10 years - by Suzie Unruh

This year, I will complete 10 years as a staff member at Redeemer Church. I sit back and think – WOW, 10 years!

I think about where I was physically, mentally, and emotionally. I was lost when I started. We had just moved here from the town, where I grew up, and from everything I had ever known. I left a job that I loved and had worked at for 7 years. I didn’t know anyone. My oldest was struggling with being in 5th grade - new friends, moving away from his biological father. We took a big financial hit selling our house for the move, and I was depressed. I would sit at home and watch our daughter, with nowhere to go, in fear that I might get lost (Meijer’s wasn’t even here yet). I had no one to visit and was missing my old job. It was tough! We didn’t go to church regularly back home and I wasn’t raised a Methodist. But, I responded to an ad in the newspaper not knowing which church was looking to hire, but knowing that I needed to get out of the hole I was in. The previous seven years, I had worked in the medical field at a highly professional level and I loved it. My only reasoning for looking for a job in DeWitt was the fact that I was fearful of Lansing, getting lost, and all these 496, 96, 69 highways. But, it was odd that I would apply at a church.

I remember the interview like it was yesterday, Pastor Rod calling and offering me the job. I remember the specific spot I was standing in our house when I got the call, and I remember his words. Most of all, I remember the feeling of hope, comfort, and thankfulness, knowing God was taking care of me and my family and that I was going to be okay. Even now, while I write this, I tear up remembering the struggle.

During the last 10 years at Redeemer Church I have found friends, family, tears, sorrow, love, support, and laughter. As a staff member, you experience more than the typical member of the congregation. I have seen loved ones die, the birth of babies, new marriages, kids growing up, and people’s lives being impacted daily.

I still miss my previous home terribly. I miss friends. I still miss my former job and co-workers. But, life in DeWitt is great. I never knew why I applied ONLY to this job after we moved here – but God knew. For that, I am thankful. I can’t imagine being anywhere else each day. I enjoy my job, what I do, the people I work with, and I am grateful for the congregation’s generosity that supports my staff position. I can’t say what the next 10 years holds for me. I can say the past 10 years have changed me … saved me.