Musical chairs has never been my favourite party game. I’m more comfortable when everybody has their own place and there’s no stress, no shortages, no competition—just comfort and peace. Unfortunately, life’s not always like that. Scrambling for position is more than just a party pastime.

And sometimes, scrambling to fill positions produces the stress de jour. Late last month ChristianWeek lead designer Ryan Bartel informed of us about some exciting new developments in his life, namely, an opportunity to work for a high-end design house doing more graphically intensive and artistic work than is possible in the routine of newspaper production. We’re happy for him, but...now there’s an empty chair.

Empty chairs are not good in a productive work place. Filling a vacancy quickly with a person fully capable of following someone as productive and versatile as Ryan cannot be guaranteed. But God is good. He can easily supply all our needs according to His riches, not ours.

He has chosen to do just that, which is why we are delighted to be welcoming Tammy Sawatzky to our team at this time. In fact, she’s already working alongside Ryan, learning the ropes and preparing to fly solo in the very near future.

Tammy comes with qualifications and experience beyond our expectations. She recently completed two years as art director for Canadian Mennonite, a national denominational newsmagazine produced, like ChristianWeek, on a bi-weekly schedule. She already knows how to do the layout and design of a publication under regular deadline pressures. This alone is a godsend.

But her interests and abilities extend much further. Several years ago Tammy earned a Master of Arts in Theological Studies from Associated Mennonite Biblical Seminary in Elkhart, Indiana. Her field of study is also telling: Church history with a visual arts emphasis. We’re trusting that the chair in our workplace will provide her with a comfortable place for her to use her skills to the glory of God.