EDMOND—Tens of thousands of people have talked with Philadelphia Church of God member Maria Larsen on the phone without knowing it. Larsen, a member of the Edmond congregation, has been greeting people with, “Key of David program, would you like the literature offered today?” for more than a decade and a half as a full-time operator and now as a volunteer.
From her first day on the job on July 31, 2000, to July 2016, Larsen worked approximately 40 Sundays each year, answering an average of five ring-ins for Key of David presenter Gerald Flurry’s program per Sunday. Each ring-in included several callers. She answered an estimated 3,000 ring-ins and many times that number of callers.
Call center department head Andrew Locher applauded Larsen for her consistency and dedication to the job. “Few operators will have more experience and expertise, so she will definitely be missed,” he said last July when Larsen retired. “But we are happy that she will finally have a Sunday free where she doesn’t have to work.”
Much has changed since Larsen first started taking calls at a cubicle in the old headquarters building in downtown Edmond. “A phone and literature request cards—that’s all we had back then,” Larsen said with a laugh. Larsen and the other operators logged contact and request information by hand; that information was later entered into the database, one handwritten card at a time.
When the call center moved from the office complex at Waterwood Parkway to the new facility in the Church’s Mail Processing Center on its campus in far north Edmond, Larsen moved with it. Over her 15 years, she has watched the center’s technology develop; now calls are routed through digital software, and she can enter literature requests directly into the database.
Since 2001, Larsen has seen hundreds of Herbert W. Armstrong College students cycle through the call center, with one or two helping throughout the week and about a dozen joining her for the Sunday morning shift.
“I totally loved being able to work around the students and getting to know them,” Larsen said. “It was really enjoyable to be around their liveliness.”
From her very first day as a staff member, Larsen has made a lasting impression on her co-workers. “For me, she will always be remembered as reliable and friendly,” former call center assistant manager Abraham Blondeau said. “Always had a great, positive attitude—even early in the morning—and was never late.”
Mail department student assistant David Warner said he found Larsen’s kitten mouse pad, contributions to the staff coffee supply and sacrifices of her early Sunday mornings memorable. Mail manager Calvin Culpepper said she is very giving and pleasant. Fellow operators describe her as a diligent and cheerful worker.
Said call center manger Harley Breth, “She was an employee who was here to serve the Work—nothing less.”
Larsen has built a store of memories, both humorous and emotional, from her time as a pcg staff member. Some of the funnier moments consisted of humorous mispronunciations: callers asking to renew their “prescription” or requesting “Muhlawchee’s Message.” Larsen said she has also experienced many inspirational moments as the first point of contact between Key of David viewers and the Church. She said that on most calls she could “hear the excitement of the people calling in, and God opening their minds through what they heard.”
Larsen continues to serve in the call center as a volunteer.