A Letter from Tina Wilkinson

Dear Trinity Family,  
As I write this letter, I am in the final stages of preparing for our mission trip to Guatemala.  I find myself reflecting on the last year that has brought us to this point and anxious to see how this journey ends.  We all walk through many journeys in our lifetime and 6 years ago, Jim and I started our unexpected journey with Trinity.  At the time, our hearts had been searching for where God wanted to use us, and he used a sound board issue to bring us to Trinity.  Since we first met at Taylor University, God brought our hearts for ministry through music and discipleship together.  With Jim’s degree in Christian Education and mine in Music/Business, He has used our gifts and talents in many different places, for which we are grateful.  We, like your pastors, know that whenever we land somewhere, it is for a season.  We are there to do what God is asking of us.  Six years ago, He brought us to Trinity and 5 years ago, I became part of staff. This journey has been a time of growth, not only for Trinity but for our family personally.

We are grateful for the ways we have been able to use our abilities and talents to bless Trinity but are also thankful for the ways God has challenged us, stretched us and molded us through service. A year ago, Jim and I felt a nudge from God that change may be coming and we started praying for our hearts to be open.  We also were hesitant because we were realizing that for the past several years we had been running a fast pace race, not only at Trinity but also personally with two boys in college.  Jim works a high stress job during the week and our evenings and weekends were often filled with Trinity activities.  We realize that need to do better at taking care of ourselves as we enter the empty nest season.  A few months ago, we both felt God was saying it is time to be open to the next journey.  We weren’t sure what was coming but 2 weeks after giving my resignation, God brought a possible new opportunity across our paths.  Many of you know that Jim and I, along with our sons, have a great passion for being involved in the community and making an impact for God.  Well, a national program called Jobs for Life was brought to our attention.  We have been praying and discerning if this program is what God wants us to pursue.   In the past few weeks, He has made it clear that it is a YES!  Basically, it is a program that teaches soft job skills to people needing help to enter the work force with Christian principles interwoven to bring value to people’s lives.  We are anxious and yet excited to see what God has in store as we embark on this new journey. With this in mind, we feel we need to fully pull away from Trinity.  It would be hard to give full attention to both places and not exhaust ourselves. Pastor Chris understands, and agrees with us that a season of rest and separation from duties are needed.

As we wind down our last few weeks at Trinity, we reflect with gratitude on all the ways we have been blessed.  We are thankful for the ways we were able to serve as a family.  This place was the first place, because of the ages of our sons, our entire family was able to be used in service which has been fulfilling.  Whether through our music, our teaching opportunities, or service in many ways, we pray our momentary season at Trinity will be remembered fondly and you have seen our true love of God.  As a staff member, I am grateful for the opportunities to use and hone my leadership skills.  To see the teams functioning every week in the worship services is a true blessing. We are also thankful as a family for the many friendships we have created.  Many of you have been true encouragers!  Finally, we are appreciative for Pastor Chris’ support through this entire journey.  He has known Jim and my desire ever since he arrived and also has been praying with us.  We leave with a full understanding of each other’s ministry desires and know that our paths may cross in the future.  We look forward to celebrating on April 23,  not saying “good-bye,” but “see you later.”
With a grateful heart,
Tina Wilkinson


Popular posts from this blog

What’s Going On? By Pastor Chris April 2019

What’s Going On? By Pastor Chris Today I am going to do one of my favorite things. Answer questions that nobody asked. You may have seen that our special Easter offering is going to the Matsiko world orphan choir. My worry is that we may not have painted the full picture of who this group is and their ministry. (Especially since I put the wrong date of their performance in previous communications). So in an effort to communicate more clearly here are a few unasked answered questions (would that be a UAQ rather than a FAQ (Frequently asked questions))? What is the Matsiko World Orphan Choir? Currently made up of some of the poorest orphaned and at-risk children from Peru, India, Liberia and Nepal, the Matsiko World Orphan Choir (the flagship vehicle of International Children’s Network – ICN) captures the hearts of all who hear their hope-filled message. The kids sing with such passion and meaning that their hope of overcoming tragedy and the life-changing effects of an education
Read more

Pastor Angie's In-Spire-ations April 2019

Last month, I asked you to reflect on three questions during Lent: What will you do…learn…or become in the liminal space between now and July?   What will you let go of so that your hands are free to embrace something new? What can we do together that will make us even stronger when our new pastor arrives? It has been a challenging month for many of us personally, professionally and as a church family coming to terms with Chris moving and a new pastor coming…and then NOT coming.   The word “mulligan” just might be our buzz word for a little while!   I’m not generally a Wikipedia fan, but I looked up the word mulligan and this is what it said, “A mulligan is a second chance to perform an action, usually after the first chance went wrong through bad luck or a blunder. Its best-known meaning is in golf, whereby a player is informally allowed to replay a stroke, even though this is against the formal rules of golf.” When I think of mulligan, I remember the story of mull
Read more