Page 8 - KOG Glory & Grace, Issue 7, September 2022

PAGE 8
Joy + Peace from family
After working full time as KOG's custodian for a year, a new opportunity arose to serve as KOG's Parish Administrator. Guided by the advice of her 13 year old son, Joseph, Lorrie
accepted the Parish Administrator job, serving in both roles until 2008. Joseph's wisdom was this: "is it [the additional job] going to make you happy? If it is, then you need to do it."
“I think of my job as a calling, not a job. I’m able to do God’s work at that desk," Lorrie explains. “I don’t think of it as an 8-5 job; and of course it doesn’t work that way either,” she laughs.
Outside of work Lorrie experiences joy with her family, including 3 brothers, 3 children, 5 grandkids, and 1 grandchild on the way. Tangled up in her joy, however, are both gratitude and grief. She has gratitude for the 41 years and 2 days that she and her beloved, Max, shared a full life as husband and wife. Sadly, Max died in April 2020 after a brief battle with esophageal cancer. Lorrie shares that while it was Max's mustache and cowboy hat that first caught her attention, it was his kindness, sense of humor, and willingness to have fun that captured her heart.
Joy + Peace from God
The psalmist (and we) hold tightly to God's promise that "The LORD is near to the brokenhearted, and saves the crushed in spirit" (Psalm 34:18). Amidst her grief, Lorrie notes that it has
been her family and her church that has "buoyed me up when I needed it." Even through heartbreak, Lorrie's experience continues to be that God provides joy and peace.
Peace comes while sitting on her deck, looking at plants and telling her granddaughter Vayda, "your Grandpa planted that." In her work, peace comes in the quiet moments, such as at the end of four or five services on Christmas Eve. "I go home, pour a glass of wine, and realize that one more year is in the books," Lorrie explains. "It's peaceful," Lorrie says, "knowing that we did it; a job well done."
Be present, O merciful
God...so that we who
are wearied by the
changes and chances of
this life may rest in your
eternal changelessness;
through Jesus Christ
our Lord. Amen. Compline prayer
Staff Feature: Lorrie Maxwell Parish Administrator
Much can change over the course of a lifetime. Where you live, with whom you spend your time, your paid work, and even how you choose to unwind. King of Glory itself has experienced changes over the years, including changes to its building, leadership, and ministries. Earlier this spring, KOG celebrated a unique milestone: that for twenty years, one thing has remained the same. In her 20 years of service as part of the staff at KOG, Lorrie Maxwell has modeled the steadfast love of God.
"You start on Monday!"
After 28 years working in the insurance industry, an announcement seeking a “fill-in custodian” caught Lorrie's eye one Sunday in worship.
Though advertised as only "fill-in" help, Lorrie later learned that it would be filling in (for her predecessor, Larry Fox)...full-time. Despite the "false advertising," Lorrie accepted the custodian position and her first day on the job was, ironically, April Fools Day 2002.
Lorrie with a celebratory cake in May 2022.
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Donald "Max" Maxwell in 1978 (front) Max in 2020 (back)