HENRY FARRINGTON VESTRY CANDIDATE

Transcription

1 HENRY FARRINGTON VESTRY CANDIDATE A native Washingtonian, I was baptized into the Episcopal Church at birth and went on to attend Sunday school at our church throughout my youth. When I finally settled back in Washington in adulthood I resumed attending the church in which I had been baptized. There I took up various duties including ushering as well as serving on the property committee redesigning that church s columbarium. We came to St. Alban s in 1999 in order to have our daughter be part of the Journey to Adulthood program. The preaching, the music, the fellowship were just unexpected but welcomed extras. I also immediately joined the usher group. I gain pleasure from greeting and assisting the worshippers, the camaraderie of the fellow ushers, and the challenges of contributing to the beauty of the worship experience for all. Watching the children in chapel grow over the years has been just an added benefit. Having just retired from the investment field, I tend to look at matters in financial terms and am currently serving on the Board of Workers of St. Alban s as treasurer and taking my turn as an Opportunity Shop cashier. The Board membership has opened my eyes to the needs of this urban community and to the various ways St. Alban s can help to meet those needs. And there is more which could be done. St. Alban s is an historic parish in Washington. As I work with the archive group I realize that this repository contains interesting stories as well as a record of how the parish in the past has faced challenges. Bringing some of the stories to light could serve as a reminder of the vitality this parish has had and as an incentive to pursue new opportunities. We, a family of three generations, have found solace and comfort here at St. Alban s during difficult and even tragic times. The compassion this congregation provided is deeply

2 appreciated. I am honored to have been nominated to the vestry. Called or not, I will continue to contribute to this warm, caring spiritual home for the faithful, the seeker, and the doubter. DAVID GEYER VESTRY CANDIDATE Although I came in January 2001, St. Alban s has been an important part of my life for over 30 years. Laura and I first met in Satterlee Hall as members of the Choral Arts Society. My father served as a canon at the Cathedral for over ten years. Jon and Abby were baptized here. The people, as much as the place, are what make being part of St. Alban s so rewarding. The clergy were very supportive during several periods of personal crisis. Music in particular, singing in the choir is what brought me to the Episcopal Church; it feeds me spiritually and allows me to return the favor. My service on the vestry would be partly based on undergraduate education and work experience. Even after earning two graduate degrees, the four years I spent at Earlham College did more to influence who I am and how I relate to other people. Earlham, a Quaker school, is committed to consensus, a process through which all views are considered before a decision is made. Although not always practical, consensus underlies my efforts to consider and resolve issues, including at the Historian s Office (Department of State), where for the last six years I have been a division chief and member of the management team. I d like to see more activities that promote inter-generational interaction. If it takes a village to raise children, then it s no less important to enable all the villagers to participate and support each other. Perhaps youth programs could perform services for shut-in seniors on a more regular basis; perhaps working and retired parishioners could participate in youth group activities in a more interactive and less professorial way. St. Alban s has more than its share

3 of members who served abroad. Perhaps we could develop a program for retired ambassadors periodically to engage interested teenagers on current international affairs. As the father of three, I believe that, if we are serious about welcoming the seeker and doubter, then we need to address their interests and concerns. Many drift away from the church in their teenage years, as they naturally challenge all authority. Rather than fear atheism and agnosticism, we should trust and encourage them to question our shared beliefs. In the end, whether they believe in God is a matter of personal choice. Meanwhile, we should make certain that their ethical values are otherwise consonant with our own. JACQUELINE HIGGINS VESTRY CANDIDATE I have been a member of St Alban s for 23 years. When my beloved rector retired from Christ Church, Georgetown, my son and I embarked on a plan of visiting a number of Episcopal churches in Washington and began with the lovely little stone church on the Cathedral grounds. We never left after the first day. Today, we can still boast the same quality, individuality and warmth among the clergy and the congregation. I remain completely sustained by the virtuosity of our organist and her varied choral presentations. Among the ministries that I have especially enjoyed are being a lay reader, teaching in the church school and feeding the hungry. I was quite attached to the children and remained with the same class as they advanced over three years. The class and I enjoyed a four-layer wedding cake that I made for wedding feast at Cana, and after some research and consultation, the Seder we held for the lessons from Exodus. I was very humbled by traveling around the metro area, giving food to the hungry. It was very moving to make eye contact with and speak to the large number of eager, but patient and polite, people who came up to our van.

