Introducing the New Team

C. Ray Miller
Bishop, 1973-1993</p>

September 1993

This is my final edition of "The Corner Office." It's been fun doing this column each month. But as of August 15, I am officially out-of-office, and I don't have to get dressed up in suit and tie every day.

We three ex bishops are heading in different directions. Jerry Datema will be going to Jamaica as a missionary to work alongside the Jamaican church leaders. Clarence Kopp was elected to a two-year term as fulltime superintendent of Central Conference. And I'll be working as a consultant with several Pennsylvania Conference churches, and continuing my involvement with Huntington College.

I have enjoyed working as part of a team of three bishops. We're all very compatible, yet are different in many ways, and that has been good. But now a new team is in place, and I am very excited about it. In last month's column, I introduced the new bishop, Ray Seilhamer. While he is not part of a team of bishops, he is part of a very capable Headquarters team, and this month, I want to introduce you to them.

Paul Hirschy, the director of Church Services, is a good detail person. While it's not part of his job description, Paul has handled much of the organization for denominational conventions and General Conferences--registration, lodging, speakers, etc. His administrative and organization skills have also proven extremely valuable in a wide range of other areas, from the pension program to computers, from structure to publishing.

Within the Church Services department, many new ministries have begun under Paul's leadership, including MLD, the Sonlife youth ministry, Marital Team-Building seminars, GRADE and GROW, the junior high convention Jubilee, and the new senior citizens' ministry. With his blend of skills and experience, a servant spirit, and deep dedication to the church, Paul is a tremendous asset to the Headquarters team.

Kyle McQuillen, the newly-elected Director of Missions, has a fine background for this role. Being a former missionary, he will be able to relate to missionaries. But he also knows the demands of the pastorate. In addition to all of that, Kyle is a very creative person.

Kyle will work with a new Mission board, and will also build a new team for the Missions department, adding two associate directors (one of them the WMF Executive Secretary) within the next few months. This new Missions staff will be able to chart new directions for UB missions.

Even though he doesn't work at Headquarters, Blair Dowden, as president of Huntington College and Director of Education, is a member of the team and will serve on the Executive Leadership Team. Blair is an encourager, constantly writing letters of thanks and appreciation to people. I like that. I look forward to working with Blair on the Board of Trustees and the Education Commission.

Two persons will work directly under Bishop Seilhamer, and were appointed to their positions upon his recommendation. One is Marda Hoffman, the Office Manager/Treasurer. Marda, like Paul Hirschy, is a good detail person. She understands the finances of each department, and often puts in long hours preparing financial reports. Since she works with conference treasurers, she also understands conference finances well. This enables her to see the big picture. Marda also does much of the work regarding the pension and insurance programs.

Steve Dennie, as Communications Manager, will edit the denominational newsletters which, in January, will take the place of this magazine. He will also work on other publications. Steve has been editor of the UB since 1981, and has worked with a number of other publications. He assisted me with the evangelism manual Into the Field, and helped Dr. Clyde Meadows in writing In the Service of the King. He has also been published widely outside the denomination. In April, InterVarsity Press published his book Murphy Goes to Church, and a sequel will hit Christian bookstores in January.

The Headquarters team is completed by a number of secretaries and other persons. I'm excited about the total team. The attitude is, "We're here to serve our churches and help them grow." In the years ahead, I think we'll see a lot of growth occur. And I'll be cheering them along.