How would you describe your job?

My first responsibility is to assist the pastor. I have a wide range of responsibilities: ministry to

(ENLARGE)

Rick Lowry, age 37 Elizabeth City Life Development Pastor Fountain of Life, 8 years

teenagers, children, direction of the Sunday school department and more.

Has your job been affected by changes in technology or other changes? We use PowerPoint presentations for the Sunday morning services that present the song lyrics on a screen.

Besides salary, what benefits do you derive from your work? I get to further my education through training seminars. I love the people that I work with, which includes everyone inside and outside the building, the whole

community. I do get to meet a lot of people that I would not ordinarily meet.

What are the long-term or indirect benefits of your job? The biggest benefit is the great relationships that I'm able to build through what I do. Lifetime relationships, people that really get to know you. I have access to a lot of peoples' lives, and the biggest benefit is being able to make a difference.

How do you see your job benefiting the larger community? We help numerous people in our community in our congregation: financially, spiritually, and counseling. We help missionaries around the world, financially and with prayer. We host community events like the American Red Cross blood drives; other churches use our facilities. We allow our facilities to be used by the community for weddings, receptions, funerals and youth events.

— Brian Gray