Dear People of Beautiful Savior Lutheran Church, On September 23, I celebrated my 29th anniversary as BSLC’s Church Administrator. I joined the church on November 19,1989 after attending as a visitor for a year.
I began working for the church on September 23, 1993. I was a single mother of two preschool-aged children (Michael and Lindsay). My office telephone was rotary (yes, the kind where you stick your index finger in the appropriate hole and “dial” the number). And pre-renovation, my office was in the northwest corner of the sanctuary where the handbells tables are set up to play during worship. Over the years, I have worked with four Called Pastors (Bishop Rick Jaech, Rev. John Lund, Rev. Christie Manisto, and Rev. Jean DeVoll Donaldson) and two Interim Pastors (Rev. Michelle Manicke and Rev. Dr. Scott Dunfee) as well the following Sabbatical Pastors (Rev. Joan Hunt Beck, Rev. Penny Guntermann, Rev. Chris Nolte, Rev. John Rosenberg, and Rev. Phil Yokers).
I have seen many changes in the last three decades both within the church and the outside community that surrounds us. 2 In fact, Mill Plain Boulevard was a two lane road and East County was quite agricultural and treed, including along SE Mill Plain Boulevard. Hard to imagine, huh!? As we shift into fall and the seasons change, so will I. I will be leaving Beautiful Savior at the end of 2022 and I am giving the church my notice of resignation now so that Pastor Jean, the Human Resource Committee, and Church Council have plenty of time to think through the Administrator position and what the job description will look like moving forward.
There are many things to consider including what are the skill set(s) they wish for your new Administrator to possess, perhaps that means adjusting the current job description and office hours. In the meantime, I will work my regular schedule and handle daily tasks as usual. We have been through a lot over the years, both joys and sorrows; greetings and goodbyes. My position here at BSLC has meant so much to me and I have been very grateful to walk alongside you for all these years.
Many of you have laughed with me and cried with me through all the ups, downs, twists and turns that come with “life” both in the workplace and personally. It will be an emotional time of letting go and it starts now with the formality of this letter to you all. May God be with you, the leadership of Beautiful Savior Lutheran Church, and with me during this forthcoming transition.
Written with much love,
Mariellen Matson Taylor
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