Melody Knox, Woman’s Missionary Union (WMU) Executive Director for Maryland/Delaware, congratulates Gail Noda on her retirement after 20 years of service to Maryland/Delaware Baptists.
COLUMBIA, Md.–Long-time Baptist Convention of Maryland/Delaware employee Gail Noda retired after 20 years of service on October 6.
Noda served as a ministry assistant for the BCM/D Church Strengthening team and for the convention’s Woman’s Missionary Union (WMU).
For 20 years, Noda has assisted in planning camps, retreats and conferences for multiple teams: African American Fellowship, children’s ministry, church ministry relations, church strengthening, communications, Cooperative Program promotion, deacon ministry, family ministry, ministry wives, music and worship, Operation Jumpstart, Southern Seminary extension program, stewardship, Sunday school, women’s ministry, and WMU.
She prepared mailings about upcoming events, including missions materials for Annie Armstrong and Lottie Moon, ensuring they go out in a timely manner. She did it all while balancing the budget of her department and keeping a good sense of humor.
“I have so many happy memories, but one of my favorites was a trip to Nashville to learn updates on ScanUS demographics for which I was the point person,” Noda said, sharing she loved meeting people from all over the SBC at LifeWay. “I took this new girl with me who needed to learn the program as well for church planting, and the rest is history. Donna [Jeffreys] and I have been friends ever since!”
Before coming to the BCM/D, Noda served five years as a church secretary (where she heard the Lord telling her that He wanted her to go to BCM/D), and prior to that as an accounts receivable clerk for a medical lab, a manager of a fast food restaurant, a shoe store manager, daycare mother, clerk typist in the Army Reserve and a supervisor in the check processing department of the Federal Reserve Bank, where she met her husband, Ken.
In retirement, Noda plans to enjoy her family, especially her six grandchildren. She also plans to return to sewing. “I had begun a ministry of toy-making for children in crisis, but I was not able to keep up with it recently. I plan to begin again,” she said.