There have been two types of steps I've taken in order to prepare for going part time, as well as for being gone for two months: handing projects off to others and getting projects done myself. This post will be about some of the projects and duties I've handed off to others.
Over the past several months, I've been giving many of my daily and weekly tasks to other members of our team. One way that I've helped support Jared (Elementary Director) because of his limited time in the office was overseeing the prep work for the elementary classes. I didn't do much of the prep work myself--I have an AMAZING volunteer named Mary who spends about 20 hours a week in the office helping Children's and Women's Ministries. Mary oversees a team of volunteers who come in and take care of the copying and cutting and tub stocking from week to week (each of these volunteers only do this once a month, and Mary oversees their rotation). Mary's job is to make sure they have everything they need to prep fully, and when they aren't able to make it, she takes care of it herself. Up until this fall, I was the one Mary asked questions to, made sure it all made sense, etc. But now, Mary meets with Jared each Tuesday to make sure she fully understands all the prep that's needed for the weekend. There have been many times where I haven't even known what the lesson would be about going into the weekend!
Another task I've handed off was the planning of our Family Movie Nights. For the first six months to a year of having them, I took care of making sure we had the money, the publicity, etc, and Jared took care of getting the food (food service is his thing--he's done catering in the past). But then Jared offered to take over the events (seeing as he is also really into movie stuff, he used to manage a movie theater). Since then, he's been making sure the fliers and announcements are out two weeks before an event, and that everything gets managed with money, etc. He's even recruited more volunteer help.
The most difficult task to hand off has been my role of leading worship in our kindergarten-third grade class during second service. We've been recruiting and praying, and finally had someone express an interest! She'll start training this week and hopefully be ready before this baby comes! (Now we're just praying for a guy who will step up to take my husband's place as a kindergarten boys small group leader.)
My biggest responsibility on Sundays that would be too much to hand off to a volunteer or Jared and Lucy while I'm gone for two months is managing our check in team and system. My volunteers are amazing at welcoming families and checking them in (they show true hospitality), but it's common to have a glitch with either the computer system or a family, and that's where I come in. My boss agreed to having Jan, my assistant who runs the behind the scenes work with our check in system mid week, add a few hours to her week and be present on Sunday mornings. It'll be such a relief to know she'll be there to make sure everything runs smoothly. She'll join me the first two weeks of January to be trained on all I do. She'll take over the first Sunday I can't be at church, and will go back to her normal hours the first Sunday I'm back after maternity leave.
As our transition dates gets closer and closer, it's so wonderful to not be stressed by it! We've been working toward this goal for so long that I'm confident things will go smoothly. I've handed so many duties off that I'm almost struggling to fill my time here at the office. Which will lead to my next post about the projects I've been working ahead on.
Wednesday, December 9, 2009
Friday, December 4, 2009
Transitioning: A Staffing Plan
I mentioned in my last post that I created a staffing proposal for my Executive Pastor prior to getting his approval for my going part time. This proposal has been slightly modified over the past 7 months, but the core of it has stayed the same. To understand where we're going, though, you need to understand where we've been.
Our staffing structure has been:
Position: Children's Ministries Director (Myself)
Hours: Full Time, Tuesday-Friday 9-5, Saturday and Sunday services
Job Description
-Oversee the vision and direction of Morning Star’s children’s ministries.
-Meet weekly with the team to go over what’s happening in the ministry, assure that the departments are fitting together, give direction, budget needs and planning for future events.
-Stay updated on what’s happening nationally in Children’s Ministries to make sure our ministry stays current.
-Report to the church leadership on what’s happening in Children’s Ministries.
-Be present for weekend services to interact with families, volunteers, etc.
-Assist with the planning and implementation of curriculum as needed in the Elementary program.
-Plan and implement special events.
Position: Early Childhood Director (Lucy)
Hours: 30/week
Schedule: Monday-Thursday 8-3 pm, 5 hours +/- on weekends
Job Description
-Oversee nursery, toddler and 2’s & 3’s classes
-Schedule and train volunteers
-Ensure cleanliness of classrooms
-Oversee weekend preschool classes.
-Schedule and train volunteers.
-Select, oversee and adapt curriculum for weekend classes.
-Plan and create additional programs for preschool aged students.
Position: Elementary Director (Jared)
Hours: 20-25/week
Schedule: Generally in on Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Fridays (hours vary), 5 hours +/- on weekends
Job Description
-Oversee the weekend elementary classes.
-Schedule and train volunteers.
-Oversee volunteers to ensure proper prep is done for weekend classes.
-Select, oversee and adapt curriculum for weekend classes.
