By Rev. Rick King

With sadness and much gratitude, we will be saying goodbye to Shannon Kaiser, our beloved Office Manager-Musician-Video Editor-and-All-Around-Quick-Learner-of-New-Skills.

I don’t think I’ve ever put that many hyphens in a grammatical construction before, ever. But it’s warranted, because Shannon, who’s been with us since February 2019, has proven so well-suited to this position that we have some big shoes to fill in the search for her replacement.

But it also gives me hope that we will find, if not another Shannon, then a worthy successor to her for this position— someone who can be part of “glue” that holds the operations of Falcon Heights Church together.

Shannon is taking some extended time off from working to attend to some health challenges, and I support her in this at the same time as I want to celebrate some of her accomplishments while she’s been with us.

To review some of what she’s brought to the job:

• A calm, friendly demeanor well suited to being the face of Falcon Heights Church, whether greeting walk-in visitors to the office, answering the phone, preparing written correspondence with members, guests, vendors, renters, and others;
• A cheerful eagerness and a brilliant mind that picked up new skills lightning-fast;
• Creativity with music, visuals, and production skills that came in handy when we had to pivot to prerecorded, online worship when the pandemic struck in March 2020;
• A sense of musical artistry and technical expertise that produced hymn settings when we didn’t have one that fit the bulletin page;
• The ability to organize office work and manage multiple projects simultaneously without even breaking a sweat;
  The willingness to say yes to a new project, coupled with a good sense of whether she had the capacity to pick it up, or needed to delegate it to someone else;
• Fabric design and sewing ability that produced Advent banners last year when we needed to emphasize the seasonal theme;
• The interpersonal skills to communicate with and assist a wide variety of congregants with projects, no matter what they were;
• A real sense that her job was a ministry, not just a paycheck.

I could continue the list, but you get the idea. More than a few people called her a rock star for her multiple talents and unflappable personality that enabled her to come through with what we needed, again and again.

Shannon’s last day with us will be July 14, and she has committed to training her replacement when we locate that person and to do whatever’s necessary to ensure a smooth transition.

Now I’d like to ask for your help. We’ll be posting the position in multiple places online, including in Indeed.com, with the Conference office and other non-profit networks. Once it’s posted, please share it with people you are in contact with online, on paper, and by word of mouth.

And watch this space and our social media for news of how we plan to say goodbye and thanks to her!