(PDF) VESTRY NOMINEES FOR 2018 - Constant Contactfiles.constantcontact.com/3709b3a9101/819b4cbf-34d8-49b9-be31-… · When we moved back, we had a two year-old daughter, and we had decided - DOKUMEN.TIPS (2023)

VESTRYNOMINEES FOR 2018

2018 Vestry NomineesInformation contained in this brochure willallow you to read about the eight candidates who have agreed tostand for election to the Vestry. We will be electing four of thesepersons to fill the four vacancies for terms that run from2018-2020. All are faithful members of our parish, who give oftheir time, talent and treasure in support of our mission andministry. Each candidate was asked to answer the following fourquestions:

• What brought you to Christ Church, and what keeps youhere?

• What gifts do you bring to leadership at Christ Church?

• What church leadership have you been involved in at ChristChurch or in other churches?

• What is your vision for Christ Church?

Voting for the Vestry will take place on the weekend of January27-28 at all services. Eligibility to vote is based on our parishrolls for “Communicants in Good Standing”. The current list hasbeen posted at Christ Church and St. Ignatius. If you are notlisted and feel that the omission is in error, please let us know.It is entirely possible that we have made a mistake. As we havedone in the recent past, we will open voting AFTER each of our fiveweekend services. Voting after services (as opposed to before them)is particularly important on Sunday morning, as it allows thetran-sition between the 8:00 and 9:15 am services to run smoothly.At all services, it also allows for a contemplative preparation forservices in our church.

Blessed Lord, who hath called us to membership in thy Church,guide us, we beseech thee, in our deliberations, so that all ouraims and purposes may be to the strengthening of the work in thisparish and the support of the Church’s mission throughout theworld; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

BROOKE BARTLETT

I am a “cradle Episcopalian,” and Christ Church was my firstchurch. I was baptized there, attended Sunday school, took part inyouth activities, and was confirmed at Christ Church. Afterattending graduate school in Utah and spending my young adult lifethere as well, my hus-band and I moved back to St. Simons threeyears ago. When we moved back, we had a two year-old daughter, andwe had decided that we wanted to make a com-mitment to join achurch as a family. There was never a question that our home churchwould be Christ Church, as we are drawn to and committed toEpiscopal teachings. This congregation’s activity and generosity inthe community and charitable works continually impress me, and Ihave so much respect for the amount of quiet giving. The clergy,staff, and congregation are warm and welcoming and truly treateveryone as family.

I spent 12 years as a public school teacher, and teachers mustdevelop leadership skills. I say this tongue-in-cheek, but teachingis convincing a large group of peo-ple follow your lead, and it’s abonus if they are happy to do so! As a leader, I am organized, ableto work with many different personalities, and am a good listener.I am currently taking a break from teaching full-time in order tostay home with my five year-old daughter and one year-old son. NowI own and run a small business called Golden Isles Music Together,which offers parent/child music classes. As a small business owner,I must be financially responsible, able to meet deadlines, and ableto communicate effectively. I believe that I can transfer theseskills if I have the opportunity to serve on the Vestry.

For the past three years that my family and I have lived (again)on St. Simons, I have enjoyed being a part of the Christ Churchchoir, which helps to lead the congregation in song and prayer. Onspecial occasions, I am even allowed to play my trumpet! I am a layreader and actually enjoy speaking in front of others. I co-taughtthe 1st and 2nd grade Sunday School class during the 2014-2015 and2015-2016 school years. During the summers of 2015 and 2016, Ihelped Kathleen Turner to facilitate the Creative Arts Camps, heldat Christ Church. My current mini-project is to help re-start asocial group, Christ Church Moms, for mothers of school-agechildren.

I envision Christ Church continuing its sustainable growth whilemaintaining its past traditions and current mission statements,beliefs, and ideals. I think that most of us chuckle when we thinkof the Episcopal stereotypes, yet we are drawn to our particulardenomination for specific reasons. Christ Church, in my opinion,needs to continue to be the “historical Christ Church” that thetravel books know and love. At the same time, Christ Church isbecoming more and more a community leader and an advocate forsocial justice. Our church is helping our community through manyprograms, and I hope to see outreach continue to expand. There aremore families with young children joining our congregation, and Ibelieve that we must attract young families with activities andprograms that are engaging. I look for-ward to the realization ofthe new plans for the buildings and grounds and think that thereare exciting things in Christ Church’s future.

RIP GRAHAM

Charlotte and I have been drawn to the Golden Isles for years,having both grown up vacationing here as kids and young adults. Weconsider CCF an important part of our own histories and mar-riage,and we are thrilled to finally be members of the CCF Congregation.Everyone has welcomed us like Family, and we have always feltcomplete-ly at home at CCF.

