College Church Welcomes New Staff Member
College Church has hired Jennifer Wright as our new administrative assistant. She and John, her husband of 31 years, have been members here since 2020.
The hire comes a few months after the departure of Receptionist Beth Hoofman and the decision by Office Assistant Carisse Randolph to go from full to part-time status.
According to Office Manager Allison Ham, “Jennifer will be cross-trained in several areas, which means she will be a huge help to everyone.”
Church Administrator Nick McNabb adds that the new administrative assistant will assume some accounting duties to free up Janice Barton for “bigger picture” projects. Jennifer has over 20 years of experience as an administrative assistant, most recently in the College of Pharmacy at Harding, where she was program coordinator for the dean’s office. Before that she worked for a realty office, elementary schools, and the McDermott Road Church of Christ in Plano, Texas.
At Plano Jennifer first used her professional expertise in the kingdom, and it was a rewarding seven years. She served on the Missions Ministry (for which John was deacon) planning and making visits to works in South Texas. She feels the experience matured her as a Christian: “The brothers and sisters in South Texas—and Mexico—often have such difficult struggles. For them a new toothbrush is an amazing gift. It puts things into perspective.”
The Wrights made a point of taking their three children on those trips, and believe that helped lead their oldest child, William, and twins Owen and Emily, toward lives of service as adults.
Service comes up again when Jennifer is asked about what she brings to her new position, beyond professional expertise: “I tend to look for opportunities to serve behind the scenes—for the kid who isn’t fitting in.” That instinct informed another role she played at McDermott. She helped pioneer a “Newcomers Class” that integrated new members into the congregation through information and fellowship, including meals that gave her a chance to employ another skill: baking.
Nick thinks Jennifer’s presence can only strengthen an already effective staff. Allison says, “I can tell she is going to be a good fit and am excited to work with her.”
It was this sense of belonging, of spiritual growth found in congregational ministry, that brought Jennifer to her new job. She enjoyed her five years at Harding, but believes that a church setting best enables her “to help myself and others live the best Christian lives we can.”
The hire comes a few months after the departure of Receptionist Beth Hoofman and the decision by Office Assistant Carisse Randolph to go from full to part-time status.
According to Office Manager Allison Ham, “Jennifer will be cross-trained in several areas, which means she will be a huge help to everyone.”
Church Administrator Nick McNabb adds that the new administrative assistant will assume some accounting duties to free up Janice Barton for “bigger picture” projects. Jennifer has over 20 years of experience as an administrative assistant, most recently in the College of Pharmacy at Harding, where she was program coordinator for the dean’s office. Before that she worked for a realty office, elementary schools, and the McDermott Road Church of Christ in Plano, Texas.
At Plano Jennifer first used her professional expertise in the kingdom, and it was a rewarding seven years. She served on the Missions Ministry (for which John was deacon) planning and making visits to works in South Texas. She feels the experience matured her as a Christian: “The brothers and sisters in South Texas—and Mexico—often have such difficult struggles. For them a new toothbrush is an amazing gift. It puts things into perspective.”
The Wrights made a point of taking their three children on those trips, and believe that helped lead their oldest child, William, and twins Owen and Emily, toward lives of service as adults.
Service comes up again when Jennifer is asked about what she brings to her new position, beyond professional expertise: “I tend to look for opportunities to serve behind the scenes—for the kid who isn’t fitting in.” That instinct informed another role she played at McDermott. She helped pioneer a “Newcomers Class” that integrated new members into the congregation through information and fellowship, including meals that gave her a chance to employ another skill: baking.
Nick thinks Jennifer’s presence can only strengthen an already effective staff. Allison says, “I can tell she is going to be a good fit and am excited to work with her.”
It was this sense of belonging, of spiritual growth found in congregational ministry, that brought Jennifer to her new job. She enjoyed her five years at Harding, but believes that a church setting best enables her “to help myself and others live the best Christian lives we can.”
Posted in Weekly Blog Post
No Comments