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Oct 02, 2013 | EDOT Staff

Interview with Rebecca Sweitzer

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Rebecca Sweitzer in the early 1990s & Rebecca today

Rebecca Sweitzer, the Bishop's executive assistant, retired in 2009 but has been working to support the bishop's office several days a week since then. This fall, she fully retires and we are reprinting an interview from the Texas Episcopalian serveral years ago at the time of her retirement.  Rebecca has been managing the confirmation schedules and handling travel arrangements for the bishop as well as a host of other duties and she will be greatly missed.

 

Q: How did you come to be the bishop’s executive assistant?

A:  I was a single mom working in real estate and responded to a call from an employment agency when the position became available.  I wasn’t an Episcopalian (at the time) nor did I know anything about the Episcopal Church.  Bishop Benitez hired me in 1987.  I never dreamed this job would bring as many opportunities for growth as it has.

 

Q: When and how many bishops have you worked for?

A:  Four, Ben Benitez (1987-1995), Claude E. Payne (1995-2003), Don A. Wimberly (2003-2009) and C. Andrew Doyle (2009-2013)

 

Q: How is being an assistant for a bishop different from other assistants’ jobs?

A:  Working for a bishop is unique.  I had to learn protocols, there were diocesan and national canons to follow and most importantly, all my work was strictly confidential at all times.  One of the things that surprised me was that many of the clergy felt comfortable speaking to me in confidence. Sometimes I felt like a therapist, other times like a warden and other times like a legal assistant. My role was to be supportive of the bishop and while that encompasses a lot of things, it means being consistently available to the clergy of the diocese. Sometimes clergy and church leaders talked to me like I was a theologian or a seminary graduate--which I am not--but I learned all kinds of things.  

 

Q: What have you liked most about the job? Least?

A:  I’ve loved my association with so many truly wonderful people throughout the diocese, both clergy and lay, including other bishops’ secretaries across the country. Each time there was a new bishop, a new boss; it was like getting a new job. It kept things interesting. They have all been supportive and they have all had great trust in me, I hope. My least favorite part? The confirmation visitation schedule for four bishops! It’s so complex and everyone wants the diocesan bishop and they want him on the same day. It’s impossible to make everyone happy, but we try. 

 

Q: How would you describe the bishops’ differences?

A: All three bishops have had a different work style and personality. Bishop Benitez was spontaneous. If he saw a location he thought would be good for a church, he began working on it with great energy. Bishop Payne was very organized and meticulously detailed. He was laser focused on his vision and mission of the Church. He was as responsive as he was proactive. Bishop Wimberly is very relational and has focused on raising up leadership, both lay and ordained, during his tenure as diocesan bishop.

 

Q: Now’s your chance, what would you say to the EDOT clergy after working closely with so many of them?

A: Please don’t act like you are the only church in the diocese!  

 

Q: How would you describe changes in the diocese since you began this work?

A:  When I started in 1987 there was a hand full of diocesan staff. I believe there was a great transition with Bishop Payne from the standpoint of building a team that would help our churches and provide resources for our clergy. Now we have reached out to empower others beyond the diocesan staff to help provide those resources our congregations need. In talking to others in my position, I think the Diocese of Texas is truly unique and fortunate in what we have in place for our congregations and our clergy. There is no need for which we can't offer some help.

 

Q: What’s your typical day like?

A:  I never know what is going to happen when I get to the office. The bishop has so many different roles and responsibilities – one minute it’s a luncheon he’s supposed to do the invocation at and the next, we are dealing with a reporter who wants to know what we are doing about the Swine flu. Then there’s a board meeting at the hospital or a meeting with the vestry of a church in conflict.  The buck always stops in this office and everyone who calls must be treated with the greatest of respect. You need to be able to juggle a million things at once and handle everything with discretion and confidentiality. The telephone never stops ringing and then there are records to maintain, priorities to set, arrangements to be made. Everything is archived as well. I’ve also served as office manager for a number of years so, periodically staff members need to talk about personal issues. Again, discretion is key.

 

Q: How have you been involved nationally?

A: I have been a member of B+E+S+T (Bishops’ Secretaries Together) for 21 years. Their primary purpose is to provide a forum for sharing, mutual support and continuing education for bishops’ assistants and we also do an outreach project in the province where we meet each year. This has been a valuable group of colleagues and friends for me.

 

Q: Who has made the biggest impression on you since you started work at EDOT and why? 

A: Planning the Archbishop of Canterbury’s visit in July 2002 was a highlight but I think all four bishops I’ve worked for have made the most impression on me for their amazing commitment to the Church and to the diocese. It was also wonderful to be part of the planning for the consecrations of Bishops High and Harrison and of course Bishop Doyle.

 

Q: What is the most important trait for a bishop to have?

A:   A bishop needs to be a humble leader.  He or she needs to be a leader for the clergy, the staff and the diocese, but be able to maintain a pastoral relationship with the same people. It’s a demanding position and sometimes very thankless.  A bishop has to have integrity, not mind being accountable to lots of people and most importantly, maintain a sense of humor.

 

Q: What’s your advice to Bishop Andy Doyle’s next assistant?

A: Keep a sense of humor and your mouth shut.