-by Rev. Jeff Gannon
For those of you who are out of the loop of information….Melissa Hanson, my executive assistant is resigning effective March 26th. Melissa has been battling Multiple Sclerosis for 9 years. Recently, her symptoms have been progressing to the point she needs to resign in order to take care of herself. We will miss Melissa greatly but we support her without hesitation because we care deeply about Melissa and her family: husband Chad; sons, Chad, Mitchell and Bradley.
On Sunday, March 22, 2015, we honored Melissa at both services of worship. Because it is the end of spring break and because the Shockers are playing KU, many were not able to be present for worship so I wanted to share what I essentially said at the close of each worship service.
Melissa has been a tremendous partner in ministry. She is not only gifted for the role, she learns very quickly. When I asked her to do something that was initially challenging, she always figured it out. In the last six months, she was essentially doing the job of two or more persons because I asked her to take on a project that was incredibly overwhelming yet she did the job extraordinarily well.
As I shared in worship, one of the greatest gifts Melissa gave me was the two fold gift of being tremendously supportive yet totally honest. She could tell me how the cow ate the cabbage and I would feel good about it when she was done. I rarely called her Melissa, except on rare occasions. I called her “Mrs. H,” because it was a way of honoring her and for me to recognize her God-given wisdom. Whenever she weighed in and gave me her opinion about something I was working on, she was never wrong. There is not any amount of money in the world that would buy that gift.
I cannot adequately express my appreciation to Mrs. H. I am deeply grateful from the bottom of my heart. Mrs H…you will certainly be missed but never forgotten.
May we continue to remember Mrs. H in our daily prayers and when you feel prompted by God’s Spirit, send a card or note. Cheryl will collect them at the office and get them to her.
The staff has volunteered to sign up for meals or gift cards. Cooking is difficult for Melissa and so if you would like to participate in this please contact Cheryl at 684-1117 or cashley@chapelhillwichita.org
Finally, thank you Chapel Hill for the love, care, and compassion toward the staff. Thank you for being so gracious and kind!