Terri Collins
Children’s Director
What do you do? My position focuses on strengthening Sunday core ministries for children 3 years-5th grade including Sunday School, Jr. Church, and After School Programs. I also serve as the supervisor for the other part-time children’s staff.
What do you love most about your job?
It is a joy to play an active role in the nurture and development of a child’s spiritual foundation. It was in the church, through the teaching and modeling of wonderful caring adults, that I began my relationship with Christ. It is my desire for children and families to have a similar experience by helping to make our Sunday core ministries all they can be.
A little bit about your background?
I grew up in the Chicago suburbs and attended public school. When it was time for me to attend college, Taylor University was the natural choice because of its strong Christian foundation. It was there that I met my husband and discovered his love for ministry and his life’s goal of being a professor in the Christian Educational Ministries department. It wasn’t until 16 years later that he realized that goal. His 7 years in Youth for Christ and 10 years as a Youth Pastor in Indianapolis provided wonderful experiences for him to draw from for his teaching. My degree in Psychology set me up for a life of partnership in ministry and for motherhood. It wasn’t until we moved to Upland in 1999 that I realized my call to children’s ministry. Phil and I have two grown children – Luke, married to Jessica is a physician and Katelyn, married to Daniel Rodman, is on staff here at UCC as our Basics Director. Vivian Columba was born to Luke and Jessica this summer and my journey as a grandmother has just begun.
What are some of your personal favorites?
- Books? Victor Hugo’s Les Miserables, Madeline L’Engle’s Crosswicks Journals, Charlotte Bronte’s Jane Eyre, Fredrick Buechner’s Telling Secrets, James Herriot’s All Creatures series, or anything C.S. Lewis or George MacDonald.
- Movies? The Princess Bride, Much Ado About Nothing, Sense and Sensibility, Little Women, The Lord of The Rings, Big Fat Greek Wedding
- Things to do? Coffee with friends, shopping, cooking, home projects, and gardening. Podcasts include Holy Post, Tim Keller and old episodes of Car Talk.