Getting to Know Sharon Weems

Getting to Know our Pastoral Associates

I am writing to reintroduce myself as a Pastoral Associate here at Church of the Ascension but as an accountant that is a difficult task for me. I can add numbers all day long, with a calculator of course, but putting words on paper is a challenge for me. You already read a “Getting To Know Sharon” article in the bulletin last May so I will spare you all of the details of my background.

The important things to know about me is that I strive to be a loving wife to my husband Sam, a caring and attentive mother to my grown children Cody and Samantha, a friendly neighbor and a kind person to everyone I meet, and most of all a loving servant to God, my creator. However, I am human so I fail at those often and continue to try and do better each day.

When Fr. Gary became the pastor he made some organizational changes which have all been very good. I am now part of his pastoral associate leadership team and my official title is Pastoral Associate of Administration and Outreach. I oversee the front office staff, our maintenance staff and our minister of care and social justice. My duties also include all of the accounting and human resources functions for the church and school.

It is a large job with lots of extra hours and always being on call when something happens but it is also a job with lots of rewards. It is a great feeling to know that everything I am doing to keep this facility running helps us to spread the good news of Jesus Christ and bring people closer to Him. I have been in my job for over 15 years and feel very blessed to be here.

We are all created in God’s likeness and to serve Him. While I am able to serve God in my job, there are many other ways I try to serve God. At church I am a Sacristan, Extraordinary Minister of Holy Communion and I have an adoration holy hour. Outside of work I belong to an organization where we do community service projects and raise money for women to go to college. There is plenty more that I could be doing and I will continue to strive to do more.

How are you serving God with your time and talent? I truly believe the saying, “the more you give the more you shall receive”, as God continues to bless me and my family. I strongly urge each one of you to volunteer for at least one ministry here at Ascension in addition to your volunteer work in the community. Please look through our ministry guide on our website to see where you may be called to give your time and talent. Call me or anyone in our parish office or the names listed in the ministry guide to discuss all of the opportunities that await you. I promise you that you will not regret it.