4 I am interested in sustaining parish involvement in academic tutorials for children at risk in metro area schools since early success in education is a key to self-esteem and an important path from poverty. Additionally, I would like to involve St Albans in continuing enrichment programs for arts in education, such as the dance workshop I arranged for the Bishop Walker School. This Fall, I will initiate a dance program into an elementary school in the Petworth area of Washington. A former dancer and current ballet teacher, I am also a manager of international energy and economic consulting projects. I have been closely involved in trade and investment programs to expand electric power in sub-saharan Africa. I am known for working well with people of diverse skill sets, creating common ground, writing and communications. I would be happy to serve St Alban s on the Vestry. TOM JANSEN VESTRY CANDIDATE I ve been worshipping at St. Alban's since 1993, and the following year Laura Ingersoll and I were married here by then-rector Frank Wade. Since then we ve been regulars at the 8:00 am Service, with a one-year break when my job took us back to my hometown of Omaha, Nebraska, and two-plus years in Paris for Laura's work. Raised and confirmed Roman Catholic, I was received into the Episcopal Church here in April Our son Adam and his wife Sharon married at St. Alban s in 2002, and our grand-twins Ethan and Melissa were baptized here in I ve been an 8:00 am Service usher for many years. But my St. Alban s involvement has grown steadily since I retired in 2008 from my 20-year career with CIA, which followed 20 years in the U.S. Air Force Office of Special Investigations (retiring as Lt. Col.). I currently serve on the Crossroads Committee, helping work with Friendship Place to maintain two Parish-funded

5 apartments for individuals and families making the transition away from homelessness. With Laura, I work Wednesday mornings at the Opportunity Shop. In June we ll be adult participants in the St. Alban s senior youth Appalachian Service Project trip. I ve helped flip burgers at the St. Alban s Day barbeque, pitched in on Parish Cleanup days, and drew on my teen job experience to help bus tables at our Wednesday evening Get Fed programs. I was Laura s assistant for last December s Parish Christmas Day dinner, and in setting up the Gala silent auction, and support her in her many St. Alban s activities. Outside of St. Alban s, I work with the Wounded Warriors program at Walter Reed. This community is where my spiritual journey has moved forward. The Core Curriculum classes have helped shape my understanding of how I can use my career skills as investigator, analyst, manager, planner, leader, and team player in helping guide our Parish during this challenging period of transition. If elected to the Vestry, I ll welcome the opportunity to do this together with you. If not, I will continue to heartily support you all in our shared mission. SANDRA LOFTIN VESTRY CANDIDATE In the fall of 1985 when my husband and I moved into DC, we began our church search on that next Sunday. We came first to St. Alban s and never left. St. Alban s has been at the center of my spiritual life. I have studied the Bible, learned ways to pray and been stimulated from the pulpit. Also I have joyfully been active in children s ministry ever since joining, except for a few years on Altar Guild. Organizing the Gala and Christmas Dinners was fun and being in Foyers for so many years has given me the blessing of that special bond we develop with others from the parish. That bond has lasted through changes here at St. Albans and in my personal life.