Position: Children’s Ministries Assistant (Jan)
Hours: 12/week
Schedule: Flexible throughout the week—Monday, Wednesday and Thursday
Job Description
-Maintain and update database/registration system
-Assist the directors and pastor as needed
Jared, our Elementary Director, joined our team first as a volunteer (about 4 years ago), then became an intern, and was then moved into the role of Elementary Director. He's always been part time, and was working on getting his MDiv at the same time. He graduated this past June, which was key in the implementation of this plan. We knew that he'd be wanting a full time position, and that with me going part time, that position would open up! On January first, his title will change to Elementary Pastor and his hours will increase to full time. He will still just be in charge of the Elementary program, but many of his responsibilities will increase, not to mention he'll be utilized more as a pastor on staff--for pastoral care, etc. Since Jared has just been part time running a large program, I've been very involved in helping where needed with the elementary classes. This included overseeing prep work (until recently), being involved in selecting curriculum, teaching, leading worship, etc. Jared was the one responsible for everything pertaining to volunteers and running things on the weekends. This involvement will completely change come January 1.
My new job description is:
Children’s Ministries Director
Hours: 12-15/week
Schedule: 6 hours/weekend, 9 hours to be spent during the week (three mornings)
Job Description
-Oversee the vision and direction of Morning Star’s children’s ministries.
-Meet weekly as a team as well as individually to go over what’s happening in the ministry, assure that the departments are fitting together, give direction, budget needs and planning for future events.
-Stay updated on what’s happening nationally in Children’s Ministries to make sure our ministry stays current.
-Report to the church leadership on what’s happening in Children’s Ministries.
-Be present for weekend services to interact with families, volunteers, etc.
Jared's new job description is:
Elementary Pastor
Hours: Full Time
Schedule: 5 hours +/- on weekends, four 9-5 office days
Job Description
-Oversee the weekend elementary classes.
-Schedule and train volunteers.
-Meet with and direct interns.
-Select, oversee and adapt curriculum for weekend classes.
-Plan and create additional programs for elementary-aged students (i.e.: VBS, Family Movie Nights).
-Be available for families who need advice/direction.
-Check on elementary-aged children who may have difficult situations in their lives.
-Help create curriculum/classes for baby dedications, etc.
Lucy (our Early Childhood Director) and Jan (our assistant) will continue with their roles as before.
In my next post, I'll talk about the steps we took between July and November to make sure we'd be ready for this transition in January.
Our staffing structure has been:
Position: Children's Ministries Director (Myself)
Hours: Full Time, Tuesday-Friday 9-5, Saturday and Sunday services
Job Description
-Oversee the vision and direction of Morning Star’s children’s ministries.
-Meet weekly with the team to go over what’s happening in the ministry, assure that the departments are fitting together, give direction, budget needs and planning for future events.
-Stay updated on what’s happening nationally in Children’s Ministries to make sure our ministry stays current.
-Report to the church leadership on what’s happening in Children’s Ministries.
-Be present for weekend services to interact with families, volunteers, etc.
-Assist with the planning and implementation of curriculum as needed in the Elementary program.
-Plan and implement special events.
Position: Early Childhood Director (Lucy)
Hours: 30/week
Schedule: Monday-Thursday 8-3 pm, 5 hours +/- on weekends
Job Description
-Oversee nursery, toddler and 2’s & 3’s classes
-Schedule and train volunteers
-Ensure cleanliness of classrooms
-Oversee weekend preschool classes.
-Schedule and train volunteers.
-Select, oversee and adapt curriculum for weekend classes.
-Plan and create additional programs for preschool aged students.
Position: Elementary Director (Jared)
Hours: 20-25/week
Schedule: Generally in on Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Fridays (hours vary), 5 hours +/- on weekends
Job Description
-Oversee the weekend elementary classes.
-Schedule and train volunteers.
-Oversee volunteers to ensure proper prep is done for weekend classes.
-Select, oversee and adapt curriculum for weekend classes.
Position: Children’s Ministries Assistant (Jan)
Hours: 12/week
Schedule: Flexible throughout the week—Monday, Wednesday and Thursday
Job Description
-Maintain and update database/registration system
-Assist the directors and pastor as needed
Jared, our Elementary Director, joined our team first as a volunteer (about 4 years ago), then became an intern, and was then moved into the role of Elementary Director. He's always been part time, and was working on getting his MDiv at the same time. He graduated this past June, which was key in the implementation of this plan. We knew that he'd be wanting a full time position, and that with me going part time, that position would open up! On January first, his title will change to Elementary Pastor and his hours will increase to full time. He will still just be in charge of the Elementary program, but many of his responsibilities will increase, not to mention he'll be utilized more as a pastor on staff--for pastoral care, etc. Since Jared has just been part time running a large program, I've been very involved in helping where needed with the elementary classes. This included overseeing prep work (until recently), being involved in selecting curriculum, teaching, leading worship, etc. Jared was the one responsible for everything pertaining to volunteers and running things on the weekends. This involvement will completely change come January 1.
