Bill Ellis Extra

We can all be thankful for secretaries and their special day

Since the beginning of time, at least from the origin of recorded history, there have apparently been secretaries. How could we ever expect to get along without them? I think back over my career and the secretaries who have been invaluable in my work. They did so many things well that I could not do and knew nothing about.
Before I forget, thanks to Ardys, Betty, Carolyn, (they do not comprise the total alphabet, it just starts that way) Patsy, Karen, Mary Helen, Jan, Janice, Ruth, Hope and others who worked in the radio and television offices of the Church of God, Anderson, Indiana, when I was a staff member. In Decatur, Illinois, there was Marilyn, June and my wife, Kitty, who has been my superb secretary for 40 years. They were all tremendous.
In my work as an editor, writer, columnist, commentator, pastor, author, promotion manager and public relations director, most of it had the finishing touches of a committed and competent secretary.
What does the dictionary have to say about a secretary? They may be defined as an office worker, typist, word processor, receptionist, filer, stenographer, bookkeeper and much more. They make and receive phone calls, answer difficult questions, endure obnoxious people, shield and protect those with whom they work, keep schedules, communicate with constituents, make coffee and serve snacks and cold drinks. They also run errands, baby sit, buy gifts, go to hospitals, attend weddings and represent their company at various functions.
Almost everything we receive or produce has the imprint of a loyal secretary on it. Schools, churches, hospitals, doctors’ offices, industry, government, banks, the FBI and the Pentagon could not operate without these expert assistants. When you read this column, be thankful for talented secretaries.
Because of their tremendous importance in our lives, April 23 will be observed as Secretaries’ Day across the United States and other parts of the world. Do something special for your secretary and for secretaries who serve you in a variety of capacities. Think of all the things secretaries do in our schools to help children, teachers and parents.
St. Paul has been one of my favorite writers. He battled what he referred to as “a thorn in the flesh.” Some scholars think it may have been a problem with his eyes that affected his ability to see and write well. At the close of his first letter addressed to the church of God at Corinth he states: “I will write these final words of this letter with my own hand: . . .” (I Corinthians 16:21, TLB). A secretary may have written the rest of this letter and others.
Throughout the Bible and other great books, secretaries have been very important. In biblical stories they are often called “scribes” -- the persons who copied and transcribed written records.
For example, I thank Rachel, the brilliant secretary at the church Kitty and I attend, for her many hours spent preparing newsletters, Sunday worship bulletins, keeping records, answering our often unnecessary phone calls and assisting our pastor, Dr. Melissa Pratt, so she may have time “for the work of the ministry” (Ephesians 4:12) and prepare those terrific sermons she preaches each week. Be sure to thank your church’s secretaries.
Many churches and other businesses may need a good secretary/administrative assistant more than another staff member. Make sure your leaders have all the valuable secretarial service necessary to be as effective as possible.
If you are fortunate enough to read this column, you may want to thank my secretary, Kitty, for without her there could be no weekly column to be read on every content, in many countries and in different languages.