among the elves.

The Healthy Ministry Resources staff takes it turn at the sweets table. L-r: Bishop Phil Whipple, administrative assistant Cathy Reich, Finance Director Marci Hammel, and Global Ministries administrative assistant Peggy Sell.

Steve Dennie, Communications Director

The Healthy Ministry Resources national office in Huntington, Ind., shares its building with the Huntington University Division of Graduate and Adult Studies. The graduate school moved to our building back in 2001, and a local nonprofit organization rented out offices in the back of the building. The HU EXCEL Adult Degree Programs moved into the latter offices about five years ago. With just a dozen employees on the United Brethren side, we have plenty of room to spare.

On one side of the building are the main offices for the Masters programs (Counseling, Education, and Youth Ministry), including the office of the guy in charge, Steve Holtrop (left), Dean of Graduate and Professional Programs. Then in the back of the building are the offices for the EXCEL Adult Degree Programs. They have four offices, into which they cram a lot more than four people. Shelly Francka (right), whose office is just around the corner from mine, is Director of Professional Programs (meaning, I guess, in charge of EXCEL).

It’s been a great relationship. The HU folks are fun and friendly, they laugh a lot, and they tolerate us when we UBs get far too noisy. And, most important of all, whenever they bring food, they invite us to partake.

During this Christmas season, the university ran a little office-decorating contest. Eight entities–the Registrar’s office, the library, the business office, the food service, the department of nursing, the Learning Center, the President’s Office, and the graduate/adult programs–participated.

Our friends in the UB Building really went to town. They decorated all of the doors, put up a bunch of Christmas trees (three of them just down the hall from me), adorned walls, and generally made the place very festive. To get in the spirit, we in Healthy Ministry Resources decorated our doors, too.

Then, today, people went around to the various offices. For the Division of Graduate and Adult Studies, the alotted time was 1-3 pm. Shelly Francka had way too much sweet stuff on a table in her office, with a punch bowl in the hall. On the other side of the building, people got their pictures taken with Santa Claus, aka Steve Holtrop. Most of the staffpersons were dressed as elves. I tell you, they went all out.

During our regular afternoon break, the Healthy Ministry Resources staff was invited to Shelly’s office, where a massive sugar rush awaited.

We don’t know how the voting will turn out yet. We certainly hope our friends in the building will win. They deserve it.