My new job description is:
Children’s Ministries Director
Hours: 12-15/week
Schedule: 6 hours/weekend, 9 hours to be spent during the week (three mornings)
Job Description
-Oversee the vision and direction of Morning Star’s children’s ministries.
-Meet weekly as a team as well as individually to go over what’s happening in the ministry, assure that the departments are fitting together, give direction, budget needs and planning for future events.
-Stay updated on what’s happening nationally in Children’s Ministries to make sure our ministry stays current.
-Report to the church leadership on what’s happening in Children’s Ministries.
-Be present for weekend services to interact with families, volunteers, etc.
Jared's new job description is:
Elementary Pastor
Hours: Full Time
Schedule: 5 hours +/- on weekends, four 9-5 office days
Job Description
-Oversee the weekend elementary classes.
-Schedule and train volunteers.
-Meet with and direct interns.
-Select, oversee and adapt curriculum for weekend classes.
-Plan and create additional programs for elementary-aged students (i.e.: VBS, Family Movie Nights).
-Be available for families who need advice/direction.
-Check on elementary-aged children who may have difficult situations in their lives.
-Help create curriculum/classes for baby dedications, etc.
Lucy (our Early Childhood Director) and Jan (our assistant) will continue with their roles as before.
In my next post, I'll talk about the steps we took between July and November to make sure we'd be ready for this transition in January.
Thursday, October 29, 2009
Getting Ready to Transition
When I took over Children's Ministries at Morning Star three and a half years ago, my goal had been to develop my team to the point of me stepping back to part time to start a family in three years. I think the reality of reaching that goal still hasn't struck me. There were several times over these past few years that I didn't think we'd make it. The thought that I'd never be able to have kids crossed my mind a few times. But now, I'm just two months away from working only 12-15 hours a week (and then one more month until I take a two month maternity leave). Wow.
While the official transition has just begun, we've really been transitioning for three years. In that time, we've had four different staffing combinations. But each change has moved us closer to our next transition. My team is amazing, and I fully trust their abilities to run their programs. But no matter how great Lucy, Jared, Jan and Mackenzie are, our change would be impossible without the support of my Executive Pastor.
In January, I brought up that Nolan and I would like to start a family, but needed to know if I'd have a job after having a baby. Ken wanted to know how soon I was talking about. The next week, I brought it up again, asking if he'd thought about it at all. The response was, "Wait, you're meaning you want to do this soon?" The next week his answer was, "Why are you in such a hurry? You just got a dog, enjoy some kid-free married life a little longer. You're young." (All this was said in a lighthearted tone. I could tell Ken liked things the way they were.) The next week I provided him with a staffing proposal that lined out what each of our current salaries are, what they would be after the change, and what our job descriptions would be. And the week after that, Ken told me he was ok with my plan, but he wanted me to do research on how other Children's Ministries directors have transitioned from being a kidless director to a director and a mom.
As I looked around online (Kidology, google searches, blogs, etc.) I found that there are very few things written about this kind of transition in Children's Ministries leadership. So, either most women in my role began it after having babies, stopped working when they had babies, or just haven't posted their experience online.
Our transition is obviously very unique to Morning Star, but I think I've learned some valuable lessons along the way, and maybe someone else can benefit from them. My next few posts will be about how we're transitioning. And oh, does it excite me to be writing these! It's all a testimony to what God has provided for us.
While the official transition has just begun, we've really been transitioning for three years. In that time, we've had four different staffing combinations. But each change has moved us closer to our next transition. My team is amazing, and I fully trust their abilities to run their programs. But no matter how great Lucy, Jared, Jan and Mackenzie are, our change would be impossible without the support of my Executive Pastor.
In January, I brought up that Nolan and I would like to start a family, but needed to know if I'd have a job after having a baby. Ken wanted to know how soon I was talking about. The next week, I brought it up again, asking if he'd thought about it at all. The response was, "Wait, you're meaning you want to do this soon?" The next week his answer was, "Why are you in such a hurry? You just got a dog, enjoy some kid-free married life a little longer. You're young." (All this was said in a lighthearted tone. I could tell Ken liked things the way they were.) The next week I provided him with a staffing proposal that lined out what each of our current salaries are, what they would be after the change, and what our job descriptions would be. And the week after that, Ken told me he was ok with my plan, but he wanted me to do research on how other Children's Ministries directors have transitioned from being a kidless director to a director and a mom.
