Today and tomorrow, I will introduce our newest two staff members—today, Kat Griffith, our new administrative assistant, and tomorrow the Rev. Jennifer Hansen, who will join us July 1 as our new executive minister.
Though she’s been in the office for a few weeks now, I’d like to introduce a bit more fully our new administrative assistant, Katherine “Kat” Griffith. She’s the voice you’re most likely to hear when you call the church office, and she’s the one who will greet you when you stop by.
Kat is truly a rare human being—a fifth-generation Atlantan. She grew up in the greater Atlanta area with two older brothers; and her father, Fred Breck, now 94, is a member of Emory’s class of 1948. Kat herself is an alumna of Georgia State University, where she majored in Journalism.
Kat has spent much of her professional life in the fields of printing and business electronic processing, most recently as an account manager, but with her addition to the Glenn staff, she is finally doing professionally what she has long done purely out of love—serve God through the church. A member of Tucker First UMC, Kat is one of those folks every church counts on—a volunteer ready to pitch in where needed. At Tucker, she has helped with communications and coordinated the church’s annual “Christmas at Tucker” production, and she is the president of the choir. According to people who have worked with her, folks watching her serve have often assumed she was a church staff-person. Now those folks are right.
Kat has been married to Malcolm Griffith for 22 years (after dating 15!). They enjoy traveling, with Hawaii, Alaska, the eastern and western Caribbean, England, Scotland, Italy and Croatia among their stops, and they are both practicing taphophiles.
That’s right, taphophiles. I’ll pause here while you Google the term.
They enjoy visiting and researching old cemeteries, an interest I can appreciate as a lover of history (historophile?). During the pandemic, Kat and Malcolm took outings to north Georgia, searching out old graveyards, and closer to home, she is very familiar with Atlanta’s Oakland Cemetery, having 21 ancestors buried there. She hopes someday to visit some historic northern cemeteries, such as Mount Auburn in Boston.
Some of you have perhaps met or talked with Kat already, but if you haven’t, I hope you will introduce yourself in the weeks ahead. Kat brings a great love for the church to her work, and she offers a solid sense of organization, along with a calm demeanor, that will serve her well in her vital position among us. We are happy to welcome her to Glenn.
Kat now stands ready to help, so the next time you have a question about the church calendar, building access, flower donations, your pastor’s availability, or historic Southern cemeteries, don’t hesitate to call.