To St. David’s Staff, Vestry, Parishioners, and EYC Yoots,
 
It is with joy and sadness that I announce I have accepted a call to be the new Director of Youth Ministry at Holy Trinity in Greensboro, North Carolina. My last Sunday at St. David’s will be Sunday, Sept. 19, 2021, and I will be beginning this new position on Oct. 18, 2021.
 
In 2016, I was about to graduate and begin my life as a young adult. My campus minister recommended me for a youth minister job in Austin, TX, where her cousin served as curate. Little did I know, the beloved rector of my church in Waco had just accepted a call to that same parish. Months later, I was working for THE Chuck Treadwell and joining an innovative and devoted team of staff. I have spent the five years since worshiping and hanging out with the most charming, fabulous teenagers and families in Austin. I am in awe of all the work we have done together. We have built a real Episcopal Youth Community, one that loves and supports each other without exception.
 
And now, God calls me to Greensboro, to know and be known by another group of teenagers and families. Just as I did back in 2016, I feel a deep sense of knowing that this is where I am needed. While it feels strange to leave a place I love so dearly, all I can do is listen and trust the Spirit’s voice.
 
I will forever be grateful to you all as the parish that gave me my start, trusted me to care for their kids, and let me paint a 70ft long mural on their historic building during a pandemic 😀. You have deepened my understanding of what it means to be a Christian community in this ever-changing world. I trust that just as God brought us together, God will be present in this transition. The Spirit is alive and well at St. David’s and in youth ministry. Stay in touch, and know I love you all so much.
 
God’s Peace,
 
Jenny Campbell
Dear friends, 

When I first became rector of St. David’s the vestry and I agreed that my first and highest ministry priority was to find a youth director for our kids. A short few months later the Holy Spirit hand-delivered Jenny Campbell to us, and what an amazing gift she has been. Jenny immediately connected with our kids and began to build what has grown into a fun, vibrant, and diverse group. She has had a major impact on the lives of teenagers and their families, and I could not be more grateful.

Now, five years later, the same Holy Spirit that brought her to us is calling her away, to minister to another group of kids and their families in North Carolina. This will also allow her to get physically much closer to her own family. This will be good for those kids and good for Jenny and her family.

While it is clearly good for them, it is sad for us. We have been the beneficiaries of Jenny’s kind caring heart, her joyful and offbeat style, and her amazing creativity. In her remaining weeks we will work hard to tell her how much we appreciate her, and to say goodbye well.

To get started, on Tuesday, Aug. 31, all youth are invited to a Zoom meeting at 7 p.m. and parents are invited to join a similar Zoom meeting at 7:45 p.m. This will allow Jenny to tell you in her own words about her call to ministry, and for us to answer questions about the path that lay ahead as we search for a new leader.

Please know that the clergy, staff, and youth volunteers are eager to offer an ear or a shoulder as we say goodbye to our dear friend Jenny. Plans are being made as I write to support and sustain our youth ministries during this time of discernment and call.

Remember: the Holy Spirit brought us Jenny, which means the Spirit can be trusted.

Peace,
The Rev. Dr. Chuck Treadwell, Rector