Hello, and welcome to my website. I am blessed to share responsibilities in the school office with Mrs. Betsy Gillengerten. I am fairly new to New Covenant, having married Pastor Jim Ryckman in January of 2008. Some of you may recall that Pastor Jim served as a teacher and then as Principal of NCCS for approximately 21 years in all. New Covenant is a dynamic environment. You can just feel the Holy Spirit working in and through the staff, the students, and parents. I am so grateful to be a part of such a Christ-centered school!
I was born and raised in New England where my 5 siblings, 97 year old grandmother and assorted cousins, nieces & nephews still reside. I can still vividly recall my first paying job in our local public school system, where I worked in the principal's office of the middle school & high school, and then went on to work for the Superintendent. (This was in the '70s - the days of electric typewriters, carbon paper, lots of white-out, & no computers.) Regardless of what "paying" job I've held over the years, being a wife & mom has been my most rewarding "career". Family has always been my number one priority. I have an amazing son, Zachary, daughter-in-law, Kelly and 2 grandchildren in Ohio - 4 1/2 year old Celia and Jacob who is 2. When I married Pastor Jim, I was blessed with 6 more wonderful grandchildren ranging in age from 1 to 13.
The majority of my career was spent in the health care field. I served as the Executive Assistant to the President/CEO and Board of Trustees of a multi-faceted healthcare system in Massachusetts. We oversaw a hospital, nursing home, Hospice service, assisted living facility, visiting nurse organization, and various community education & outreach programs. I was blessed to be part of an outstanding organization that served our community in so many ways. It was an extremely fast-paced and challenging environment that I enjoyed tremendously (multi-tasking of the highest magnitude - something I confess to not enjoy as much anymore).
Little did I know, God was planning big changes in my life. After 25 wonderful years of marriage, in 1997 my husband George was called home to be with the Lord very unexpectedly at the age of 46. It was a time of great soul-searching, prayer and listening to the voice of God (sometimes still & small, and at other times loud & clear). Of course, He had a plan (Jeremiah 29:11) and so, I followed His lead and retired from my position, sold my home and moved to Bloomingdale, Ohio where I resided with my son & his family for a little over a year. Fast forward to 2007 - ENTER e-Harmony and meeting my wonderful husband, Jim. We had a whirlwind courtship and were married on January 26, 2008. Thus, my relocation to Michigan, a delightful new marriage, an amazing new family, a new community and adjusting to driving on expressways and long, straight roads with no mountains in sight!
Over the years God has provided me with many opportunities to serve, and "back east" I enjoyed volunteering for a number of charitable organizations, teaching Sunday School, volunteering for an organization that served special needs students, etc. I am currently serving on New Covenant Christian Church's Sozo Team which is a healing ministry initiated by the church last year. Jim & I believe the Lord is calling us into a healing ministry, and we are currently researching various training opportunities in this regard. One in particular has caught our attention, it's called "Restoring the Foundations". It always amazes me to see the Holy Spirit at work in and through us.
For relaxation, you'll most often find me in the kitchen cooking up a great meal (especially Italian food, since that is my heritage). I also love to entertain, decorate, knit, garden, birdwatch and soak up God's creation with a walk by the water to catch a sunset or deep in the woods listening to the wind through the trees.
I consider it an honor and privilege to serve the Lord and one another as part of the NCCS team. Thank you for the opportunity to share a bit with you. While websites, e-mail, texting, twittering, blogging, facebook, etc. are all great, I much prefer getting to know folks face to face, so please stop by the office to say "hello" anytime. I'd like to get to know you too!
May the joy of the Lord be our strength!
I was born and raised in New England where my 5 siblings, 97 year old grandmother and assorted cousins, nieces & nephews still reside. I can still vividly recall my first paying job in our local public school system, where I worked in the principal's office of the middle school & high school, and then went on to work for the Superintendent. (This was in the '70s - the days of electric typewriters, carbon paper, lots of white-out, & no computers.) Regardless of what "paying" job I've held over the years, being a wife & mom has been my most rewarding "career". Family has always been my number one priority. I have an amazing son, Zachary, daughter-in-law, Kelly and 2 grandchildren in Ohio - 4 1/2 year old Celia and Jacob who is 2. When I married Pastor Jim, I was blessed with 6 more wonderful grandchildren ranging in age from 1 to 13.
The majority of my career was spent in the health care field. I served as the Executive Assistant to the President/CEO and Board of Trustees of a multi-faceted healthcare system in Massachusetts. We oversaw a hospital, nursing home, Hospice service, assisted living facility, visiting nurse organization, and various community education & outreach programs. I was blessed to be part of an outstanding organization that served our community in so many ways. It was an extremely fast-paced and challenging environment that I enjoyed tremendously (multi-tasking of the highest magnitude - something I confess to not enjoy as much anymore).
Little did I know, God was planning big changes in my life. After 25 wonderful years of marriage, in 1997 my husband George was called home to be with the Lord very unexpectedly at the age of 46. It was a time of great soul-searching, prayer and listening to the voice of God (sometimes still & small, and at other times loud & clear). Of course, He had a plan (Jeremiah 29:11) and so, I followed His lead and retired from my position, sold my home and moved to Bloomingdale, Ohio where I resided with my son & his family for a little over a year. Fast forward to 2007 - ENTER e-Harmony and meeting my wonderful husband, Jim. We had a whirlwind courtship and were married on January 26, 2008. Thus, my relocation to Michigan, a delightful new marriage, an amazing new family, a new community and adjusting to driving on expressways and long, straight roads with no mountains in sight!
Over the years God has provided me with many opportunities to serve, and "back east" I enjoyed volunteering for a number of charitable organizations, teaching Sunday School, volunteering for an organization that served special needs students, etc. I am currently serving on New Covenant Christian Church's Sozo Team which is a healing ministry initiated by the church last year. Jim & I believe the Lord is calling us into a healing ministry, and we are currently researching various training opportunities in this regard. One in particular has caught our attention, it's called "Restoring the Foundations". It always amazes me to see the Holy Spirit at work in and through us.
For relaxation, you'll most often find me in the kitchen cooking up a great meal (especially Italian food, since that is my heritage). I also love to entertain, decorate, knit, garden, birdwatch and soak up God's creation with a walk by the water to catch a sunset or deep in the woods listening to the wind through the trees.
I consider it an honor and privilege to serve the Lord and one another as part of the NCCS team. Thank you for the opportunity to share a bit with you. While websites, e-mail, texting, twittering, blogging, facebook, etc. are all great, I much prefer getting to know folks face to face, so please stop by the office to say "hello" anytime. I'd like to get to know you too!
May the joy of the Lord be our strength!
