Congratulations and Godspeed to Lucy Bell Johnson!
Dear Friends,
In February of 2011, Lucy Bell Johnson came to work at First Presbyterian Church in the role of part-time Administrative Assistant to the Senior Pastor. The congregation quickly realized what a treasure we have in her, and over the next several years, her role grew quickly. For the past three years, Lucy has served as Office Administrator, overseeing the day-to-day operational needs of the building, supervising the work of our sexton and receptionist, supporting the pastors and Clerk of Session, maintaining the church database, serving as the point of contact for weddings and funerals, and the list goes on and on.
For 14 years, Lucy has served First Presbyterian Church of Athens with energy, intelligence, imagination, and love, and now she has discerned that God is calling her to a new season of life in retirement. She desires to spend more time traveling with her husband Michael, to enjoy her nearby children and grandchildren, and to shave even more strokes off of her golf handicap. Lucy’s last day in the office will be Friday, March 28. We will celebrate her years of faithful service with a reception following the 11:00 a.m. worship service on Sunday, March 30, at which there will be a basket for your expressions of congratulations and thanksgiving, or you may mail them directly to her home address, 1073 Friendship Cir, Athens, 30606.
As much as we will miss Lucy, the church’s leadership has been working on a new staffing configuration to be in place effective April 1.
Paulo Santos has served First Presbyterian Church as Director of Communications for five years, and on April 1, Paulo will assume the role of Office Administrator, overseeing the day-to-day operational needs of the church building, managing the church calendar and database, and continuing to support Church Accountant Jennifer Adams. Receptionist Joli Winstanley will take on some additional responsibilities in support of communications, while support for pastoral care, funerals, and weddings will be picked up by our pastoral staff and our Congregational Care and Worship and Music commissions of the Session. The Clerk of Session will take charge of the church rolls and provide administrative support to the Session.
There will undoubtedly be adjustments to be made, and Lucy has very kindly offered to consult with us as needed beyond her retirement date, which we have readily accepted! She has served us all so well for so very long, and we are so thankful that God called her to us for such a time as this.
While there is no replacing Lucy, the Session’s decision to promote from within and to rethink the distribution of administrative tasks reflects our desire to be wise and faithful stewards of the people and resources whom God as entrusted to our care, as, in response to God’s grace, we create community where people seek the truth of the gospel of Jesus Christ, rejoice in worship, and go forth sharing the love of Christ with Athens and the world.
May the peace of Christ be with you and yours,
Dr. Ryan J. Baer
Senior Pastor and Head of Staff