A Note From our Youth Director
To my dear church community,
Spring is a time of change and growth, and in that spirit, I have an exciting and bittersweet update to share with you all:
Many of you know that I have served as the Youth Director here at First United Methodist Church of Fort Collins for nearly four years while also working through seminary as a part of my call to ordination. What you may not know is just how meaningful this church’s open-armed welcome has been in my life and faith journey. You all are a central reason I have felt equipped to answer my call to ministry; your example of Christ’s love has been transformative in my faith journey.
You may also know that our current Youth Ministry Assistant, Nick Tomasini, will be leaving his quarter-time position with us at the end of the summer to more fully pursue his High School teaching career. With this upcoming transition alongside the exciting growth of our Youth Program, my husband Brandon and I have prayerfully considered and decided that the timing is right for me to step into the Youth Ministry Assistant position at the end of the summer so that I might focus more of my time on the ordination process. Thankfully, this means that I will still be very much a part of our Youth Program at First Church, though it will look a bit different, since this also means we will plan to bring in a new, full-time Youth Director in the fall of 2025. Having a full-time Youth Director will be a blessing to our Youth Ministry, giving it even more room to grow and thrive!
Change can be hard, and I feel sad to redirect some of my Youth Ministry time to my studies, but I believe our faithfulness to God’s call is always the right decision. I thank you for once again providing me with the blessing to say yes to a new chapter of life and for having the courage to face this change with me. I look forward to seeing what God continues to do among our inspiring group of youth who have already made an indescribable impact on me and who give me deep hope for our future. Praise to our God of grace, and thanks to each and every one of you!
God's peace be with you,
Victoria Burkett
