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PNC administrator retiring, mentoring successor

Arlene Hobson retires on Dec. 31, 2025. Beth Astarte began in June as registrar/administrator for PNC & CPC.

Arlene Hobson will have served the PNW Conference 28 years when she retires.

When she retires at the end of December this year, Arlene Hobson, executive administrator, will have served more than 28 years through 11 interim, acting, designated and full conference ministers.

She has been flexible, adapting to serve each with their different ideas, approaches, beliefs and styles in three office locations, and since May remotely.

For her first years, beginning as office manager, the office was in a 6,000-square-foot mansion on Capitol Hill in Seattle. In 2000, the office moved to the parsonage of Bethany UCC and then a modular unit there. From 2008 until May, the office was 1,000 square feet on the top floor and then moved to 300 square feet on the second floor on Broadview UCC, which closed in May.

Phil Hodson, left, helps Dawn Koloi, right, present gifts from the Board of Directors to Arlene Hobson at Annual Meeting for her years of service.

Now conference staff work from their homes. The files are in storage and will be digitized.

“We now need to streamline the records to keep up information on the national data hub,” she said.

Arlene found the hardest change was the pandemic, when the PNC had to adjust its communications, do committee meetings and hold two Annual Meetings online. Now hybrid Annual Meetings require a team of skilled tech people.

In addition to working with conference ministers, she has connected with countless church moderators and committee members. As the primary communications person, she is the go-to staff member who knows people, the 78 churches and has access to information to help staff, committees and congregations operate.

“When someone calls with a question, I may not have the answer right away, but I know where to find the answer,” she said. “I have accumulated knowledge over the years of where to go and who to ask to find an answer I don’t have.”

Arlene, who earned a bachelor’s degree in fine arts in 1981 at the University of Akron, Ohio, did prepress work for six years after moving to Seattle. She answered a newspaper ad for the PNC-UCC office manager job and was hired by the conference minister, Lynne Fitch (Simcox), joining a receptionist, planned giving coordinator and bookkeeper.

During her years with the conference, there were four managing directors at Pilgrim Firs and four at N-Sid-Sen.

When she started, information was primarily sent by paper and mail, but now most is online and immediate.

For example, in 2007, Monthly Packets shifted to electronic delivery. Recently she has prepared and emailed Weekly E-News, a task she has transferred to Beth.

Arlene started using a computer with Ecunet, learning on the job, developing the website,  using three different programs over the years. Now it is being done by Benjamin Crosby of Harrison, Idaho.

When she first came, there was also a receptionist, planned giving coordinator and bookkeeper.

“When I began, each staff person was designated as support staff for each committee. Now committees take responsibility for most of their own work,” Arlene said, who was primarily responsible for the Committee on Ministry (formerly Church and Ministry Committee) and worked closely with the Annual Meeting Planning Committee to coordinate details.

Arlene has appreciated working with the many clergy and lay people in the conference who have volunteered to do the work of the conference.

“Each person brings their own skills and dynamics to the conference work,” she said. “Getting to know different people over the years, I have in recent years valued writing obituaries for clergy and spouses in the conference, so people know a bit about who they are.”

Arlene has also represented the PNC at many of the services celebrating their lives.

Serving the conference has strengthened Arlene’s faith. In her early years, she was a Catholic when she was hired by the PNC but transitioned in her faith to join Keystone UCC, where she is still a member and her son is director of music.

“I feel more faith filled, more connected with people in the churches, caring for people and recognizing that we can find God everywhere, because God is everywhere,” she said. “I also see more holiness in the world, which may be strange to say in these times.

“I used to think faith and politics were separate but now I see them as connected,” she continued. “I value the different beliefs and denominations.”

Being the PNC executive administrator has been a big part of Arlene’s life, but she will step back so Beth can develop her role with new ideas.

“Change is good,” she said.

The office phone number will be transferred to Beth.

With Beth having a different job title and role, some things Arlene has done will be taken on by committees and working remotely will be different.

For information, call 206-725-8383, email arlene@pncucc.org or visit pncucc.org.

 

Pacific Northwest Conference United Church of Christ News © Summer 2025

 

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