Pastors & Staff
Click on any staff member’s email address to send them a message directly.
Eric Meyer, Senior Pastor
Pastor Eric is married to Brenda, and together they have four young adult children. In addition to serving at Trinity, he is the chaplain for the KWU Cross Country and Track team, and is a certified life coach. When not working, you can often find him in his garage crafting something out of wood. He calls the garage his retreat space and has dubbed it Meyer’s Monastery.
Chelsea Shrack Bell, Associate Pastor
Pastor Chelsea is a native Kansan, hailing from rural Pratt county. She has a Bachelor’s Degree in Animal Science and Industry from Kansas State University and a Master of Divinity from Garrett Evangelical Theological Seminary in Evanston, IL. Chelsea served five years as the Campus Minister at Wesley Campus Ministry at KSU before moving to Salina to serve at Trinity and University UMCs. Her passions include spending time with family and friends, travel, drinking good coffee, and spending time in nature.
Lori Blake
Business Manager & Treasurer
Lifelong Trinity member, Lori Blake, is the Business Manager and Treasurer. Lori is wife to Keith and mother of Madeline, Braxton and Keaton. She has spent her life trying to find balance between home and work while sharing God’s light with all. Lori’s career has been led by the Holy Spirit and has allowed her opportunities as an advocate for human rights and universal access to quality education from cradle to grave. Lori looks forward to blending her passion for serving and her experience with business management to continue building God’s kingdom.
Tyler Breneman
Director of Music & Technology
Tyler serves as the Director of Music & Technology at Trinity. He earned his Bachelor of Music in Organ Performance with a minor in Sacred Music from Bethany College in 2016, studying under Dr. Melody Steed. Passionate about music and technology, he enjoys conducting orchestras for musical theatre productions, spending time with friends, and restoring vintage Apple computers.
Chris Carazo
Sunday Tech Lead
Chris is the Sunday Tech Lead at Trinity. He manages the sound booth volunteer and intern scheduling, assists with tech issues, and runs the tech-side of the worship services each Sunday and during special events.
Marilla Colson
Congregation Communications
Marilla manages the communications from the church to the congregation. She grew up in Hutchinson and has lived in Salina for over 20 years. Marilla has two undergraduate degrees, one from Principia College, Ill., a BA in Drawing and Painting, and one from Kansas State University, a BS in Art Education. Her husband has two boys Mitchell, & Marshall, and together they have Cooper. She enjoys many things: photography, running, traveling, reading, gardening, KC Royals, KC Chiefs, Weekly Fantasy Football, March Madness. Marilla started the Salina Running Group two years ago; they run every Saturday morning. She’s a member of Salina Crossroads Marathon Committee, Salina Family YMCA, Horticulture Club, & Salina Photography Club, and loves to be outside so if you see her, feel free to shout a “Hello”!
David Corman
Originally from Minneapolis, Kansas, David pursued music after initially being known as an athlete. He holds degrees from Friends University and Yale, along with an artist diploma from Juilliard. His career spans over 25 years, including more than 3,000 performances in opera and musical theatre. After singing in Zurich and New York, he transitioned to academia, serving as director of vocal music at Odessa College and later as a professor at UT Permian Basin. Throughout his career, he has remained active in church music, including as minister of music at First United Methodist Church in Odessa.
Degrees: B.M. Friends University, B.A. Friends University, M.M. Yale University, Artist Diploma Juilliard School of Music
Lyz Garwood
Director of Christian Education
Lyz Garwood is the newest addition to the staff at Trinity. She earned a B.S. in Health Science from Chico State University in Northern California and relocated to the Midwest in 2011 to become the Director of Children and Family Ministries in Grand Island, NE. Since then, Lyz, her husband Braden, and their two children have held various UMC ministry roles throughout Nebraska, finally settling in Salina in April 2024. Lyz enjoys laughing, being a mother to Ava and Kahler, singing with her husband, and spending time outdoors.
Kylee Gragg
Director of Youth & Intern Ministry
Kylee is our youth and intern director. She has a master’s in special education from Emporia State. She loves traveling with her husband, Jason and snuggling with their two dogs Chance and Dooley.
Mandy Jarvis
Nursery Director
Mandy is the Nursery Director, and has been working in the nursery since 2011. She puts her whole self into anything she does, and assists others whenever she can. She loves being around the children and creating special bonds with each of them. In her free time, Mandy enjoys spending time with her husband and 3 children.
April Saskowski
Jeff Waters
Director of Maintenance
Jeff keeps the Trinity campus clean, functioning, and beautiful. He takes care of the building and grounds, sets up for activities, and is a general handy man! He loves to fish and enjoys KSU athletics.
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