Introducing our Director of Facilities and our Youth Minister

Dear Trinity Church and friends,

 

Grace and Peace and what a morning! The grateful, loving spirit of Worship from the West Porch lifted every heart – and the fantastic weather definitely did its part, too!

 

We are looking forward to our summer prayer and song in this new setting – beginning at 9 am, open to all, with no pre-registration required.  By way of reminder, our celebrations of the Holy Eucharist will continue next weekend before we share the first of our last-Sunday-of-the-month Morning Prayer services on June 27.  [LINK More details about Worship from the West Porch can be found at our FAQ, posted to our website, here. LINK]

 

After church today, we also celebrated our friend and colleague, Sarah Neumann, who will head to seminary this fall.  As Sarah prepares for her transition, I am delighted to introduce Beth Folsom as our Youth Minister.

 

Beth began ministry among us on June 1, and she has already started building relationships with our staff and members of our youth community.  The mother of two, Beth served as Director of Education at Saint Paul’s in Natick for five years, and we look forward to her sharing her experience and energy with our youth, their families, and our whole parish.

 

I am also honored to announce Kevin McLaughlin as our new Director of Facilities.  After a three-month search, Kevin distinguished himself from an impressive group of candidates.  Our final cohort included two women, two men, and one person of color, all with strong and compelling gifts.  I offer thanks to all the faithful members of the Search Committee who contributed to an excellent and thorough process: Christopher Atwood, Kathy Bachman, Susan Dukess, Listo Fisher, Charmane Higgins, Judith Hurley, Tim Martin, Alison Poor, and Donna Stenwall, as well as our Wardens, Mark Morrow and Barbara Dortch-Okara.

 

Kevin’s decades-long oversight of a complex facility and his “customer-service” ethos gleaned from a career in the hospitality industry will be gifts to Trinity Church.  He brings an outstanding technical skillset and an upbeat tempo to his leadership.  Kevin’s first day in the office will be Monday, June 21, with preparations for TEEP in July, and our indoor, in-person regathering in fall, at the top his docket.

 

Please see below letters to the parish from Beth and Kevin, both of whom will be with us for worship next Sunday, June 20.  I hope you will join me in welcoming them during a reception to follow the service and during the days ahead.

 

With gratitude and optimism,

The Rev. Morgan S. Allen

Rector

 

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Dear Members of the Trinity Family,

 

My name is Beth Folsom, and I am delighted to be introducing myself to you as Trinity’s new Youth Minister! This is such an exciting time in which the world is opening up again and new ways of being together are on the horizon, and I am honored to be embarking on this journey alongside you. I am a historian by training, having done both my undergraduate and graduate work in American history. In addition to my work at Trinity, I am also the Program Manager at History Cambridge (formerly the Cambridge Historical Society), where I run all of the public programs and help to further their mission to collect, preserve and share the stories of Cantabrigians from a diverse array of backgrounds and experiences.

 

From 2015-2019 I served as the Director of Education for St. Paul's Episcopal Church in Natick, where I oversaw the children's and youth programs for ages 3-18. Prior to taking the director position, I served as a volunteer teacher for the church school program, and have continued my volunteer work over the past two years. In both my church work and my history work, being able to discuss ideas and share experiences is my primary concern; in both cases, the ability to understand the world from another's viewpoint, to question, challenge and doubt a particular perspective while remaining open-minded and inquisitive, are crucial to the understanding of the past and present in order to work together to create a better future. I firmly believe that the Church's responsibility to our young people is to remind them of their belovedness, to embrace the gifts they bring, and to provide them with a community where they feel seen and loved for who they are now and supported as they move out into the wider world. I am so thankful for the opportunity to work with the young people of Trinity to help them explore and embrace their faith and each other.

 

 I grew up in the Boston area and, after spending several years in Washington, DC for graduate school, I moved back to start my family. My daughter, Maggie, is in the 11th grade at Framingham High School, and my son, Nate, is in the 3rd grade at King Elementary. Rounding out our family are our pets: our dog (Cookie), two cats (Duchess and Berlioz) and a tortoise (Scratch). In my free time I like to read, paint, and go hiking and kayaking. My children are also teaching me new skills - this summer I am excited to develop my Minecraft skills and learn how to surf! Most of all, I am thrilled to be starting this new journey at Trinity, and I look forward to getting to know you all and being part of your warm and welcoming community.

 

 Sincerely,

 Beth Folsom

 

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Dear Trinity Church,

I am excited to join the Trinity community this summer.  I come to you with over 35 years of Director of Facilities experience.  I served as Director of Engineering at Marriott Hotels where we successfully completed numerous capital improvement projects, major renovations, preventive maintenance, life-safety inspection, negotiating contracts, and recycling and sustainability programs.  From my experience in the hospitality industry, I pride myself in providing exceptional care to both internal and external “guests” and to the larger community.

 

I am a Massachusetts native and enjoy skiing, golfing and vacationing in Wells Beach and Lake Winnipesaukee.  I am the father of two daughters, both of whom are avid runners who have each completed the Boston Marathon.

 

I look forward to meeting members of the parish after worship on Sunday, June 20 and working with you in the years to come.

 

Regards,

Kevin McLaughlin