Greet my relative Herodion. Greet those in the Lord who belong to the family of Narcissus. Greet those workers in the Lord, Tryphaena and Tryphosa. Greet the beloved Persis, who has worked hard in the Lord. Greet Rufus, chosen in the Lord; and greet his mother—a mother to me also. – Romans 16:11-13 (NRSV)
We have a new face around the office! I am pleased to introduce Mary VanOsten, who has begun training on the many tasks asked of our Administrative Assistant/Bookkeeper. Mary is learning the role from Kim this month, and then will be taking over full time in January. If you have been at the church building in the past week, you may have had the opportunity to say hello already. If not, hopefully you will get an opportunity to introduce yourself soon. In the meantime, here is a little bit about her.
Mary V. VanOsten has previously worked in the communications and public relations fields, assisting organizations in strategically telling their stories to the public. She has extensive writing and editing experience and enjoys photography. Prior to joining St. Mathew Lutheran Church, she worked as a personal historian for ten years, helping individuals record family stories to pass down for future generations and preserve private papers and photos into archives. Her faith in God always plays a role in her civic and charitable efforts. As well, many of the memoirs she wrote for others include themes of faith.
Mary grew up in central New Jersey, the eighth of nine children. She lives in Mount Laurel with her husband Rick and son Tommy, the youngest of three. She is a graduate of Rowan University and has earned a certification in Caring for Yesterday’s Treasures – Today with Heritage Preservation and the Institute of Museum and Library Services in Washington DC. When not working, she is researching the art history of her great grandfather, a sculptor.
I am glad to have Mary on board. Please join me in making Mary feel welcome at St. Matthew.