New Website!

Hello St. Matthew's Family and Friends! My name is Charis Wirtley, and I am the new Children, Youth, & Family Coordinator! Words cannot begin to express how excited I am to start this new journey here with such a loving and welcoming congregation! It has been a long journey to get to this point, and I am absolutely ecstatic to get to call St. Matthew's and Washington my new home! I am no stranger to the ELCA, as I grew up as a pastor's daughter! I got to live in North Carolina, Pennsylvania, Ohio, Wisconsin, and Texas, so I have lived all over! While we lived in Texas, I attended Blinn College to get my Associate of Arts in Music. After graduating from Blinn College, I transferred to Texas Lutheran University where I received dual degrees in Vocal Performance and Theology (with a pre-counseling concentration)! I'm not sure what y'all would like to know about me, so I decided to make a random paragraph of things I like to do and things I care about (so if this paragraph feels all over the place, that's why). Outside of work, I love to play the Sims 4 on my laptop, play guitar, read, and write poetry! I have a deep love for my family: my dad Jerry, my mom Krista, and my two younger sisters Carina and Calea! I love the colors pastel yellow and pastel green! I have a deep commitment to radical love and the knowledge that all people are created in the image of God and nothing will separate us from the unconditional love of God, no matter what the world may say! I am so ready to begin the amazing life of Children, Youth, & Family Coordinator and I hope to just uplift the incredible work already happening to new levels where we can continue to build and grow such an amazing program for children & youth here at St. Matthew's! If you have any questions for me, or any ideas or suggestions, please feel free to find me Sunday mornings or email me! I would love to hear from you! Thank you for such a warm welcome! Grateful and Ready, Charis Wirtley Children, Youth, & Family Coordinator