MACEDONIA, OHIO Church bulletin gives hand to job-seeking congregants

MACEDONIA, Ohio (AP) -- Job seekers who want to get their r & eacute;sum & eacute;s out should think about dropping them in the collection plate of a Northeast Ohio church.
The weekly bulletin at the United Methodist Church of Macedonia carries a list of congregants looking for jobs, right alongside prayer requests for the sick and dates of church meetings.
The page of listings looks like it belongs in a paper's classified section more than it does in a church leaflet. Recent listings have included:
UJim Green: Experience in project management, system analysis and design and programming for medium to large IBM and Honeywell mainframes.
UJeff Thompson: Experience includes sales management, warehouse manager, administration, inside sales, inventory control and customer service in the areas of electronics and medical.
The service is part of the new Unemployment Ministry of the United Methodist Church of Macedonia, in this community about 15 miles south of Cleveland. The church bulletin has been adapted to help match congregants with job opportunities.
Church member Greg Harris recently created the ministry to help unemployed congregants and residents of the community find work.
Networking strategy
"It all boils down to needing a way to get your r & eacute;sum & eacute; to the top executives of companies," said Harris, who was unemployed for much of 2002. "Networking is the best way."
Harris said he got the idea to start the unemployment service last year after a woman stood up in church and said she and her husband were unemployed.
"You get really down when you are unemployed, and the days are really long. It takes companies a long time to decide who they will hire."
Sagamore Hills Township resident Bob Pike, 46, lost his job in direct-mail and database marketing in July after 13 years with the company. As a member of the Unemployment Ministry, Pike has discussed job leads with other members.
"It's good to know that other people are in your situation," Pike said. "In a way, the group makes us more accountable for how we're doing. People ask how the job hunt is going, and we need to be doing something instead of saying, 'Woe is me.'"
Church members can also list open positions on a form that is inserted in the weekly bulletin and then conveniently place it in the collection plate.