6 A list of few ministries I have participated in are these: parish retreats, classes and courses around the seasons of the Church and reading and discussion groups; working with the 5th and 6th grade Youth Group, organizing Summer School, and teaching in Sunday programs for children; feeding ministries with both adults and children, including Grate Patrol and Christ House and SOME and working at Samaritan Ministry; greeting, Lay Eucharistic Ministry, caring teams for ill and dying parishioners; WAY OF LIFE. My work and academic background has been in educational administration and teaching at the elementary and college levels in Maryland and Virginia at a Community College and at the University of Virginia. DONNA PALMER VESTRY CANDIDATE My family and I have been members of St. Alban s since 2002 when we moved to the D.C. area where I had grown up. I was confirmed into the Episcopal Church in Los Angeles, and was active in our parish church there. For over five years here at St. Albans I was the Youth Acolyte Coordinator, helping to organize acolytes, including our son Alex, for the 9:15 service. As many of you know, I have been a member of the Vestry for the past year, filling a spot when a member had to resign. It has been a deeply rewarding experience one I hope to continue if elected to a full term. Recently I have been a Greeter and a church school assistant. But the ministry which I find most spiritually fulfilling is working at the Opportunity Shop. Thanks to the generosity of St. Alban s donors, we are able to provide clothing and other necessary household items to many people in the Washington area. Equally important, the money raised and distributed through

7 the Workers of St. Alban s supports numerous other charities and ministries throughout the community. I am not aware of any other outreach project that so directly impacts so many of the disadvantaged in our area. During the past year I have contributed my organizational and communications skills to the Vestry. I am proud to be a member of the task force supporting our commitment to the integration of our Spanish-speaking congregants into our parish. This effort, and other ministries such as the Transforming the Lives of Children initiative, can play a vital role in the growth of our parish family. I believe I have the skills and experience to promote greater awareness and support for these activities. I firmly believe this awareness will contribute to the growth and fellowship of our faith community, and I look forward to continuing in that effort. KEN PATTERSON VESTRY CANDIDATE I have been active in St. Alban s since December 2012, having previously been a parishioner in the early 2000s. As a rather social person, some of my most rewarding and sustaining activities have been the Foyers gatherings and my work on the St. Alban s gala. Through the former, I have discovered how this parish is filled with the people who will lift you up when you fall, and celebrate you on your peak days. Through the latter, I have been amazed by generosity with which our congregation meets the wants and needs of those outside the parish. In addition, as a lay reader, I continue to marvel at and be humbled by the fact that I am allowed a role in our beautiful liturgy. My experience as stewardship co-chair immersed me in what it takes to run this parish. My almost 30 years of management experience have provided me with organizational-

8 development and project-management skills that will benefit me as we strive together to reach our goals. I would like to see us increase outreach efforts to attract new parishioners, as well as perfecting our follow up with those who come through our doors for the first time. I would also love to see us develop better ways of learning the needs and desires of our existing parishioners; at this time our canvassing of our members is perhaps too limited to the stewardship season. Episcopalians really know how to do Christianity, and St. Alban s embodies the best of what it means to be an Episcopalian: respect for tradition; commitment to social service; and, a recognition that being members of the blessed company of faithful people really means ALL. I am humbled to even be considered for a leadership position in this vibrant and loving place. JOAN PHALEN VESTRY CANDIDATE It was through a relationship that I was first introduced to St. Alban s 23 years ago, when a close friend invited my family to check out her church after we relocated from Massachusetts to Maryland. And it has been relationships that have kept me here ever since. The people I have met and communities I have joined during my time at St. Albans have spiritually fed my soul, expanded my worldview, and allowed me to pursue my passions for music, children, and education. Since the day I joined back in 1992 my involvement with the parish choir has been one of the greatest joys of my life at St. Alban s. In addition to getting together weekly with this close-knit group to make music for our Sunday church services, I have collaborated with Sonya Sutton for many years to direct the Christmas Pageant for our youngest children and to produce an annual post-easter musical for the junior choristers. Outside of the choir, I have taught Sunday school

