This is the continuation of my July 2009 "Family Ties" newsletter article...
IN PURSUIT OF EXCELLENCE

In 1982, Tom Peters wrote a groundbreaking business book entitled "In Search of Excellence." In that book, Peters listed eight common themes that made up excellent organizations.

One of these themes was “Productivity Through People.” In that section , there are many examples of businesses that treat people well and have excellent people working for them.

Here at CCC, I believe I could name off a whole host of excellent people! But I’ve only got so much space, so I am going to use the fingers of one hand to count off five. Then, I’ll give YOU a chance to add to the list.

The first of these five is…

1. Bill Lutes

Bill is the guy who cuts the church grass pretty much every week. Everett Faulkner cuts the grass when Bill can’t, and I appreciate Ev too.

The reason I’m listing Bill first is because I always notice him – he cuts the parsonage grass too. Bill is meticulous about grass mowing, and cuts the grass in a professional -style diagonal. He also uses a gas trimmer to make sure all the detail work looks nice. Since I can’t use a gas trimmer due to my pacemaker, I am personally very thankful for Bill’s work.

The next time you notice how nice the church yard looks, thank Bill!

2. Diane Fouts

Diane began working in the church office this year, and what a great addition she has been! Diane has such a positive attitude (actually, ALL our office staff do) and is very pleasant to work with.

One of Diane’s strengths is in graphic arts. She is the one responsible for designing all the announcement slides that you see in the foyer and the sanctuary every Sunday. She does such an outstanding job that I now ask her to design all my sermon slides too!

The next time you look at the announcement slides, thank Diane!

3. Jerry Nutt

CCC has been blessed with a list of responsible church treasurers. Since I’ve been at CCC, Jim Crow, Bob Streibich, John Waller, and Lois Lee have taken on the big job of overseeing the church’s finances with diligence and care.

This job has now been passed on to a new Finance Team Leader: Jerry Nutt. Jerry brings his experience as Vice President at Central Illinois Bank to CCC, and is raising our church finance reporting and record-keeping to another level. Jerry has put in MANY hours in the church office updating our computers and streamlining the financial process.

The next time you give an offering and feel confident about the way it’s handled, thank Jerry!

4. Jacob Barrett

Jacob began working this past year as CCC’s weekend youth worship minister. He is currently working here full-time this summer before he resumes classes at Lincoln Christian College this fall.

One of Jacob’s primary responsibilities is to work with the Youth Worship Band (I don’t think they have a catchy name yet). He teaches them, mentors them, and helps them practice for Kingdom worship on Sunday nights. The kids love him! And beyond that, they respect him, because he takes his mentoring seriously. He’s a friend, to be sure, but he also knows when to put on his coaching hat to bring out their best.

The next time you hear those great sounds from the basement (or even the church sanctuary on Sunday mornings), thank Jacob!

5. Angie Hentrich

OK, OK, I know I’m a little biased on this one…but having come off a fantastic week of Vacation Bible School, I just couldn’t overlook my wonderful wife (and I know she’ll say that she had a great group of volunteers as well).

Angie has been involved with VBS ever since she was little kid, and she really knows what works and what doesn’t work. She is very detailed and organized, which was evident all throughout VBS this past week. She is passionate about seeing children come to faith in Christ, and that’s why she wants everything to be “just so.” She knows that the better she does her job, the more chance that a child will come to know Jesus.

So if you have appreciated the week of VBS we’ve just enjoyed, thank Angie!

NOW PLEASE KEEP READING! I am completely confident that I could come up with a brand new list of five, ten, or more candidates for this list of excellence. In fact, I hesitated doing it because someone will be left out. But that’s where YOU come in.

Do you see the comments section of this blog? Here’s your chance! I want YOU to list YOUR “excellent” CCC person and tell us why they are. You can write as much or as little as you want, but I would love to see you participate in this.

Why not take time RIGHT NOW to post your comment? Let’s honor all those who help CCC pursue excellence in the name of Jesus!