MINISTRY DESCRIPTION

TITLE: Administrative Assistant

Summary & How to Apply 

Start date, September 1, 2009.  Full time, 40 hours/week, Monday-Friday, daytime hours.  Busy church office for bi-lingual congregation seeks a responsible, organized, caring person who is computer savvy (Microsoft Publisher, Word, Excel, Quick Books, and Databases), possesses excellent composition and communication skills and the ability to manage and work with volunteers, and can manage multiple projects and tasks. Spanish language skills helpful but not mandatory. Salary negotiable.  Email resume and cover letter to fumcypsi@yahoo.com by July 10.

First United Methodist Church Ypsilanti

Our Mission:

We are instruments of Christ’s transforming love, called upon to worship, to care for and challenge one another and to work for shalom.

Our Guiding Principles:

Our Core Values:

We are companions on a journey of faith.
Our faith community should be a source of enduring inspiration.
God is calling us to serve the needs of our local community.
The world is our parish.
When we truly embrace diversity, we embrace God.
As Christians we are ALL called to ministry and discipleship.
Our church building is a gift to be care for and shared with others.

Welcoming Statement:

The people of the Ypsilanti First United Methodist Church welcome and affirm all persons.  We embrace and seek to preserve the amazing diversity of God’s creation.  We believe God’s welcome is not limited by age, race, ethnicity, culture, citizenship, language, gender, sexual orientation, marital status, economic condition, and physical or mental ability.  In following the ministry of Jesus Christ, we open our hearts, our minds and our doors to you and invite you to join us as we journey in faith together,

Mission Of The Administrative Assistant At First United Methodist Church Ypsilant

The administrative assistant will understand his/her role as the first contact that many people have with the church and will provide communication services that assist the program staff and the elected church officials in reaching out to members and visitors  and in carrying out the church’s mission.

Desired Abilities and Skills

• Interpersonal sensitivity
• Sensitivity to confidentiality issues
• Ability to work with many interruptions
• Creative problem solving skills

Primary Tasks:

These will be determined, evaluated and confirmed in writing every year.  This job description is intended to indicate the basic nature of the position with noted examples of typical duties and responsibilities.  It does not imply or list all possible duties that the position might entail.  

Daily:

• Respond to walk-in and call-ins
• Receive, answer and/or forward email messages
• Telephone answering and detailed message taking
• Retrieve, open, and distribute incoming mail
• Prepare office outgoing mail for postal pickup
• Pull/re-file necessary files
• Correspondence—type letters upon request
• Coordinate church use calendar
• Remove unnecessary items from the office area. Keep things neat.
• Maintain an awareness of what information needs to be shared with whom to keep church processes and activities running smoothly.
• Help church members and others find the information they need.
  

Weekly:

• Prepare Sunday bulletins and make sure they run by Friday afternoon
• Prepare bills for check-writers and distribute payments
• Send out weekly church email message (“Catch the Spirit”)
• Prepare “First Edition” newsletter (bi-weekly)
• Maintain general  files
• Supervise  required duplication of “First Edition,” bulletin;  create mailing labels
• Attend weekly staff meetings
• Coordinate, oversee and support recruitment of needed volunteers
• Work with  computer software programs in support of pastoral and lay ministries.

Occasional:

• Send meeting notices by mail, email or phone
• Process mailings
• Purchasing responsibilities (office supplies, postage,  general church supplies, etc.)
• Receive check/cash payments
• Forward invoices to group chairpersons for approval and payment
• Update computer programs
• Report building problems to senior pastor and trustees
• Handle emergencies if pastors are not available
• Order service on office equipment and when needed, do research for purchase of equipment
• Share information for arrangements on weddings, funerals, baptisms, flowers for altar
• Make copies, do mailings,  etc., for committee chairpersons if time permits
• Distribute information and complete annual reports for the conference, district and annual Church Charge Conference
• Help with Advent or Lenten booklet (if we have one) and UMW booklet in publishing and collating (if requested)
• Keep church directory updated and create a new church directory every two years
• Extra typing, publishing and mailing during finance and stewardship campaigns
• Extra miscellaneous work during Christmas and Easter

Relations to Committees and Staff

The administrative assistant will be reviewed on an annual basis by the Staff-Parish Relations Committee.  This review will be done in person.  The employees will also have access to this committee at any time through their liaison and may request a meeting with the entire committee.  In addition they have the following relationships within the congregation:

Immediate Supervisor: Lead Pastor

Member of the following committees: none

Chairperson of the following committees: none

Supervisor to: Selected volunteers

Relationship to staff:  The administrative assistant will be a support member of the program staff of the congregation and will attend all meetings of that staff.  Full assistance shall be given to the pastor(s).  Additional assistance should be given to the music director/choir director as needed.  Any setups that are required for specific and ongoing programs should be communicated to the custodian in writing.  The administrative assistant shall maintain the program calendar in the church office and enter all meetings and special activities, as asked by the staff and congregation, following completion of an “event request/calendar card.” 

Encouragement of professional involvement:  The administrative assistant is encouraged to be an active member of their professional skills fellowship.  (Local/district secretarial group fellowship, PAUMCS, etc.)

Revised June 2009