By Bob Andelman
Dec 1, 2007 12:00 PM
RCMA Member
After reading this profile of Carolyn Collins, you’ll probably imagine that while being interviewed she simultaneously answered e-mail, shuffled office paperwork, filled gaps in her calendar, chose ethnic recipes, planned a wedding, interviewed a job candidate, put a contractor to work measuring her windows for new blinds, and skimmed a new book on female empowerment.
As executive pastor/administrator for the nondenominational Church of the Overcomer in Trainer, Pa. (20 miles south of Philadelphia), Collins, 58, is a first-rate overachiever: full-time social worker, full-time church administrator, girl power proponent … and part-time professional wedding planner.
But more on that later.
Seven hours a day, five days a week, Collins supervises a group of eight social workers for Elwyn Inc., a nonprofit human services organization that specializes in care for foster children and children with disabilities.
Some days, Collins goes straight from Elwyn to the church, where she’ll put in another seven hours. Some days, she goes to the church before and after.
“Our philosophy is that if you aren’t empowered,” Collins says, “we aren’t doing our job. We’re trying to work with people who are down and out on church, but not on God.”
She and her husband, Keith, run several youth ministries, including “Girl Talk” for girls ages 8 to 18. “We give them someone to talk to, which keeps them from doing something crazy.”
