For Art Lenz, what started as a six-week-long job turned into a career of more than 45 years. Lenz began his career on Aug. 4, 1980, working to convert and write programs for Upper Columbia Conference’s computer. The work he began took longer than six weeks, and soon he was offered a full-time position to continue his work further.
“I think God placed me here,” said Lenz. “My brother’s coworker drove him home from work one day and asked if any of my friends knew IBM Report Program Generator, which I happened to know myself.”
Lenz has helped UCC through numerous transitions in technology, continually adapting to find ways to support the conference’s mission to spread the gospel. Shortly after his arrival, he saw a need for an additional hard drive to run the conference computer.
Installing the 75MB hard drive cost $22,500 at the time, and the machine itself was roughly the size of a washing machine. As a relatively new employee, it was a large but necessary request. One that was granted.
Only a few months later, Lenz one day felt a sudden need to back up the new hard drive — no small task at the time — working late into the night on a Thursday. The following Monday, he went into work to find out that the computer was no longer working. The data on the computer was lost entirely, but thanks to the recent backup, it could be recovered.
“Working at the conference has given me leadership experience,” said Lenz, “which I have been happy to use to help my community.” Outside his professional life, he and his wife, Ruth, have been active members of Spokane Central Church and played a significant part in the planning and construction of Palisades Christian Academy in Spokane.
A career highlight for Lenz was creating the Upper Columbia Accounting Navigator payroll and ledger system. In collaboration with Joy Rogers, Lenz spent more than a year in 1999 developing the software, which remained in effective use for many years following and remains the only fully interactive payroll system in the world church.
“The project started when Jon Corder [former treasurer] asked me, ‘Why can’t our system show us taxes and net check as we enter data?’ and I started to theorize a solution,” said Lenz. “Then I started working with Joy and we got support to create a new system for the conference.”
Lenz also supported camp meeting PA and video production. Early video recordings of camp meetings were taken on Sony U-Matic tapes before VHS cassettes.
“I’ve had a lot of people ask me if the conference building burning down was the most difficult time, but it really wasn’t the worst time,” said Lenz. “Right then, it didn’t matter how much burned or where the office was located, because the people of the office were working so well together towards rebuilding and continuing the work of the church.”
In retirement, Lenz plans to continue serving his community in Spokane in a new capacity alongside his wife, Ruth. He also looks forward to spending more time with his family, including his kids and grandkids. As for hobbies, Lenz also has several projects on his mind, including retrofitting a MIDI interface to the Spokane Central Church’s pipe organ and restoring his dad’s 1950 Ford F1.
“The people I work with ... that’s what I will miss most,” said Lenz.
David Jamieson, UCC president, (left) presents a plaque to Art Lenz (right) commemorating his 45 years of service with UCC.
Family, friends and colleagues gather to celebrate Lenz's retirement, sharing memories and appreciation.
