This past May, I celebrated 20 years of ministry through the Middle District Baptist Association! The time really has flown by and seems more like a RUN down memory lane than a walk. As I think back, I have seen many changes, not only through the MDBA as an autonomous entity, but the way churches do ministry as well.
Think with me all the way back to 2003. If you are like me, it is hard to remember back that far…LOL. I was a wife and mother of two that was going back to the working world after taking a break to stay home with our children. I always had a desire to work for the “church” in some capacity as I thought it would be so fun and besides, who wouldn’t want to work for “God”. So, when this opportunity to work for the Association was presented to me, I jumped at the chance but had no idea where it would lead. I was excited about the possibility and nervous too, to be honest. I had never worked in a church setting before, much less something “this big”. Once the interview was completed (with 6 – 7 local pastors…talk about nerves) and I received the call that they wanted ME, that is when the “fun” began. I knew very little about Association work but was somewhat familiar with them. Ellen Fleming trained me for a few weeks and then moved out of the area. Now what?
At the time, the Director of Missions for the last 18 years had retired and also moved out of the area, so my boss was the Administrative Committee, specifically the chair. This went on for about 5 months until they called an interim Director. He worked for the state convention, BGAV, and Rod Hale was quite the character to work with. If you know Rod, you know. He is still a good friend to this day, and I was privileged to work with him for 18 months until the new director was found.
Enter Jim Hamacher. I don’t have enough space to relay all that transpired over the next 17 years, but it was quite a wonderful ride. Jim and Nancy are two of my dearest friends and he was a wonderful leader, not only to the Association but to me personally. He helped me grow in so many ways:
- Challenged me to learn in many areas including technology and public speaking,
- Watching him lead others inspired me to want to be a better leader,
- Being a vast resource of knowledge as a former pastor,
- Introducing me to his vast network of colleagues,
- Ask more questions and think outside the box,
- Treated me as an equal.
These are just a few examples of the ways in which he helped ME become a better leader. The last one on this list is just as important as the rest if not more so. When treated as someone that is important to the ministry, someone whose opinion REALLY MATTERS, and credit is given as credit is due, then that will most certainly help a person feel valued in who they are and what they do. Which ultimately helps the job get done and get done well.
Through these years, our office moved twice, and personnel changed. Elton Cooke, Doug Frazier, and Louis Orsatti rounded out the staff in a great way for several years until retirement or callings changed. I still count each one as dear friends. As God ordained, life does take a turn and our loved ones pass from this life to the next and that has been the hardest to deal with. Not only my own father, but dear friends in our faith community. I’m so glad for the hope we have in Christ to see them again! I am also grateful for the memories of each one that brings a smile and sometimes a tear to my face, as I think of them.
The biggest CHANGE in the church world as I see it is probably technology and church security. As social media being all the rage now, posting live videos and zoom meetings (thank you Covid), websites being the front door for churches, and don’t forget about virtual offices now being popular. Staff can work from their favorite coffee shop to get most of their work done using a laptop instead of the big clunker desktop I had in 2003. At present, our staff have mostly off-site hours, and it seems to work fine for us. It’s a sad time that now we must worry about keeping everyone safe inside and outside of the church building. Who would have ever thought!!
Now let’s swing back to 2023. My children are now grown and married, I have TWO grandchildren, AND my husband is now a bi-vocational pastor/business owner! Middle District has a NEW executive director (that I have to train…LOL) after Jim Hamacher retired, our office is located in a historical chapel, we use cell phones instead of landlines, laptops or tablets that can fit in a handbag, we have a Board of Directors to answer to and MDBA just continues to evolve from there. As we begin this new chapter, I am excited to see where God leads MDBA, and I hope you will continue to come along on this ride with us!
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