As I looked around online (Kidology, google searches, blogs, etc.) I found that there are very few things written about this kind of transition in Children's Ministries leadership. So, either most women in my role began it after having babies, stopped working when they had babies, or just haven't posted their experience online.
Our transition is obviously very unique to Morning Star, but I think I've learned some valuable lessons along the way, and maybe someone else can benefit from them. My next few posts will be about how we're transitioning. And oh, does it excite me to be writing these! It's all a testimony to what God has provided for us.
Tuesday, October 6, 2009
Baby Update!
Our ultrasound went well yesterday--Jace was very cooperative and didn't cover his face at all! The tech was able to point out to us that Jace's lip was complete and showed us how there would be a black line if Jace had cleft lip. And then we just got the call from our doctor that after looking at three different angles, it looks like Jace's palate is complete as well! So, unless there's a surprise when he's born, it looks like he doesn't have any clefting.
We're praising God for it. I'd rather give God the glory and say He healed my child than blame it on a faulty first ultrasound. And I know that God is going to use all this knowledge we've gained about it for a reason.
It's actually kind of strange to think of Jace as not having a cleft now. For the past four weeks, the entire time I've been able to identify him as a boy and with his name, I've envisioned him with cleft lip and palate. My looking forward to the future with him always involved a cleft. When I looked at pictures of babies, my mind would then imagine that same child with a cleft lip. I embraced the cleft possibility, knowing it would be better for me to be ready for that result rather than so hopeful that it wouldn't be there that the news of a cleft would be devastating. So now, it's almost like there's a different child inside of me. I am thrilled his lip and palate are complete. I am so thankful that he won't have to have the surgeries. But I would have loved him just the same regardless of the outcome from this ultrasound.
I've already been asked if we're still keeping the name Jace, and the answer is yes. We chose that name because it meant healer, and I know that God healed him. I've been so blessed by all the notes of encouragement from our friends and family. This experience has meant my child has been lifted up in prayer more than he would have been otherwise. I'm just sure God has great plans for his life, and if it's to be a healer in relationships with other people, then this name must stay. And who knows, maybe he'll be a very rough and tumble little boy who gets hurt a lot!
Thank you for all your prayers! God is good!
We're praising God for it. I'd rather give God the glory and say He healed my child than blame it on a faulty first ultrasound. And I know that God is going to use all this knowledge we've gained about it for a reason.
It's actually kind of strange to think of Jace as not having a cleft now. For the past four weeks, the entire time I've been able to identify him as a boy and with his name, I've envisioned him with cleft lip and palate. My looking forward to the future with him always involved a cleft. When I looked at pictures of babies, my mind would then imagine that same child with a cleft lip. I embraced the cleft possibility, knowing it would be better for me to be ready for that result rather than so hopeful that it wouldn't be there that the news of a cleft would be devastating. So now, it's almost like there's a different child inside of me. I am thrilled his lip and palate are complete. I am so thankful that he won't have to have the surgeries. But I would have loved him just the same regardless of the outcome from this ultrasound.
I've already been asked if we're still keeping the name Jace, and the answer is yes. We chose that name because it meant healer, and I know that God healed him. I've been so blessed by all the notes of encouragement from our friends and family. This experience has meant my child has been lifted up in prayer more than he would have been otherwise. I'm just sure God has great plans for his life, and if it's to be a healer in relationships with other people, then this name must stay. And who knows, maybe he'll be a very rough and tumble little boy who gets hurt a lot!
Thank you for all your prayers! God is good!
Thursday, October 1, 2009
Let's Get a Little Personal
As I've posted before, I'm pregnant and due February 1. Nolan and I are so excited to welcome our little boy into this world in just 4 months! We went in on September 9 for the ultrasound to find out his gender and make sure he's growing properly. Our doctor called the day after the ultrasound saying that when she took a look at it, they saw that he might have a small cleft lip/cleft palate, if one at all. So we're going back in for another ultrasound on October 5 to hopefully get a better look. She's thinking that a month of growth between ultrasounds will help them see clearly if he has it or not. We're glad to hear that it isn't distinct enough or big enough for her to be conclusive at this time (from what I've read online, you can spot cleft lip as early as 16 weeks, and this ultrasound happened at 19 weeks). So we're hoping and praying that 1) if he has it, God might heal it before the next ultrasound or by time he's born, 2) he doesn't have it, or 3) if he does have it, we're praising God for medical advances and what they're able to do for this these days!
