Dear Edgeboro Friends & Family,

It’s been nearly a year since I’ve used this format for the front page of The Envoy, but I decided to come back to it in this issue. I’ve chosen three things to write about on the front page. Here are my three things this month: A thing I learned last month, an introduction, and a note about prayer days in September.

A Thing I Learned Last Month

As many of you know from either being at Edgeboro or from past issues of The Envoy, Mary Ann Lynn, our office administrator of 11 years, retired in July. This means that for most of the last month, I was by myself in the office doing my best to do some of the things Mary Ann used to do to keep things moving behind the scenes. While I have done some of those things before – keeping track of invoices, staying on top of elevator inspections, updating the church calendar and website, and so on – I had to something entirely new and learn how to communicate with our payroll provider and navigate their new online portal. When I was ordained, like all other Moravian pastors, the first obligation I agreed to take on was to learn (“study”). I could never have predicted that I would learn some of the things that I have doing what I do, but now I can add payroll to the list. That said, I am by no means an expert!

Of course, through working with our payroll provider for the briefest of stints, I learned even more about how much I appreciate church office administrators. It’s truly a utility position that cannot be fully described by any job description. We found this out first hand while interviewing for a new office administrator, but allow me to transition.

Introducing Edgeboro’s New Office Administrator

Edgeboro hired a new office administrator, Carole Burkhardt, who began working at Edgeboro on August 28th. Before you read words from Carole, I’d like to take a moment to thank Peggy Leith for coming into the office once a week on her own time for the past few weeks to take care of the bulletins, the mail, bills, and other tasks; Mary Ann Lynn for graciously coming in multiple days during Carole’s first week to help us with the transition; and Carole Schachter, Season Pagano, and Mike Long for working with me on the interview and search committee. Now, here’s a few words from Carole: (Welcome Carole!)

“I am thrilled to be serving Edgeboro as the new Office Administrator. Mary Ann has left me big shoes to fill, and I am ever so grateful for her help. I recently retired after 37 years of teaching, so this is an exciting change for me. Stop by the office sometime to say hello! I’m here M-F, 9a-1p.”

September’s Prayer Days

The Moravian Church Northern Province has set aside three Sundays in the month of September as specific prayer days. Please keep the following days in mind for your own times of prayer:

September 10th – Prayer Day for Christian Education
Pray for Sunday schools, confirmation classes, Bible studies, seminaries, Vacation Bible Schools, etc.

September 17th – Prayer Day for Church Development
Pray for emerging ministries, new ministry opportunities, regular and planned giving, etc.

September 24th – Prayer Day for Church’s Ministry to Older Adults
Pray for congregations, visitation programs, retreats, assisted living and nursing homes, etc.

Learning, Welcoming, and Praying with you,
Pastor Dan