Each year on Mother’s Day the United Methodist Women(UMW) of Trinity UMC honors one of the women of our church with a service award. This year we have chosen to honor our pastor, Tracy Moore.
Tracy Jean Cochran was born to Patricia and John in 1957 in Detroit, Michigan. Her father was a coach for the Detroit Lions Football Program at that time. The family moved to Green Bay, Wisconsin, in 1959, where Tracy became a big sister to Cindy and younger brother Russell.
As her father’s coaching career caused them to move again after 10 years to St. Louis for 2 years and then San Diego for a year, they returned to Green Bay in 1972. Tracy spent her high school years in Green Bay before graduating and entering the University of Wisconsin at Eau-Claire majoring in biology. She moved on to the University of Minnesota for a career in research for approximately six years before joining the staff in Research Oncology at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota. It was there that she met David Moore who had crossed “the Pond” from Wales in the United Kingdom in 1983.
Tracy Cochran married David Moore on April 8, 1989, at a Methodist Church in Rochester, Minnesota. She and Dave moved east as Dave pursued positions in the pharmaceutical industry. Tracy remained at home while pregnant with their first child, Hannah, born in 1992. In 1995 their son Carey was born. Tracy is grandmother to Hailey age 10 and baby Charlotte age 7 months.
Always involved in their church and chairing many committees and programs over the years, Tracy became the head teacher of “Bright Beginnings” a preschool at their Methodist Church in Warwick, NY, not far from their residence in Vernon, NJ. She held this position for about 15 years.
With a goal to preach and lead her entire life, Tracy enrolled in a graduate program at Asbury Theological Seminary in Wilmore Kentucky, a school known for its preparation for Leadership and Service, in 2016. As she has pursued a program to unleash the kind of curiosity to venture out and keep learning, seeking experience and “putting yourself in a world that awaits your Christ like character exploration and wisdom”, she became interested in working with Hospice. And then, along came Trinity United Methodist Church in Coram in need of a pastor!
Now, having the time in her life to make this transition, the opportunity to pursue what she had worked for so long had arrived. With the support of her husband, who currently serves as a volunteer EMT in their home community of almost 30 years, all of this had become possible. Having a tremendous knowledge of the Bible, ability to teach others, to manage and support and SING, Pastor Tracy has added a wonderful grasp of technology to her repertoire with the assistance of her husband Dave while back home. Under her leadership, and by her example, Pastor Tracy has contributed so much “moore” to her church family at Trinity. Pastor Tracy has ministered to us all during this very difficult time. Whether in person, by phone, a mailing or Zoom, she has kept our congregation together as we have shared our joys and concerns, our achievements and our losses. We are all closer to God for having had her in our lives.
We congratulate Pastor Tracy Moore on her graduation this month and we extend our sincerest thanks for all she has given. She has truly been a gift from God.
Trinity United Methodist Church of Coram 