Ron is Retiring

Last week I informed the session of Ron S’s intention to step down from his volunteer duties here at the church. Ron, Ardyce and I spoke several times about this in August, and Ron has decided to “retire again” by November 30 of this year.

Over 20 years ago, Ron volunteered to take on the duties of the church custodian when that position became vacant. Ron had already retired from his own career at Kraft and had already been a key member of the church, holding several leadership positions with a particular focus in worship and music. Now in 1994 he also added another hat, and became a volunteer custodian and has continued this for the past 20 plus years. These additional duties saved the church at least $400,000 over the years since we didn’t have to replace that staff custodial position.

Some of you are wondering “who will replace Ron”? In one sense no one in particular will replace him, as this position is being eliminated. The duties will be divided up to the worship and buildings/grounds teams. As a result, these duties will be picked up by lots of different people. So the other answer to who will replace Ron is “we will”, since we all will be responsible to take care of things that Ron used to do for us. The church is blessed with strong teams with effective leaders who are capable to make this transition go as smooth as possible.

Ron is now retiring his “volunteer hat” but of course will continue to wear his “member hat.” He will remain a significant resource, being a phone call away to answer questions about building maintenance and the history of our congregation. This transition comes at the right time, allowing committees and people to take on parts of what Ron has been doing and to make any adjustments for 2015. This transition also comes at the right time, opening a new space for the new pastor when he/she arrives. Until then it is the right time to offer our sincere appreciation to Ron (and to Ardyce and their family) for such dedication. Ron did all this out of his love for the church. It has been his way of being faithful, doing what he felt was right and good. Surely we can say, “Well done, good and faithful servant. Well done!”

With respect and admiration!