Shallowford Friends,
To kick off this Easter season, Rev. Anna George Traynham shares with us her experience navigating the pandemic as your senior pastor! Each week we will release a series of Q&As featuring a different staff member. This week Pastor Anna wants to know, what is something you’d like to hear about in a sermon at Shallowford? (You might help her plan worship for the next season!) Email your responses to [email protected].

  • Staff: Rev. Anna George Traynham

  • Position: Senior Pastor

  • Start Date: November 2019

  • Email: [email protected]

Q&A with Rev. Anna George Traynham
Senior Pastor

The life of a senior pastor is different every day! I spend a lot of time…

  • writing sermons and planning worship,
  • leading staff meetings,
  • meeting with and guiding staff,
  • working with our finance, stewardship, and personnel committees,
  • leading the session in governing the church,
  • making pastoral care calls, and
  • planning lessons when invited to teach Sunday School or small groups
Some days, I never leave the office because I have so many meetings, and some days, I never make it into the office because I’m doing the work of the church out in the world. I wouldn’t have it any other way!

Leading Shallowford through this pandemic, with God’s help, has been an amazing challenge and joy. I will never forget the way that this church continued to give generously, worship faithfully, wrestle mightily with issues of our faith, and love deeply, even through this difficult season.

People bring me joy! On Palm Sunday, it brought me so much joy to see little Lawson Poelzer greet me at the chapel door in his donkey costume. It brought me joy to meet Dianne Barkley in the sanctuary as she arranged our Easter flowers, and to rehearse our scripture reading with Steve Benise. It brought me joy to lead worship with my colleagues, and it brings me joy to know that I get to do it all again next week.

Anna and her husband Blake met in rehearsals for a middle school production of “Annie.” Blake was Daddy Warbucks, and Anna only had one line.
A Note from Anna:

“Shallowford friends, I have missed you! I am fully vaccinated now, and I would love to spend some time with you. Has your hair grown a lot in the last year? I want to see it. Have you perfected a new recipe? I want to taste it! Have you been through chaos this year? I want to hear all about it. Sign up for a time on my calendar below.”