Granger church helping with job searches

TOUGH TIMES: A SURVIVAL GUIDE

Original SBT Article

By JIM MEENAN
Tribune columnist

Chet Kaminski, a parishioner at St. Pius X in Granger, is glad his church noticed a need.

Under the direction of Norm Robertson, who owns a staffing agency, St. Pius already was holding seminars aimed at helping unemployed members.

But the idea to do more came up in a staff meeting, said Betsy Quinn, director of stewardship and evangelization, and the Rev. Bill Schooler opted to expand the effort.

The end result is the Employment Resource Ministry, which holds meetings every Wednesday night at 7 in the Parish Education Center in Room 213. It is run by Robertson.

For people like Kaminski, who was laid off from his job as a plant manager at National Standard in November, it has truly been a godsend.

"It's so nice to be in a group where everybody is there for the same reason. I look forward to being there," said the 55-year-old Kaminski. "It gets you beyond the feeling of isolation — that I am the only one this is happening to. It helps me a lot."

Kaminski had not been in the job market for more than 15 years when he received word the Friday before Thanksgiving.

Looking for a job is much different than 15 years ago, Kaminski noted. Back then want-ads in newspapers were one of the main searching components. "Nowadays, a lot of it is electronic," he said.

The group has even helped Kaminski rehearse an "elevator speech," a 30-to-45 second pitch that can be relayed to someone you bump into."The bottom line is that it's just about getting updated," he said. "It's so much more competitive nowadays."

The networking, exposure and support from the St. Pius group has helped him in other ways, too.

"It's just such a great bunch of people," he said.

Volunteers include experts in the employment field, from human resource to job placement personnel.

"The other thing I like is that you don't know from week to week who will be there and who will not," Kaminski said.

"There might be a potential employer there."

The group started in February and usually has from 30 to 40 people in attendance.

The 90-minute to two- hour session includes a discussion on each individual's job search, role playing and a 20-minute program on some topics such as effective résumés, interviewing techniques and job-search activities.

"There might have been a particular frustration and someone might be able to address it," Robertson said. "Or we might address it collectively."

The group also has a spiritual component, Robertson stressed.

"We ask them where they have seen God at this week," Robertson said. "We are making sure they are not getting burned out and are staying focused and grounded."

Robertson, who owns Express Employment Professionals, said he got involved as a way to help people in the parish.

"We have a great base of volunteers," he added.

The volunteers play another unique role. They actually call the job seeker once per week at home to see how they are doing, and possibly answer any questions that have come up since the meeting.

The group, in short, really tries to meet people where they are at in their current search.

"We have good frank and honest conversations," Robertson said.

The group, which also now welcomes people from outside the parish, has even seen eight of its participants find jobs.

Robertson praises Schooler, too.

"We have just gotten great leadership from Father Bill," Robertson said. "He really does see the needs of his parish.

"He's not afraid to offer other opportunities to people if he thinks it will help them out. We have had his 100 percent support the entire time."

Others reaching out

Other area churches are also reaching out. For example, The Gospel Center Missionary Church in South Bend recently held a seminar on getting the job you want.

If your church has a group for the unemployed and has a specific weekly/monthly meeting time, send us a note and we will try to run a list in an upcoming column. E-mail me at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it and include a phone number interested parties can call.

One other group you might want to look into is Michiana Career Network, which will help you find groups like St. Pius X and when they meet. It also has its own meetings.