ORANGE : Church Secretaries Get Boost at Seminar

Most secretaries aren’t expected to both type and cope with homeless people wandering into their office.

But then, most administrative assistants don’t function as aides to church leaders.

In recognition of the special burdens church secretaries face daily, Chapman University is sponsoring its 10th annual Church Secretaries Seminar today.

“It’s not likely that a secretary at IBM would have someone walk in and say, ‘I don’t have anywhere to sleep tonight, and my family needs food,’ ” said Ben Bohren, director of church relations at Chapman. “Church secretaries need to have an opportunity to get away and do some of their own skills development.”

More than 100 secretaries from across the Southland are expected to converge at Chapman. The administrative aides represent 18 Protestant denominations as well as Roman Catholic and Mormon congregations.

“It’s truly become an ecumenical event,” Bohren said.

The secretaries will attend seminars on a variety of topics, including dealing with the needs of homeless parishioners, recruiting and retaining church volunteers, bookkeeping, dealing with stress and buying and maintaining computers on a low budget.

“It’s an opportunity for personal growth and fellowship as well as an opportunity to be with people who perform the same job and understand the demands of being a church secretary,” Bohren said.

The annual event began in 1983 with 45 participants after Chapman officials conducted talks with local ministries to determine their needs.

The program has been so successful that Chapman officials have begun taking it on the road, holding such seminars in San Francisco, Sacramento, Albuquerque, Phoenix and other cities, Bohren said.