Dear Church,
After an interview process that had us speak with five qualified candidates, I am very excited to introduce you to our new Director of Christian Education, Cristina Flores.
Cristina is a familiar face as she currently serves as our Office Manager. She has earned high marks for her willingness to get things done as well as her support of our various ministries. If you have received an email from the church, needed help reserving space, or enjoyed our worship gatherings on Sundays, you have been blessed by her attention to detail, her enthusiasm, and her kindness.
We were excited to learn that Cristina has an extensive background in children’s ministry in other churches including Shepherd of the Hills United Methodist Church in Rancho Santa Margarita, First Presbyterian Church of Orange, and First Presbyterian Church of Anaheim. She has served in various positions supporting those diverse faith communities as they nurtured their young people. Her most recent position is at St. Paul’s Episcopal Church as the Director of Children’s Ministry. Her ministry at St. Paul’s includes Godly Play stories for little ones – very similar to our own Worship & Wonder – special events and activities, fundraising efforts, and resources to support families in their faith development. Our committee was impressed by her resourcefulness, her attentiveness to the needs of children and their families, and her creativity.
Cristina’s role as Office Manager is not changing. She will begin her work as Director of Christian Education in early November, bringing her to a full-time work status with Church of the Foothills. We will also be taking steps to have her commissioned as a minister through the Pacific Southwest region of the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) so that her work qualifies as ministry.
I want to thank Lindsay Rosenquist-Burns, Kathy Dunlap, and Denise Womack for serving on the interviewing team and for the entire Christian Education committee for their wisdom and input. I also want to thank our Personnel and Finance committees for stepping in to help work out the details to make this moment possible.
Look for an opportunity in the coming weeks to welcome Cristina and her family in this new capacity to our church.
Blessings,
Rev. Nathan Hill