Hello fellow sojourner!
My name is Rev. Karsten Snitker (or Pastor Karsten), and I am honored to have been called as pastor for Trinity UCC.
Here’s a little bit about me to give you a sense of who I am and where I am coming from.
I grew up in a rural agricultural area in NE Iowa and come from the Norwegian-American and German American communities who settled there in the late 1800s. I studied music at Luther College in Decorah, IA and completed my Master of Divinity at Garrett-Evangelical Theological Seminary in Evanston, IL. Before coming to Tiffin, I served two small Congregational churches in the Wisconsin Conference of the UCC.
I love learning about history (especially local history and folklore!), enjoying the great outdoors, gardening, traveling, and experiencing different cultures – especially the food! I am passionate about ministries of environmental justice and the ways in which the arts connect us to the Sacred. I also love hearing stories, making connections, and learning about what is sacred to others. We all have a story interwoven with God’s grace, and I look forward to hearing yours!
Christian spirituality is about transformation. In this way, I like to think that each of us are like seeds full of promise, planted in the ground, awaiting the warmth of God’s grace to help us grow. As we continue to follow Christ in our own time and place, I wonder what we are called to today. What husks might we shed that do not serve God and God’s purposes? What new life and work will we find?
I wonder how God’s grace will continue to form us into a resilient and hopeful community whose Love for God and others helps us to face all that surrounds us and transform difficulty into greater Love, connection, and hope. I can’t wait to see!
PS. Welcome to our website. Feel free you explore it for more information about who we are as a congregation. If you would also like to join us for worship or have questions about Christianity or the UCC or how we have come to experience God here in Tiffin, know that no matter who you are and where you are on your life’s journey, you are welcome here with us, and we would gladly like to meet you.
May the Peace and Joy of Christ be with you.
Pastor Karsten