Dear First Church Community,
I am happy to share with you that I’ll be retiring from my position as Director of Administration in January 2026.
I am filled with gratitude and joy for the honor of serving First Church for 27 years. First Church has done so much good for so many people over the years. I’m proud to have provided support for those programs, the container to hold the caring relationships and work.
Friends ask me how I could stay in the same job for 27 years! First Church is full of loving and creative people; I thrive working in community. Our dedicated staff and lay leaders are some of the best folks I’ve ever worked with. My work has also evolved and changed, from being the staff lead of a major renovation project at the beginning of my tenure to helping meet the challenge of being over-crowded, from changes in our staff team and ministers to transitioning financial activities from being completely lay-led to being the administrator’s responsibility. There is never a dull moment! I am also grateful to the church for the equity and justice of our retirement contribution policy which has helped make retirement possible for me.
I’m happy I’ll be retiring in good health at nearly age 67. I look forward to returning to some creative activities I have missed like pastel painting and baking. I will savor gardening, hiking and biking. I’ll spend more time with family and friends, far and near. I might tutor reading and will explore other volunteering too.
After being away from First Church about a year, I truly look forward to returning to First Church on Christmas Eve 2026 as a regular member of our community. It will be wonderful to attend church, join in programs, and see all of you again.
With heartfelt gratitude,
Jean
Jean Johnson, Director of Administration
From Rev. Jennifer Nordstrom
Jean’s retirement announcement is another bittersweet moment in the life of our community, as we celebrate a long and amazing career of service to First Church. Jean is the first administrator our 180-year-old congregation has had, and she has become a pillar of our institution.
Over the years Jean has managed the building, the finances, personnel, and various aspects of leadership and operations. She has loved this congregation well, giving 27 years of her life in service to our community’s thriving, for which we owe her a deep debt of gratitude.
In September, Rev. Jennifer is pulling together a small task force to search for a new Director of Administration. We aim to advertise the position in October, interview and hire in November, and train the new person in December while Jean is still here. After taking a best-practice guided year-long break from the congregation to give the new person time to get situation, we will welcome Jean back to our congregation as a member in the pews Christmas Eve 2026.
We are so grateful for Jean’s dedication and excellence in her service to First Church for nearly three decades. Our congregation is the stable, grounded, steady, competent, clean and effective place it is because of her work.
We hope you will join us in celebrating Jean at a retirement party in late January, the details of which are forthcoming. Please take the time to share your appreciation with Jean when you see her at church this fall!
With you in gratitude,
Rev. Jennifer
Rev. Jennifer Nordstrom, Senior Minister