Dear First Congregational Church, 

I am writing to announce two changes in our church staff. 

First, we are delighted to welcome Angie Dickinson Mickle as our AV and Events Specialist, a 30 hour a week position designed to meet the growing needs of our congregation and the wider community using our facilities. While her staff position is a new one for us, we already know Angie. She has served as our lead AV Technician for several years. She was an essential consultant as we installed our livestreaming equipment in the Sanctuary and Plymouth Hall and upgraded the sound systems in all our spaces. Angie recruits, trains, schedules, and supports our rotating team of sound and video technicians. As we rely more and more on these services for our congregation, and also receive more requests for the use of our facilities from the wider community, Angie, in her new position, will help us ensure a hospitality that is both wonderfully attentive and equipped! She brings forty years of experience and expertise to this position. You can read more about her here.

As we rejoice in Angie's new role, I am also writing with news of another transition. This one is difficult. Last year, Julia Wirth began a new and exciting job at John F. Kennedy High School in Denver. As the year has unfolded in this new position, Julia, in her words, is “being called to more and more career obligations and opportunities,” which also means that she is less and less available to the children and youth of our church. In order to make room for the growing responsibilities of her weekday job, she is resigning as the Director of Youth Music of First Congregational Church. Her last Sunday with us will be Sunday, February 25. The Faith Singers and Joyful Noise will sing on that Sunday, and we will say farewell to her with gifts and our gratitude. 

We are grateful to Julia for her devotion to our children and youth, for making music and building community with them, for enabling them to be confident worship leaders, and to experience and share the joy of their singing with all of us. 

The Youth Music Program will continue without interruption with Kajsa’s leadership, and we have begun the process of searching for a new Director. Julia, and Er-Hsuan with her, have given us the gift of a strong youth music program as well as a close-knit community of children and families. We are confident we will find someone who can sustain and build upon all her good work. 

We give thanks for all the ways that both Julia and Angie have blessed our lives. We are grateful too that in the midst of all the changes, God’s faithfulness to us never wavers. 

Grace and Peace, 

Rev. Christina Braudaway-Bauman

Senior Minister