Meet Laura and Dave Butcher: From Church Shopping to Stewardship
Growing up in nearby Middletown, Laura (Felty) and David Butcher became middle school sweethearts who eventually married. The Butchers now live in Camp Hill with their two sons, Jacob, 14, and Jonathan, 8.
In 2017, Dave surprised Laura by saying he wanted to find a church home. Laura, raised Catholic, had been on a decades-long hiatus from organized religion; Dave was a baptized but inactive Methodist. They realized that something was lacking, and so the search for a church was on.
People acquainted with Dave and Laura know they don’t enter lightly into any endeavor, and the church search was no exception. They came up with a serious “shopping list.”
In summary, the Butchers were looking for a church that believes “God values ALL humans,” is neither conservative nor liberal, has positive interactions, offers “intellectually stimulating and theologically rigorous” faith formation opportunities, offers a foundation for children and an array of children’s activities, has a strong music program, feels like home, has a positive impact, and has leaders with a vision for the future.
After 18 months of searching, Laura was ready to give up. They had visited a number of churches, but none that jumped out. Finally, in 2019, after several visits to Trinity, they found their church home here and soon became members.
The Butcher boys attended classes and joined the Children’s Choir. Laura and Dave attended classes, too, and began volunteering: Laura in the church office, on Pastor Liz’s Mutual Ministry Team, and more recently with the Community Outreach and Missions teams. Dave was elected to Church Council and is vice president; he also chairs the Give, Serve, Lead Team responsible for stewardship.
Laura joined Dave on Give, Serve, Lead, where the two are ideally suited to their stewardship roles; after all, Dave and Laura have seen firsthand Trinity’s impact on them, their family, the community, and the world at large.
So, on behalf of that team, Dave Butcher will be reaching out in the fall to ask for members’ financial support during the 2024 stewardship appeal.
In the meantime, you’ll be reading more stories like Dave and Laura’s. Look for these stories and keep them in mind as you think about how you, too, can ensure that Trinity continues to impact lives.
