Small Church, Big Mission

We are a small congregation with a big mission! Our goal is to proclaim the good news that we follow a “Loving Not Judging” God! We truly welcome all people!

Staff

Interim Pastor Carolyn Hayford

Originally from Florida, I have lived primarily in the Southeast and have worked a variety of jobs before being ordained in 2017.  Before retiring from ministry, I was an assistant, interim, and solo pastor in Birmingham, Alabama, and a dean for the ELCA Southeastern Synod.  I have a passion for social justice and enjoy listening to people, walking, reading and watching underdog movies.  I moved to Matthews, NC in 2024 as a gift to my wonderful adult children.  They are scattered in the US: Samantha in Massachusetts, Nathaniel in South Carolina and Benjamin in Texas.  I am honored to serve alongside you as you do ministry here at Holy Trinity in preparation for your next pastor.

Deacon David Kluttz, Minister of Outreach

My faith journey began in North Carolina, where I was baptized and raised in the Lutheran church. The church was where I learned who I was—through worship, learning, service, and community. My wife Diane and I have been blessed with a long life together, raising our family in the church and being shaped by the congregations we have called home. Early in my adult life, I sensed a call to ordained ministry and began seminary at Trinity Lutheran Seminary. Although my path led me back into engineering, that call to ministry never left me. In recent years, my involvement in ministries like Room in the Inn, walking alongside neighbors experiencing homelessness, has changed me. It has deepened my understanding of what it means to offer dignity, presence, and welcome—not as an idea, but as a lived expression of Christ’s love. I look forward to walking alongside you as we seek to be the hands and feet of Christ in this place.

Dr. Ron Ellis has served Holy Trinity for over 10 years. He has been a duel -career person for most of his life: as a church musician and as a psychotherapist. As a church musician, he has served in a variety of congregations and settings, including time as the interim chapel organist and choir director at the U.S. Naval Academy in Annapolis, and, for six years, the director of music at the Camp David Chapel, with President Bill Clinton singing tenor in the choir.

Karen Haynes, our parish administrator, comes to Holy Trinity with administrative experience in various settings, including multiple congregations. In past positions, she has enjoyed getting to know parishioners and she is looking forward to familiarizing herself with Holy Trinity and our Loving Not Judging congregation! In her spare time, she likes to garden.