Spreading the word

Suzie Harrison

It was fate that brought her to where she is today, or so it seems

for Denise Raine, the newly appointed communications director at St.

Andrew’s Church in Newport Beach.

Raine had moved to Orange County. As luck would have it, while she

was stranded at the Atlanta airport during a snowstorm, she had a

conversation with a person from Newport Beach. She was looking to

join a church in the area, and St. Andrew’s was suggested. It was a

perfect fit, and eight years later, she loves being a part of the St.

Andrew’s team.

“Previously, I spent 13 years as a marketing manager doing

communications, advertising and design work,” Raine said. “This job

seemed like a perfect blend. I studied graphic design in college,

edited the high school newspaper, and my grandfather had owned a

newspaper, so my family said it was in my blood.”

One of Raine’s main responsibilities is the church’s monthly

newsletter, Horizons, as well as the Web site. In times of need, such

as the war, the church is sensitive to the needs of the community,

and she works closely with other staff to make sure they are reaching

out and communicating information well.

Laura Johnson is the community outreach director for missions.

“We work closely together. She needs to be familiar with all the

ministries and be involved with that,” Johnson said. “We both started

about the same time, and it’s wonderful that we’re both enthusiastic

about what we are doing.”

Horizons reaches all 4,100 members of St. Andrew’s, Johnson said.

“It is extremely helpful to get the stories to the community, news

and things and what is going on,” Johnson said. “It’s a great tool.”

Through Shalimar Learning, an outreach program in Costa Mesa,

which is one of St. Andrew’s ministries, staff member Crissy Brooks

went to the house of the family of a young man just killed in the

war, Johnson said.

“We’re available to be with people in our community that have

those needs,” Johnson said. “We try to get people as excited about

mission outreach as we are. We work together on that standpoint,

too.”

Raine said that she likes being involved with outreach, being

involved with the community. With all her responsibilities, she feels

it’s incredible to find all those things together in one job.

Raine said that, in an upcoming meeting, they were going to

brainstorm about writing articles of comfort, and see how many

service men and women and their families are in the community to

reach out to them.

The church has more than 800 events each month that cater to every

facet of the church and its people.

“One of the wonderful things about St. Andrew’s is the incredible

international talent,” Raine said. “I used to work at Hallmark and I

compare St. Andrew’s to Hallmark: Everyone is well educated, and I

have learned so much. The resources and knowledge are top notch. It’s

a great place to work in terms of learning and growth.”