Today we’d like to introduce you to Katie Corrigan.
So, before we jump into specific questions about the business, why don’t you give us some details about you and your story.
I never grew up wanting to do what I do. I had plans… lots of plans. My first “what do you want to be when you grow up” answer was teen pop star. I imagined and replayed myself rocking out on the stage to timeless classics such as “Hit me, baby, one more time” and “Cold Hearted.” Once I took voice lessons and realized how hard it was to hit that high octave, my dreams died. I then aspired to enter the corporate world. My plan was simple. Get a business degree, in Human Resource Management and climb the ladder.
NEVER. and I mean, NEVER, did I want to give my life to something bigger than myself and become a Pastor. It was completely out of my scope of thinking. I had grown up in a Christian home but had a bad experience with church. My actions didn’t always reflect the beliefs or lifestyle choices that followers of Jesus have, and so I felt judged and “not good enough.” After years of choosing the party life, I planned to attend college. My parents bribed me into choosing a Christian university (hoping it would help me make better choices… and it did) by promising to pay for full tuition and expenses to get my degree. Seeing as how I just wanted to get out of my small little town to the city, I chose the nearest metropolitan city to where I lived. Seattle.
After a broken heart and more poor choices, I gave my life—truly— to something bigger than myself. Jesus. Jesus’ life of walking out the truth with love, grace with forgiveness and doing the right thing with a merciful spirit was what changed me. I found joy and peace.
After working in the Human Resource Management field, something was missing. I didn’t sense purpose in my life. I began to volunteer with a new program at a local church. The program’s premise was to gather gifts for women who worked in strip clubs and prostitution and present them to them, just to say, “YOU’RE LOVED.” No matter what you’ve done or where you’ve been or who you are, YOU ARE LOVED and valued.” This program changed my life in a way that is hard to explain. Going out of your way to spread a message to people that they are loved beyond compare, that their choices don’t cancel out what Jesus wants to give them, and that no matter how they’ve been treated in the past, they have a bright future.
My heart started beating for every woman I encountered in this program. I had never experienced such love for people I didn’t know or had just met a couple times. But it consumed me. That was the moment I knew I was meant to pour my life into pastoring and loving people as a vocation. It’s funny how looking back, I can see different experiences shaping me and leading me right up until this moment
My husband and I now Co-Pastor Trinity Church San Diego in Poway. We say Co-Pastor because we believe both of us are equally equipped to share the teaching responsibilities and to lead our church with the different gifts and talents that compliment each other in our leadership. Every Sunday, we gather with our church and believe for a breakthrough for finances, healing, relationships and more. Currently, we have launched a ministry to individuals and families with special needs with the purpose of megaphoning the message: YOU BELONG. Having a son on the autism spectrum has carved deep compassion in us to reach this community of people and let them know they are LOVED.
We’re always bombarded by how great it is to pursue your passion, etc. – but we’ve spoken with enough people to know that it’s not always easy. Overall, would you say things have been easy for you?
I don’t think anything truly great is accomplished without struggle or challenges. I personally would not want to be taught or mentored by someone that hasn’t taken a few hits. If they’ve taken a few hits, they’ve learned how to get back up and keep fighting. I’ve taken multiple. Life will throw curve balls at you, but you can’t stay stuck. One of my struggles has been my son’s condition. Being a special needs family, we often have to regulate our schedules and activities to fit his needs. This has come with major meltdowns in grocery stores while people stare at you and judge your parenting ability and with discouraging Individual Evaluation Reports of progress. However, if we’re to give any advice to younger women it would be:
1) Learn to say, “Nevertheless”– Make statements adding this in. For example, to the tired parent working two jobs to make ends meet, “I am so tired of working all the time, nevertheless, I’m thankful I have a job.”
2) Don’t REHEARSE your problem, RELEASE it. Rehearsing your problem or struggle only makes it seem bigger and more hopeless. I believe prayer changes things. And when I pray, I can release what’s bringing me down to God and let him determine the way it’s going to pan out. And usually, when I do this, it works out better than I planned.
3) Be HEALED not HARDENED by what people say about you or do to you. It’s possible to move on from disappointment and hurt and be hardened, but when you’re hardened in an area of your heart, your ability to influence people positively in severely decreased. Let yourself heal, and forgive – because the world needs you!
So let’s switch gears a bit and go into Trinity Church San Diego story. Tell us more about it.
I am most proud of our churches work with the community of individuals and families with special needs. There is such a wide spectrum of differently-abled people that have no faith community. Many parents that have children with special needs feel a sense of isolation because of their child’s condition. The Washington Post just reported research in November that out of 400 parents surveyed, 1/3 of them had to leave their current faith community because their child was misunderstood and excluded.
We feel a burden to provide a place of inclusion, that fosters spiritual growth and helps build the special needs family as a unit. Last year, our church hosted Night to Shine, a prom that 550 individuals with special needs were able to attend. They received the royal treatment–Limo rides, a buddy (date) for the evening, corsages or boutonnieres, a red carpet with paparazzi cheering for them, Chick-Fil-A, and all were crowned king or queen of the prom at the end of the night. The atmosphere was electric. We are hosting our 2nd annual Night to Shine coming up on Friday, February 8th and expecting to increase that number of attendees by 30%!
As a result of Night to Shine, and because of the statistic reported in the Washington Post, our church has launched a monthly service that is dedicated to the individuals and families with special needs, called Vibrant Lives. It’s much like any other service we do, however, we start with FUN and end with FUN (We always end the night with a dance party to the cha-cha slide). Our Vibrant Lives services create a space and have fulfilled dreams of families who have special needs to practice their faith together and not isolated to an online experience or separate rooms.
What sets us apart is that there are no other churches in San Diego that are using this model to reach this particular community. We believe our experience AS a special needs family, has equipped us to create this space FOR special needs families.
Who do you look up to? How have they inspired you?
Joyce Meyer for sure is my number one. She is the definition of a pioneer! She has blazed a trail for all women like myself, to teach and preach the message of Jesus boldly. She has overcome abuse, opposition to her calling, and influences more people around the world with her books and messages than anyone I know.
Brene Brown – Her raw, authentic talks on vulnerability have inspired so much courage in me and so many other women
Francine Rivers – an author whose Christian fiction work has spoken to me in the deepest places of my heart and healed areas I didn’t know were broken through her stories.
Contact Info:
- Address: Trinity Church
14047 Twin Peaks Rd
Poway, CA 92064 - Website: www.trinitysandiego.org
- Email: katielynncorrigan@gmail.com
- Instagram: katie_l_corrigan
- Facebook: Katie Corrigan
Image Credit:
Katie Corrigan, Todd Corrigan, Lucas Silva, Sunni Ochoa, Danae Emerson
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