My New Job

My "Office"

I'm the third family member to get a new job recently: I started in March. I'm working about five hours a week at church, as assistant to the Childrens' Ministries director. My responsibilities are varied, but first the backstory.

Four years ago, our church started a new Sunday School program for Pre-K through grade 5. It takes hours of prep for our 100 students; too much work to expect volunteer teachers to accomplish during the week, and then teach their class on Sunday morning. Our director wisely asked a team of ladies to stay late on Sunday afternoons to help do the preps for the following Sunday. I am part of that team. As time went on, we saw that there was still a lot of work to be done (some weeks needing more time than others), so two years ago I volunteered to get a headstart on it and work during the second hour of church in preliminary preps. Then in March I was hired to do even more of the work.

Now, my duties for the paid portion of my work include:

• Make photocopies of worksheets, memory verses, teaching aids, and craft projects
• Laminate, cut apart, and punch memory verse cards
• Make sample crafts so teachers know how they are to go together
• Color in some of the b/w photocopies to add a little color to hold interest
• Measure and cut yarn or string for crafts (and other time-consuming preps)
• Cut out crafts projects for the youngest children
• Shop for elements needed for crafts
• Hunt up props for the Bible stories
• Keep the colored pencils sharpened
• Keep the tape dispensers filled
• Redo the file system in my spare time
• Make new file folders
• Refile unused supplies for the next go-round
• Process all unsolicited donations: decide if we want it then file it, or dispose of it
• Keep the resource room clean and orderly

For the Easter season, I have a few added responsibilities:

• Bake 14 dozen palm branch cookies
• Design a paper lamb centerpiece for children to recreate
• Solicit free paint stirrers from Home Depot
• Make a "palm branch" sample craft for children to copy
• Find a source for inexpensive hot cross buns without the fruit

There is probably more too, but I can't think of it right now.

It's a fun job that I enjoy. I like the varied activities I do, and I like the opportunity to use my creativity. I also like to be able to clean out and purge!