9 and tutored GED classes at the Jessup Correctional Institute as part of our prison ministry. Last year, I spearheaded our involvement with the Harriet Tubman School in Columbia Heights. Today, we have St. Alban s volunteers working weekly at Tubman, and our Mustard Seed collection has raised over $2500 so that Tubman teachers can provide dinner to families on special community nights. I am hopeful that the Tubman community will continue to bless us with their gifts of dynamic leadership, energy, and growth so that this can remain a powerful reciprocal relationship. As a member of the vestry, I am ready to commit the skills I have gained and relationships I have formed through all of these experiences. I am also ready to work toward fostering more collaboration among the smaller communities within St. Alban s. In particular, I would love to see the music program help raise funds for our outreach programs and I would love to see more opportunities for intergenerational and interethnic communities. I value the tremendous power of the St. Alban s communities to engage, teach, inspire, and, perhaps most importantly, forge meaningful lasting relationships. IVAN FERMIN VESTRY CANDIDATE My family and I have attended St. Alban s since 2009, when the Spanish-speaking congregation was first formed. We are committed to helping increase the attendance at the Spanish language service, and have been active in the leadership of the service since it began, helping to lead the hospitality hour every Sunday, helping to organize the special events like Tres Reyes (Three Kings) celebrations for the children each Epiphany, as well as the many Quinceaneras and other events we have celebrated together. After being married in a civil ceremony in 2001 in Santo Domingo, my wife, Altagracia, and I were married by Padre Simon Bautista at St. Alban s in Our three children, Ivan Jr., Alexa

10 and Jose Miguel, were baptized here at St. Alban s As a family, we were received into the Episcopal Church at the National Cathedral in We are especially happy now that, with our new morning service, our children have been able to begin attending Sunday School, and are participating in youth activities. Most recently, Ivan, Jr. attended the Beach Outing with the other Rite 13 youth. I was born in the Dominican Republic, but my family moved to New Jersey when I was a child, and so I am bilingual. If elected to St. Alban s Vestry, I will do my best to represent not only the Spanish voices at St. Alban s, but to work toward better integration and participation by our Spanish-speaking members in the many great outreach activities of St. Alban s -- things like Grate Patrol, cooking for SOME, and other volunteer activities. I believe that there are more Spanish speakers in this vicinity -- and elsewhere in Washington DC -- who will love St. Alban s as Altagracia and I do, and my intention is to try to help bring more people into St. Alban s, and to work to increase friendships and worship together. MARTY WELCH VESTRY CANDIDATE Kudos to the Vestry Nominating Committee for selecting a strong slate of candidates to stand for this critical activity ensuring a sound infrastructure, promoting fiscal integrity, and helping create an inclusive environment to serve God. Monica and I first walked into St. Alban s in 1985 in search of a venue for our wedding, with no plans to become involved. That day, struck by the preaching, the music, and the Peace on earth, good will toward men over the altar, we chose St. Alban s for our wedding. Within six months, we were regular attendees in love with our church community. St. Alban s offered us as young adults a clear and important role in the lives we were beginning together. We were confirmed and became increasingly involved in various ministries. Our son was born into St.

11 Alban s and, from his baptism until he left home, our church fed his social and spiritual growth week after week. The youth programs were the number one thing we had going for us as parents, especially during the most challenging years. Since that first day, I have taught the pre-kindergarten church school (I am not exactly sure who was teaching whom), have served as the coordinator for the Grate Patrol, organized the Gala Dinner, and planned the Parish Weekend. I am currently a leader of our Stephen Ministry, and coordinate our Seminarian Lay Committee. I am an Education for Ministry (EfM) graduate, and loved it so much that I started over. My first and, admittedly, ambitious goal is to fill every seat at every service. I want others to feel the love and experience God s grace, as I do. I want others to see St. Alban s as the place to begin their adult lives, raise their children, grow together, and take care of one another, as I have. I believe the young adults and newcomers are a powerful energy source and play a powerful role. My second goal is to ensure we have the infrastructure to support the first goal. If we are to support our parishioners and attract new ones, we need to sharpen our focus on providing the programs, services, and resources that enable us to best serve our community, even if it means making difficult decisions. To me, a great Sunday would be to sit in a pew, look to my left, look to my right, and not know the faces on either side. Let s make it happen.