The Personnel Committee was hard at work during the summer months and has successfully filled the job of Administrative Assistant. We are pleased to announce that the new Administrative Assistant is Laura Bird.

Laura began on Thursday, September 1, at 15 hours per week.  For the time being, Office Hours will be 11:00 am to 2:00 pm, Tuesday to Friday.

Laura comes to us with lots of experience in the Church.  She was the Administrative Assistant at Christ Church Cathedral, Victoria, BC prior to coming to PEI in 2010.  In that role she was responsible for creating the weekly service bulletins and other communication publications (she designed posters, print ads, and media releases, as well as updating and maintaining their website).

From 1992 to 1997 she was the Director of Youth and Family Ministries for the Church of St. John the Divine, Victoria, BC.  She was also the Drama Instructor at the Confederation Centre of the Arts Summer Camps this summer; Head of Fine Arts Department and Drama Teacher at Glenlyon Norfolk School, Victoria, BC; and the Event Coordinator for Molloy and Associates, Victoria, BC.

Last year Laura was our Church School Coordinator and I can say happily that she intends to continue in that ministry this year.

Laura has strong communication and organizational skills, leadership, and the ability to handle a variety of things at one time. She is already familiar with the administrative requirements of a  busy parish office, including the preparation of diocesan and government reports. She can use a variety of computer programs, including word processing, e-mail, and data entry. She has experience with bookkeeping assistance, budgets and financial reports.

I think that Laura’s proven communication abilities, her organization and interpersonal skills, and her previous experience in the Anglican Church will make her a great addition to the staff at St. Paul’s Church.  I encourage you to make yourself know to Laura in the weeks ahead and to help her feel welcome in her new role and ministry as our Administrative Assistant.

On a related matter, in the interview with Laura we talked about boundaries.  She put it well when she indicated that on Sunday morning, when her daughter Lilly is with her, she’s a mom and not the Administrative Assistant, and when she is with us during the week she is the Administrative Assistant.  I encourage you to respect these boundaries.