As we said recently, change is hard. Yet everyone knows that change is constant, it is inevitable, and it is essential to growth. Though Trinity’s past year was filled with change, including the loss of a well-loved church home, it was also filled with dreams of an amazing future that came wrapped up in the gift of a new home from the Austin District UMC.
The Finance Team and congregation leadership is encouraged by our increase in worship attendance and congregational participation. We are also encouraged by the increase in pledges and commitments in 2011. However, it is going to take a year or two of program and staff cutbacks to allow for enough financial growth to meet our program and staffing needs, as well as to pay for the maintenance and utility costs in this new building – a building that is three times the size of our old building on 50th Street.
As we move forward with those dreams, we have some sad news to share with you. In order to meet the increased financial demands in our new home, we must say goodbye to three beloved staff members. Jen Perkins, Children’s Director, and Julie Aziz, Youth Director, will be leaving us this summer. We will miss them and all the love they brought to the children’s and youth programs! In addition, Lindsey Carmichael, Administrative Assistant, is moving on to bigger and better things now that she has graduated. We will all have the opportunity to say goodbye to them on Sunday, July 10th. We would like to let these amazing women know how much their work has meant to us. Please send cards and notes with memories and well wishes to the church or bring them any Sunday through 7/10. If you’d like to participate in planning the farewell celebration please email Julie Gruszynske at gruszyja@hotmail.com.
We are now reinvigorating our children’s and youth nurture teams to lead us through this transition and to put in place a structure that will take us back to a congregation-led program for our children. While we know that we will find challenges along the way with this, we are also excited to have this opportunity to work in collaboration with all of you creative, passionate, and wonderful folks!
Please join us Saturday, June 25th at 10 am to talk about these changes, brainstorm, and form our nurture teams. We’ll serve bagels, coffee, and juice and childcare will be provided.
If you have questions or concerns, please feel free to email Amy at mail@trinitychurchofaustin.org, or Sid at sid@trinitychurchofaustin.org. You may also send your farewells to Jen at jen@trinitychurchofaustin.org and Julie at julie@trinitychurchofaustin.org.