Dear Hyde Park Family,
Those who have been around the church for a while know that two of the great blessings in this congregation are its faithful laity and amazing staff. Because so many of you offer your prayers, presence, gifts, service, and witness, we make God’s love real in remarkable ways. I invite you to watch this 25-minute video sent to our elected leaders, which includes my “State of the Church” address and a conversation about The Portico.
WELCOME, NEW STAFF!
Jodi McBryant
It is with great joy that we welcome Jodi McBryant as our new Director of Youth Ministries! She comes to us from Clarksville, TN, and has been in full-time ministry in the United Methodist Church for 13 years. Her heart and passion for ministry lies in helping young people develop a firm foundation of faith in Jesus Christ. She has a degree in Public Relations from Millikin University, has recently attended classes at Candler Theological Seminary, and is married to David with three wonderful children. You can learn more about her on our website.
Jodi offers her greetings to each of us:
“I just want to let everyone know how excited I am to finally be here at Hyde Park. It has been a bit of a whirlwind getting here, but I really feel like God has directed my path and I am right where I am supposed to be. I have enjoyed meeting everyone so far and I look forward to getting to know you more. I can’t wait to connect with the Youth and their parents this Sunday and jump right into action. We are going to have a blast together as we grow in relationship with one another and grow closer to God.”
Mat Hotho
Many of us know and appreciate Mat Hotho, who has for many years served as our Director of Small Groups and most recently as our Director of Worship Technology. The Staff-Parish Relations Committee has moved Mat into a new, exciting position as our Director of Production and Online Engagement.He will play a central, strategic role in helping the church navigate the emerging world of digital and online engagement. This is already happening in online worship thanks to Mat’s leadership, and we are eager to see how God is calling us across multiple ministry areas to engage the digital frontier. Thank you, Mat!
Sam Johnson
As Mat shifts into his new strategic role, many of his tactical production responsibilities will shift to Sam Johnson, who is no stranger to many of us as a long-time volunteer in worship technology. The Staff-Parish Relations Committee welcomes him as a part-time Production Assistant starting Feb. 22. Welcome, Sam!
Katherine Cosmas
We are profoundly grateful for Katherine, who has served faithfully as our interim youth director as we awaited Jodi’s hiring. Along the way, we discovered Katherine’s warm, engaging personality and administrative skills to be a great fit for our hospitality ministry. We are grateful to bring her onto our staff as our new Hospitality Coordinator. She will do a great job recruiting and equipping volunteers to offer a joyful welcome to people who come onto our campus. And she would love to get you involved! You can email her here.
We give thanks for our amazing lay volunteers and remarkably gifted staff. We look forward to a bright future ahead!
Grace and Peace,
Magrey
DIANA BUTLER BASS – SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 27
As I shared in a recent Midweek Message, we are excited to welcome noted author and speaker Diana Butler Bass on Sunday, Feb. 27. She will preach our morning sermon, then offer a lecture on the subject of gratitude from 4-6 p.m. in the Harnish Center. It will include a book signing, where you can purchase a copy of “Grateful: the Subversive Art of Giving Thanks.” To register for the event, click here.