Woo-hoo! My secretary just resigned!!!

[RevCheesehead]

My 78 year old church "secretary" just quit. Don't worry - it was a "volunteer" position that outlived its usefulness many years ago.

I had to confront her about gossiping, telling people stuff I shared with her in confidence. When I told her I was disappointed, because I need to be able to trust her, she said, "then I resign right now."

Maybe there's still hope in this church afterall.

:woohoo:

Forgive my post-and-run, but I just had to celebrate. I've got to get on the road in an hour... I'll be back later.

[redwitch]

1. LOL Good for you!

The church ladies are tough to take sometimes. I volunteer at our town food pantry- I sort food and put it away when I have extra time. Usually it is a great chance to be mindful and helpful at the same time. A solitary job. Last month two ladies came to sort. They have been doing it longer than I have and have very strong ideas about the "right" way to do EVERYTHING. One lady kept complaining about the way previous people had sorted and muttering "Christ" under her breath every ten minutes. I had to leave, I was getting seriously annoyed at her bad attitude. Plus, I couldn't be peaceful and mindful anymore. Now when I think about it, it makes me laugh. People really need to be reminded about why they are Christians. Guess that's one of your big jobs, eh? Friends of mine that are ministers feel rather desperate some days because of miserable people like the woman I mention. You good people have to deal with them all the time, I know. My mother in law would claim it means less time in purgatory!

[RevCheesehead]

3. heh - I think it runs in the family.

My brother, also a Methodist pastor, fired his choir director - ON CHRISTMAS EVE! He took a lot of shit for it, too - but he had no choice.

Some of these old people are responsible for driving out all the young people in the church. There are now, in a membership of 112 people, only eleven people under 50 years of age (not including the kids). New people come in, only to be driven out by people who gossip and hurt others with their whining and complaining.

This needed to be done.

Thanks for your words of support.

[redwitch]

13. You are very welcome

I know three women pastors locally and 1 man (besides my priest). One of them is one of my best friends. She is still studying for the ministry, she has been a family therapist for years. That should serve her well when the foolish people issues come up. I hope. Church politics are real interesting sometimes! :-)
I was just thinking at mass yesterday, how nice it is that our church is so "young". We've got the old timers too, but lots of young families and more all the time.
Hang in there Rev! Your congregation is lucky to have you!

P.S. Did he have to do it on CHRISTMAS EVE?? :-)

[tjwmason]

2. I know what church secretaries can be like.

Sounds like definite good news :woohoo: :toast:

[RevCheesehead]

4. oh, it is, indeed!

It feels like I just took a big dump... pardon the crassness, but it's the most accurate image I can think of. :evilgrin:

[Rabrrrrrr]

5. Yay! A bad secretary can ruin an organization.

Especially within a church, an organization in which the secretary truly is the point person who knows what is going on.

Also why churches should never hire a member to be secretary, or even allow a member to volunteer for it.

Congratulations to you!

[RevCheesehead]

6. Thanks, Rabrrrrrr

I just knew you'd understand! :hug:

[WolverineDG]

15. that sounds like the reason

the jewish temple once hired my very christian mom to be its secretary. :) she said it was one of her favorite jobs.

dg

[bridgit]

7. you mean, she'd rather resign than keep your confidence...

:shrug: then she had to go :thumbsup:

[RevCheesehead]

8. she's freely admitted in meetings that she gossips.

Someone once said, "I think we can talk about this, because we aren't going to go out of here and talk about it to other people." She responded by saying "Not me. I talk, and everyone knows I do."

At the time, I fell over, laughing.

Thanks, bridgit.

[bridgit]

11. well i do remember walking past a church one day, she reminds me...

of the 'message of the day' on the sign out front, "people are like cement. all mixed up and permanently set."

cause she seems a little too old to be acting like a bubble-headed teenager :rofl:

[ContraBass Black]

21. Not funny at all.

I think you should have put an immediate stop to it.

People like that make the Church an obstacle to faith instead of a resource.

[ET Awful]

9. LOL . . . "I need to be able to trust you"

"Okay, then I quit."

LMAO. . . . I wish this tactic would work for Bush :P

[RevCheesehead]

10. Damn - if only it were that easy!

With this situation, the question was "how do you fire a volunteer?"
Answer: you call them on their bullshit behavior.

[ContraBass Black]

19. Better answer:

"Hurtful gossip is not in the spirit and teaching of Christ. Your assistance is no longer needed here. Clean out your desk."

[Taverner]

12. I - just want to celebraaaaaaaaate.............

:)

[proud2BlibKansan]

14. Well good way to start a week

Sounds like she was more of a problem than a help.

Will you have a hard time finding a replacement?

[RetroLounge]

16. Was she gossiping about Oostberg?

:shrug:

:hi:

RL

[Call Me Wesley]

17. That's sad,

because from who do I get the hot church gossip now? :shrug:


He he, well done! :hug: This stuff can ruin so many things. Can you beat her with a bible a little bit? I have an old heavy Zwinglian one ... :rofl:

[ContraBass Black]

18. If she broke confidence,

Why didn't you fire her?

[Lydia Leftcoast]

20. Confidentiality is so important

As many of you know, my father was a Lutheran pastor, and whenever my mother came home with some juicy gossip, he'd say, "Oh, is that story public knowledge now?"

She never quite got it through her head that no, Dad couldn't share with her anything he heard from parishioners during counseling sessions.

[Wapsie B]

22. Cool.

People like that seem to have no lives of their own. Good way to start the week I guess.

[dryan]

23. Message to original poster....

this person was wrong to break a confidence but please don't make this a 'young vs. old' thing.

[undeterred]

24. Reminds me of a time some friends of mine were divorcing

and I mentioned it as information to someone who did not know. She asked for the details -what's the dirt!- and I asked why she needed to know... she said "so I can pray for them more intelligently". :eyes: I said, "Oh, don't worry about that- God already knows all the details".