I Have An Office

After 15 months, and thee months after our promotion to full Associate Program Officers, the APO Trainees have offices. Well, three of us have offices. One of us chose to stay in a cubicle, because it is by the window. It's also out of the main traffic pattern, which works well for her. The other three of us needed to be out of our cubicles. In the Church Center's corporate culture cubicles are administrative spaces. Being in offices will reinforce that we are no longer administrative employees. We are program staff.

I will still have administrative duties, one of the pitfalls of carrying more administrative knowledge than both of our Technical Support Specialists (administrative assistants, in spite of the techie title). I had to clear the "empty" office of accumulated files that the new Program Officer for Lifelong Formation and Youth needs to go through, files for archiving, and stuff to throw out. I did that piecemeal over the first part of last week and then moved my stuff in. MIS was supposed to move our computers and phones on Friday, but that didn't happen until this morning. I spent time Friday afternoon and this morning reorganizing my files as I put them in my new file drawers.

So, if you stand in the door of my office--my fifth workspace during my seven years at the Church Center--this is what you see as you scan from right to left:

Obviously, I have more shelves than stuff to put on them.


Less bulletin board space than in cubicles, so I'll need to rethink what gets posted on what space there is. The cabinets hold some supplies and information binders.

I also have more wall space than art work to put on it. What you see in this picture are two pictures I took during my summer in Germany as an exchange student and my Education for Ministry diploma. I'm looking for a poster of Harold and the Purple Crayon and also for a print of one of Monet's paintings of the Rouen Cathedral.


And if I had more shelf space than I needed with one set of shelves, I have two. Note the bottom shelf of each bookcase, you will see things that children can play with and books they can read. I may not have many children visiting, but after all, I am the Associate Program Officer for Children's Formation. Also, take a look at the second shelf from the top. Until I figure out a better way, that's where I've displayed my crosses.

To the left of the second bookcase is an open corner. The facilities coordinator is looking for a "visitor's chair" for me, and I'm looking for some sort of a small table. A couple of people have pointed me to Overstock.com.

Peace,
Jeff