Shawn, Kristy, Alexis, & Wes Stauffer
Occasionally, you just happen to come across something by happenstance that can make a huge impact on your life. That’s how Shawn and Kristy Stauffer first came to Colonial Park United Church of Christ.
You see, the Stauffers were attending a local gaming convention when they were looking to “squeeze in” attending church before the convention opened. Since CPUCC had an 8:30 a.m. service at the time, it was a perfect situation. It became a tradition since the convention was an annual event.
They found that the people were very nice and so when they moved a few years later, they decided to use the move as an excuse to change churches since they had some doctrinal differences with their former church. After visiting several others, they felt at home most with CPUCC, becoming members in 2020.
Shawn is originally from Ephrata while Kristy grew up in New York State. Both experienced a more conservative religious atmosphere – for Shawn it was the Church of the Brethren and Kristy was a Catholic. They both moved in a more liberal direction than in their earlier years.
After attending college for technical degrees, they both found work in the surrounding Harrisburg area. They met online and got married in 2010 and are the parents of two wonderful children, Alexis and Wes. That technical education must have rubbed off on the kids as they are both interested in science and engineering.
Shawn currently works in Carlisle as the Lead R&D Engineer and deals with electronics, programming, and most of the problems that crop up around the company. Kristy works as a subcontractor for the state designing the CareerLink website.
The Stauffers soon became very involved in the church. Shawn is the budget stewart and assists in the livestreaming of the weekly service. Kristy is one of the children’s Sunday School teachers and volunteers to usher at times. Alexis is an acolyte, and Wes enjoys participating in the Children’s message.
But you won’t only see the family only on Sunday mornings. They also attend messy church and other activities the church hosts whenever they can. They help at the Thrift Shop and with the Music Festival planning. The whole family really enjoyed the painting night and movie nights, and they feel good about helping people and contributing to the church’s missions.
When asked what they most enjoy about attending CPUCC, the family said collectively, “The clear and unfettered display of God’s love for all of his creation shown to us by the leadership and every member of the congregation every time we are fortunate enough to be there. And the snacks at fellowship time are nice, and Narnia was awesome!”
Kristy said that walking through the wardrobe doors into Narnia during Advent was fantastic and seeing the kids play in the “snow” was kind of magical.
Shawn noted that she greatly appreciates the amount of acceptance and support the church offered as she transitioned.
Inspiration for the Stauffers comes in the form of Jesus, Mother Teresa, St. Francis, and Senator Cory Booker (at the moment). As well as from Pastor Cindy – “She is an amazing individual!”
So how about a little quiz? Can you guess which activity each of the family has participated in? Answers at the bottom.
- Gymnastics
- Fencing
- Western Martial Arts (European Medieval sword fighting techniques)
- Producing, writing, directing, and designing a musical
- Playing games
When asked why others should consider attending CPUCC, the answer came quickly.
“Because it’s great and awesome. It’s a wonderful example of how Christ’s church should be functioning in this day and age.”
We couldn’t agree more.
A-Wes; B-Kristy; C-Shawn; D-Alexis; E-All of the above! (“We like games, so if anyone ever wants to play with us, just let us know. We’ll try to work out something.”)
May/June 2025
Meet other members of Colonial Park United Church of Christ by clicking HERE.
