ITEMS OF INTEREST May 4, 2009 Issue

ITEMS OF INTEREST

with contributions from Shawn D. Lewis, Mitchell Vantrease

TOM AVERY was embarrassed the first time he walked into a job workshop at his church.

He was laid off in October after 16 years as an account manager at an automotive industry firm in Livonia [Michigan]. But as a deacon at the Shrine of the Little Flower Catholic Church in Royal Oak, he is accustomed to offering emotional and spiritual support to the unemployed.

"I never thought I'd be in this position," said Avery, 48, of Troy, his family's sole breadwinner. "The deacon's position is unpaid, but the agreement with the church is that you must hold a job, and now I don't have one." Avery is among countless laid-off workers turning to the church in their search for a job, flocking to church-sponsored career transition workshops across Metro Detroit. Churches are responding by offering members and nonmembers traditional tools like résumé writing and interviewing tips, and a supportive atmosphere to grieve the loss of a job. In some cases, job seekers are offered prayer and Scripture.

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