Our Staff

   
Brenda Mattson
Music has been an important part of my life and was first instilled by my mother. My musical experiences include school performances, choir, playing piano and clarinet in music class and playing for weddings. At present my music involvement is with Trinity Lutheran Church in Colby, Kansas as the choir accompanist, Praise Team accompanist, a member of JuBELLation Bell Choir and one of the organists/accompanists for worship services. Spiritual music has always been with me and is what I especially love to listen to. I am most thankful for the musical talent God has given me.
   
Betty Kruse
Serving the Lord through music is a special joy to Betty. She doesn't remember a time she didn't love music and started accompanying a choir when she was in the 7th grade. Betty started playing the organ worship services around 1962. She loves music and her involvement in choir and bell choir. The Lord worked in Betty's life so that she received training at St. John's and Concordia-Seward that prepared her to serve not only as church organist but also as a worship planner.
 
Mary Shoaff
Mary has been involved in music all her life. Throughout school and college she played percussion and piano and was a member of various small and large group vocal ensembles. In college, while working on her bachelor's degree in biblical studies, she continued to participate in band and vocal performance and also was a member of the college hand bell choir. Mary currently serves as director of JuBellation, Trinity's hand bell choir. She also enjoys composing and arranging music for hand bells. Mary serves as president of the POP Orchestra where she is a member of the percussion section. She also is a member of Trinity's praise team and also gives private percussion lessons.
 

Linda Pabst, Church Secretary
Linda (Cranston) Pabst has been serving as Church Secretary at Trinity since August 1987. She attended Colby Community College receiving an Executive Secretary A.A. degree in 1975. Linda and her husband, David, were married in 1975 and have two married daughters, Marie Skolout and Karen Jones and one granddaughter Samantha Skolout.Linda and David reside on a farm north of Colby. When asked what her two favorite things about being the church secretary are her reply was “It’s the perfect job and I have a very large extended family.”  Linda is active in the choir, hand bell choir, and praise team.  Some know her as “Church Lady”.   
 

Ralph Fischer
Throughout the years, Ralph has served in almost all of the administrative offices and boards of the various congregations of which he has been a member. Ralph is currently serving his second term as Executive Director of Trinity Lutheran Church. He noted while this position is the most demanding it is also the most gratifying. Ralph spent approximately 40 years as a traveling salesman in the Midwest states, selling agricultural products to farmers, ranchers and veterinarians. Although Ralph is not a native of Colby, he and his wife Gladys, found it easy to adopt Colby as home and Trinity as their church family. Ralph feels it is comforting to worship where worship is totally based on Holy Scripture alone. Ralph sums his feelings on Trinity as follows: “The warmth and friendliness of the fellow believers in Jesus Christ make Trinity special – a great place to be a part of.”