Dear People of St. James’,
It is a great pleasure to introduce you to Tanya Martinez, our new Children’s Minister for both our English and our Spanish speaking communities. Tanya will begin her work with St. James’ this Sunday on August 13 as we get things moving for the fall.
Here is a little bit about her in her own words:
Tanya Martinez is an Austin educator, mom, and grandmother. Her pronouns are she/her/ella. She was raised in the Rio Grande Valley along the Mexican border. She grew up in a multilingual home with a close family. She arrived in Austin in 1989 to attend The University of Texas at Austin where she majored in Cultural Anthropology and Art History. She began her career as an educator in 2002 and is anxious to start her 22nd year working with Austin students and families. Tanya and her husband, Pablo, have 5 amazing children and an amazing grandson. Tanya and her family reside in South Austin where they love sitting on the deck in their backyard watching their dogs run about. In her spare time, Tanya enjoys traveling and reading. She is so excited to join the St. James’ community and to work with children and families every Sunday!
Tanya brings an incredible amount of teaching experience, intercultural sensitivity, and great people energy to this position. She is passionate about working with children, parents, and grandparents alike. She shares St. James’ commitment to inclusion in a whole myriad of forms as a sign of God’s love. While she is new to the Episcopal Church, she is committed to joining us on this spiritual journey that we all are on, and I think she will be a good companion on the way.
Tanya will be serving on a part-time basis (about 14 hours a week) with the primary goals of supporting the Godly Play community of children ages 3-5th grade in the am, supporting the growth of children’s ministry at the 1 pm, building community among parents, and supporting multigenerational events. This is a big job, and she will need the continuing support of all of our amazing volunteers.
Please join us this Sunday to welcome Tanya.
Rev. Eileen