Cleft Lip/Cleft Palate is most common in boys, and 1 in 700 babies born in the US has it. So it's much more common than we thought it was. This in itself is a testimony to what a great job doctors are doing with it, in that you'd never realize how many people have had it.
If he does have it, we'll get set up with a team from Dornbechers up in Portland. Cleft lip is typically repaired when they are 10 weeks to 3 months old, and cleft palate repaired around 9 months. So while it's so treatable, he could still have quite a first year of surgeries in store for him (and potentially many more surgeries ahead of him if it’s cleft palate).
All this made me REALLY want him to have a name already--to give him more of an identity. And I wanted his name to mean something, since he'll have so much to face at first. I started looking through names that meant things like strong, God heals, etc. Finally, we decided on "Jace" (which comes from Jason, but that won't be his name). Jace means healer, and on some websites, it also meant God is my refuge. Both fit well we thought. Plus, Nolan loved that it's unique, since he likes names that he hasn't really heard before. So as of now, baby's name will be Jace John Nelson (Nolan’s middle name is John, it’s also his father and grandfather’s and great grandfather's name).
We really have an incredible peace about the whole thing. I’m so thankful for a doctor who’s thorough and spotted this. From what I’ve read, not all doctor’s catch it. What a blessing to be able to know what we’re heading into and to be prepared for it! We're sad for the pain he could potentially face at such a young age, but at least he won't remember it as he gets older.
He'll be beautiful no matter what. And I'm just sure, if he does have cleft palate/lip, he'll be a much stronger person because of it. Please be praying with us as we go in on Monday. We are confident that God's plan for our baby is perfect, so cleft or no cleft, we're content. Our biggest concern at this time is that he actually let us see his face during the ultrasound. Please pray that his face will be easily seen and that the doctor and technician will be able to correctly diagnose him.
Cleft Lip/Cleft Palate is most common in boys, and 1 in 700 babies born in the US has it. So it's much more common than we thought it was. This in itself is a testimony to what a great job doctors are doing with it, in that you'd never realize how many people have had it.
If he does have it, we'll get set up with a team from Dornbechers up in Portland. Cleft lip is typically repaired when they are 10 weeks to 3 months old, and cleft palate repaired around 9 months. So while it's so treatable, he could still have quite a first year of surgeries in store for him (and potentially many more surgeries ahead of him if it’s cleft palate).
All this made me REALLY want him to have a name already--to give him more of an identity. And I wanted his name to mean something, since he'll have so much to face at first. I started looking through names that meant things like strong, God heals, etc. Finally, we decided on "Jace" (which comes from Jason, but that won't be his name). Jace means healer, and on some websites, it also meant God is my refuge. Both fit well we thought. Plus, Nolan loved that it's unique, since he likes names that he hasn't really heard before. So as of now, baby's name will be Jace John Nelson (Nolan’s middle name is John, it’s also his father and grandfather’s and great grandfather's name).
We really have an incredible peace about the whole thing. I’m so thankful for a doctor who’s thorough and spotted this. From what I’ve read, not all doctor’s catch it. What a blessing to be able to know what we’re heading into and to be prepared for it! We're sad for the pain he could potentially face at such a young age, but at least he won't remember it as he gets older.
He'll be beautiful no matter what. And I'm just sure, if he does have cleft palate/lip, he'll be a much stronger person because of it. Please be praying with us as we go in on Monday. We are confident that God's plan for our baby is perfect, so cleft or no cleft, we're content. Our biggest concern at this time is that he actually let us see his face during the ultrasound. Please pray that his face will be easily seen and that the doctor and technician will be able to correctly diagnose him.
Tuesday, September 22, 2009
Bridge 45 is Still Alive and Well
I haven't posted anything on our blog about Bridge 45 and what we're learning in 4th & 5th grade ministry for a long time... but it's still running and doing well, and we're still learning. Hop on over to that blog so read about an encouraging conversation I had today!
Tuesday, September 8, 2009
One Downfall to being a Children's Ministries Director
I don't think I've mentioned it here yet, but Nolan and I are expecting our first child on February 1! We find out tomorrow morning (Wednesday) whether we're having a boy or a girl *hopefully*. Ever since we found out that we'd be having a little one, I've been pouring over baby names, making my lists, and then having Nolan go through and pick his top 5. The biggest problem I've run into, though, is how many kids I already know with different names. Working with about 300 kids a week really limits my possibilities! While a name my sound great or have a wonderful meaning, I just can't help but place faces (or personalities, or behavioral flaws) with the names!
But--if that's one of the only downfalls to being a Children's Ministries Director, I guess I can deal with it!
But--if that's one of the only downfalls to being a Children's Ministries Director, I guess I can deal with it!
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