01 Jun 30 Years – Yeah, That’s a Long Time

They said they needed my camera in the break room. Something was going on, something apparently newsworthy. So I grabbed it and went in, and there sat an ice cream cake. And it was for…me?

Indeed. Bishop Ron Ramsey instructed that the occasion appear on the Bishopblog–whether I wrote it, or somebody else. Since I don’t trust any of my coworkers, I thought I better do the deed. Besides, everyone is crazy-busy with National Conference preparations.

The occasion: June 1 marks 30 years of working fulltime at the United Brethren national office. I actually started on June 1, 1978, after my junior year at Huntington University, but I didn’t go fulltime until graduating in 1979. Back then, my title was assistant editor. I worked on the monthly United Brethren magazine, edited a weekly Sunday school take-home paper, and did some work on the adult Sunday school quarterlies.

We discontinued the Sunday school curriculum in 1982 and closed the printshop. At that point, I became editor of the United Brethren magazine. And the position has evolved from there. I took the title Communications Director in 1993, when we centralized all of our communications. And from there, this and that has happened, yada yada yada, you’re really not that interested.

Along with the ice cream cake, my coworkers gave me a card (of sorts) with comments like these:

• Way to go! Your endurance is amazing.
• You are a great asset here. Old and musty, but still a good asset.
• People who stay in one place for so long usually are honored with a statue. Have you posed for yours yet?
• 30 years! Most marriages last less time than that!
• Congrats! Putting up with everyone who has come and gone. Wow!
• You must have started here at the office when you were a child!
• Wow! 30 years! You must be older than I thought!
• How many Macs or models of Macs have you had in those 30 years? [I think 7, plus 2 laptops.]
• Amazing! You have worked here almost my whole life!
• I know that cars are considered vintage or antique after 20 years, so….

Now you know why I thought I better write this.

It’s been a joy working here and serving our churches. I’ve never NOT attended a United Brethren church. I’ve basically ordered the entire UB menu: grew up UB in four different states, attended our camps, participated in Bible quizzing, UB preacher’s kid, graduated from our college, and have now spent my entire career in the service of my denomination. No regrets. Unless you count eating that too-big piece of ice cream cake this morning.