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    United Methodists of Upper New YorkLiving the Gospel. Being God's Love.


    news article

    Doran retiring as executive assistant to the bishop

    February 19, 2015 / By Sandra Brands

    Twenty-two years ago, Chris Doran quit a high-paying job in advertising because the work she was asked to do conflicted with her beliefs.

    Doran“I came home from work and told my husband I’ll flip burgers before I go back,” she said.

    That decision led her to the Office of the Bishop of the New York West Episcopal Area, where she applied for the job of secretary. She was hired and began work for the conference in 1992. Since then, her position has evolved from secretary, to administrative assistant to the bishop, to her current role as Executive Assistant to the Bishop of the Upper New York Area.

    “When I look back, there isn’t a moment I didn’t know God was on my side,” Doran said. “God just landed this job in my life.”

    In June, Doran will retire from her job, leaving a legacy of strong faith, hospitality, and ministry.

    One of the strengths she has brought to the Bishop’s Office is that she is a lay person with the gift and grace of discernment, said the Rev. Bob McCune, retired pastor and a former assistant to the bishop. “She helped the bishops adjust, which she did very well.”

    Doran said she knew she had been called to ministry, just not to ordained ministry.

    “Being a lay person working for the Church is a lot easier than being a lay person in the secular world. Maintaining Christian ethics can be difficult to maintain,” she said. “Here, I can start the day with prayer and devotion. I hope more and more United Methodist churches will look to gifted lay people at the local church level to do the administrative work, freeing clergy for spiritual work.”

    The Rev. David Geer served as the bishop’s assistant from 1997 through 2001, and worked with Doran. “Chris had the unique ability to let me think I was in charge, and really knew more than she did,” he said. “The truth is, she was supremely competent and well-organized, and the office could not have functioned without her.”

    When it came time for Rev. Geer to step down, Doran considered applying for the job of assistant to the bishop. Both Rev. McCune and Rev. Geer were enthusiastic supporters of her decision.

    “I was so pleased when she replaced me when I retired from the office,” Geer said. “The years since have proved what a good decision that was.”

    “Bishops get swept up in many things with people coming from different directions with ideas and projects,” Rev. McCune said. “For the bishop to sort those things out and prioritize for the ministry of Christ in the world, having a person like Chris at the elbow is very helpful.”

    Raised in an American Baptist church by parents with a deep faith in Christ, Doran said she was blessed to grow up in a Christian home. Her paternal grandmother, a fundamentalist, was also a great influence on the shaping of her faith.

    “My parents wanted me to be the best (that) God created (me to be),” she said. “It didn’t matter what job I had or where I lived, just that I was a follower of Jesus Christ.

    “If I have led a life centered in Christ, then I have been the person God created me to be,” she said.

    Obviously, she has lived that life. The people she has worked with and the bishops with whom she’s served for all comment on the tremendous faith she brings to her work.

    “Everything she does, professionally and personally, is based in her faith, in her love of Jesus Christ, and her love of The United Methodist Church,” said Vicki L. Putney, Upper New York Conference Director of Human Resources and Benefits. “It’s hard for me to separate the professionalism from my personal relationship because we’ve become such good friends. I’ve always admired her. Her faith is foremost in everything she does and she sets a great example for approaching life, both professionally and personally, in the light of faith.

    “I will miss her presence in the office an awful lot,” she said.

    The bishops she has served have also appreciated her gifts.

    “Chris has been one of the driving forces behind ministry in Upper New York for longer than many of us remember,” said Upper New York’s Resident Bishop Mark J. Webb. “Her passion for Jesus and the Church, along with her gifts for ministry, has made us stronger. She will be deeply missed in her role, but her retirement is well deserved. I join her many friends and colleagues in saying thank you and praying for a wonderful new chapter in her journey.”

    Retired Bishop Violet L. Fisher agrees.

    “Christine has indeed been a gift to The United Methodist Church, especially the Upper New York Conference,” she said. “Her dedication, devotion, and compassion have advanced the Kingdom of God in many places and ways.

    “Christine has been a source of strength and encouragement to me during my tenure as active bishop and during my years in retirement,” she said. “I celebrate this important milestone (retirement) in her life.”

    For Washington Episcopal Area Resident Bishop Marcus Matthews – who served as a resident bishop in Upstate New York before, during and after the uniting of two episcopal areas and four conferences into the Upper New York Conference – Doran’s welcome of the Matthews family in 2008, was a gift.

    “We all have people who are unforgettable,” he said. “Christine Doran is one of those people in my family’s life. She welcomed (my wife) Barbara and Kailah, our granddaughter, with open arms. The hospitality and friendship was so genuine and caring. She is spiritually grounded.

    “Christine is a compassionate, loyal friend whom I depended on to get things done with grace, often under pressure,” he said. “Her effervescent personality is infectious and musical talent outstanding. Christine’s passion for her work with The United Methodist Church inspires others to do their best for the Conference. It was a joy to work with her during our brief stay in New York.”

    “As you enter the next chapter of your life, I pray that God's blessings will always be with you,” he said. “God’s plans for you are just beginning.”

    Over the years, Doran has served the Conference beyond her professional career. That has included serving as a lay delegate to the 2012 General Conference; a delegate to the 2011 World Methodist Conference in Durban, South Africa; a member of the programs and arrangements committee for the 2004 and 2012 Northeastern Jurisdictional conferences; a delegate to the 2008 and 2012 Northeastern Jurisdictional Conference; recording secretary for the 2004 and 2008 Northeastern Jurisdictional Conference; and a member of the General Board of Church and Society’s National Immigration Task Force. She also led the music at annual conference sessions from 2000 through 2008. For this quadrennium, Doran is a director on the General Board of Higher Education and Ministry.

    In 2014, she was awarded the Susanna Wesley Award of Excellence by the United Methodist Men, recognizing her faith and commitment to the ministry of Christ in the world.

    As for the future, Doran said she is retiring because she wants to spend time with family and enjoy the next stage of her live while she is still healthy. “It would be lovely to travel. If we (her husband, the Rev. Dale Fryer) did, it would probably be in mission, as well as spending time with our adult children and four active grandsons ages 4, 7, 12, and 16.”

    She also hopes to share her love of music with children at risk through an afterschool program working with them in the arts – theater, visual arts, writing, and music.

    In the meantime, she celebrates her years of working with the laity and clergy of the former New York West Area and the current Upper New York Episcopal Area.

    “I loved this job – I loved every moment, even when I didn’t think I did,” she said. “I awaken every morning and thank God for having been given the opportunity to participate. I love the people with whom I work; I love to see the change in people’s lives, the transformation of their lives.”

    TAGGED / Episcopal Office


    With more than 100,000 members, United Methodists of Upper New York comprises of more than 675 local churches and New Faith Communities in 12 districts, covering 48,000 square miles in 49 of the 62 counties in New York state. Our vision is to “live the Gospel of Jesus Christ and to be God’s love with our neighbors in all places."