Introducing Paige Kaltchnee
We are excited to welcome our newest staff member, Paige Kaltschnee. She has joined the Christ UMC team as our Coordinator of Youth Ministry. Please see her introductory article below.
I grew up in Wesley, Iowa, a small community of about 400 people, and graduated from Algona High School. I have a large family, including two older sisters, two older stepbrothers, one younger brother, and one younger stepbrother. My mom still lives in the Algona area, while my dad and stepmom live in Ankeny. Most of my siblings are spread throughout the Des Moines metro area, with the exception of my oldest sister, who lives in Algona, and my youngest brother, who is currently working at a camp in Wisconsin. Between my siblings, I have two nephews and six nieces, four of whom are currently under the age of two. I am also incredibly blessed to still have all four of my grandparents and both of my step-grandparents with us.
My hometown of Wesley has always been an important part of who I am. Growing up, I attended the United Methodist Church in Wesley until it closed in 2010. After that, our congregation joined with the Evangelical Free Church to form Wesley Community Church. I also attended Corwith-Wesley-Lu Verne (CWL) Schools until seventh grade, when the school district announced that it would be consolidating with the Algona School District. CWL was a very small school, with around 90 students in grades Kâ12. My class had 13 students, which was considered a large class for CWL. When I transferred to Algona, our graduating class had 96 students, and we were considered one of the smaller classes there.
Cameron, my husband, and I are high school sweethearts. He is two years older than me, and we have been together since I was 14. We have now been married for three years. After high school, Cameron attended Buena Vista University (BVU) in Storm Lake, Iowa, while I attended Simpson College in Indianola, Iowa.
Both of us were three-sport athletes in college, competing in cross country, indoor track, and outdoor track. Cameron had a particularly successful college running career. When he finished at BVU, he was listed in the school's top 10 for 13 different events. He primarily focused on the 3K, 5K, and 10K during track season. My college running experience looked a little different. I dealt with a number of injuries, but I continued to be part of the team because I genuinely enjoyed being involved. My primary events were the 800, 1500, and mile. I still am involved with the team as a volunteer coach or driver when needed and as a photographer. Most years I still attend camp with the team to take pictures and handle their social media. (Picture of us is at the Augustana Course in Rock Island in 2021!)
College was also an important time in developing my faith and finding community. I was involved in both Light Company and Fellowship of Christian Athletes (FCA). Light Company was a program run by a small church in Indianola and was designed specifically for college students. During our busy weeks, it gave us an opportunity to slow down, spend time together, worship, and study the Bible. Through Light Company, I also had the opportunity to attend the Passion Conference in Dallas, Texas, during my junior year.
I was also heavily involved in FCA. FCA is a student-led ministry for anyone who has ever identified as an athlete or has an interest in athletics. Each week, I met with the FCA leadership team to help write and develop lessons and series for athletes to work through in small groups. We paired these lessons with guest speakers, mission projects, mental health initiatives, and fun nights. FCA became a meaningful way for me to combine my faith, my love of athletics, and my desire to build community with others.
After college, Cameron and I decided to stay in the Des Moines area for a while. I worked for Covenant Presbyterian Church as their Programs and Communications Coordinator. Eventually, Cameron was promoted, which led us to move to the Quad Cities, where we currently live.
One of the things Cameron and I have always shared is a love of books. We are both big readers, and our long-term goal is to have a personal library of 1,000 books. We are currently sitting at around 900! Our collection includes a little bit of everything, including history, science fiction, fantasy, young adult literature, and classic novels. Cameron's favorite author is Stephen King, so it probably isn't surprising that we also own every book Stephen King has published.
Some of Paige's Favorites:
Hymn: Because He Lives
Worship Song: I'm Not Alone by Riley Clemmons
Food: Any Kind of Pasta
Book: whatever I am currently reading or Daniel's Story by Carol Matas
Hobby: Crafting - specifically scrapbook, painting, or sewing
Show: Grey's Anatomy (I have seen it through about 6 times)
Sport (to watch): Baseball - I am a big Yankees fan while Cam is a Cardinals fan
Snack: Chips and Guacamole or Salsa
Color: Yellow
Paige Kaltschnee
Director of Youth Ministry
Christ United Methodist Church
3801 7th Street, East Moline, IL 61244
