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If you have ever wondered how the quiet magic of church life actually works—how information stays organized, how care is coordinated, and how the office computers don’t simply stage a rebellion—you can thank Jim Middleton, our Director of Office Administration.

Over the past year, Jim has been doing the kind of work that makes most people’s eyes glaze over and his light up: building systems, testing workflows, clicking all the buttons, and asking important questions like, “What happens if someone forgets their password?” (Spoiler: Jim already planned for that.)

Jim has been leading the charge in setting up Breeze, our new church database. Breeze will soon become our new digital member directory, helping us stay connected in ways that are far more efficient than sticky notes, half-remembered emails, or the classic church filing system known as “I think it’s in a drawer somewhere.” We are very close to launching it now—so keep an eye out for more news coming soon.

As if that weren’t enough, Jim has also done the heavy lifting to implement Notebird, our new Member Care database. This system is now being used collaboratively by our pastoral team, our program and administrative staff, and our Board of Deacons—because caring for people is always a team effort, and it helps when the team is actually looking at the same information.

These tools matter. They will help us stay connected as a congregation, minimize pastoral concerns slipping through the cracks, and allow our Deacons and staff to stay up to date on member needs without relying on memory, guesswork, or divine intervention alone. Jim’s technological expertise in data management is truly a gift to this church. Even more, his insistence on functionality—on systems that actually work for real humans—is a gift to our entire member care process.

And then there’s Jim the person. Alongside spreadsheets and software, Jim brings a wonderfully raw sense of humor to the office—just enough sarcasm to keep things honest, and just enough humility to make it all feel grounded. He is a steady, unassuming, deeply competent presence, and the church office is better (and more entertaining) because he is in it.

Much of Jim’s work happens behind the scenes, but his impact is felt everywhere—in how we communicate, how we care for one another, and how we stay connected as the body of Christ.

So today, we say it out loud: we see you, Jim. We are grateful for you. And we celebrate the many ways your gifts bless First Presbyterian Church of Davenport—one well-designed system (and one perfectly timed dad joke) at a time.

 

A dad joke in honor of Jim:

Why did Jim refuse to delete the computer file?
Because he wanted to keep it in his dad-a-base.