Prior to finally settling on SSI in 2008, my career shuttled usthrough eight other communities across the South. Charlotte and Ihave support-ed previous congregations in various volunteer roles.When our children were younger, we were heavily involved withvarious Church-affiliated youth and scouting groups. We both lookforward to continuing to serve with CCF. We have enjoyedvolunteering for the Tour of Homes since coming to SSI, and we haveboth been excited to volunteer where we can. I am personally veryexcited to have the opportunity to be involved in our CCF campusimprovement discussions.

It is my desire to apply my 37 year career in the HospitalConstruction Management and Hospital Owner Representationindustries to service for CCF as we entertain improvements to bothof our historic Campuses. I enjoyed the opportunity to work on our2017 Master Planning effort as a volunteer member of the CCF MasterPlan Working Group. I have accepted the invitation to serve as theChairman of our next step CCF Building Committee, and I lookforward to working on those campus improvements that will beselected.

I have always been very proud of my Episcopal roots, and I amvery re-spectful of the unique history of CCF. The CCF we knowtoday has been gifted to us by generations of past clergy andcongregational leadership. As we consider new opportunities forcongregation growth, campus im-provements, and an increasing CCFrole in the Golden Isles community, I would hope that today’sdecisions will preserve and protect the best of CCF for futuregenerations. I would be honored to serve on our Vestry.

BERNIE KEELE

More than 30 years ago I visited Christ Church as a tourist,fell instantly in love with a church that I knew was a special andHoly Place. I promised myself if possible I would make this churchmy home. Christ Church is intangibly one of the holi-est place Ihave visited. Some years later I fell in love with my beautifulJoan. She had the same reaction to the church that I had. Wedecided this was where we wanted to both begin and end our life. Wewere for-tunate to receive permission from father Tom Fitzgerald.That was 28 years ago. I have seen Rectors come and go, but theHoly Christ Church continues to be my favorite church thatcompletes my soul. As I knew then and I know now, I began my lifehere and here I shall gladly and happily end it. As close to God onEarth as I can get each week.

Since Joan and I were able to begin spending winters here overten years ago and after becoming full-time this past year, I havetried to answer any call given to me. I have been able to use myrestaurant skills to work with various food needs including ManaHouse, Shrove Tuesday, Breakfast with St. Nicholas, the visit ofthe Bishop, and food needs fol-lowing Hurricane Irma. I have alsovolunteered as a church greeter and I serve as an usher.

At other Episcopal churches I have participated and led variousfood related needs. I also have served on two Vestries being JuniorWarden at both churches. I have served on executive and financialcommittees.

I see Christ Church continuing to be the extremely Holy Churchthat I first visited so very long ago. I see it offering tohundreds of genera-tions the opportunity to find their place tomeet God on Earth whether on Sunday or at any other time. OurMission as current members is to maintain and prepare for thefuture. With leadership like we have, we are going to grow. We mustplan carefully and wisely. That is our Mis-sion. I will do all thatI can to maintain our our incredible history but always looking tothe future.

If we listen to God, we will achieve our Mission.

ELLEN KUEHM

My husband and I have been members of Christ Church for close to24 years. We are an ecumenical couple - one Lutheran and oneCatholic - who transitioned into Episcopalians as adults. Afterliving in England during the early 90s and having our son baptizedin the Anglican Church, discovering Christ Church was an unexpectedblessing when we moved to St. Simons. What has kept us at ChristChurch over the years is the dedication of our clergy and staff,our traditional liturgy, the emphasis of music in our worship andthe fellowship of our congregation.

As a retail business owner I have had to continually balancefiscal responsibility, risk assessment, short and long terminvestments, and a changing market environment. I interact with thepublic on a daily basis and strive to provide a high level ofcustomer service.

My leadership roles have been limited given the constraints ofmy work schedule. I have preferred to participate behind the scenesto support church activities. I will be retiring this year, which Ibelieve will give me the opportunity to dedicate more time andservice to Christ Church.

On the Christ Church website there is an introductory paragraphwhich reads: “Our grounds and our faith are historic, built uponthe foundations laid by our ancestors on this island and the hostof saints who have come before us. We combine the ancient ways ofChrist’s followers with the modern needs and experiences of today’speople.”

If the above is truly representative of who we are as acongregation, we will need to make changes in the near future. I amsupportive of moving forward with expanding our worship venues anddeveloping new facilities for fellowship and community outreach,while maintaining our Episcopal traditions. Change does not meanturning our backs on the past, but the acknowledgement that thetime has come to utilize our assets to realistically provide for“modern needs.” Investing in the future will strengthen ChristChurch as a viable and meaningful institution for “Christ’sfollowers” to worship and an increased opportunity to spread theChristian message in our community.

JOHN LA BOONE

Confirmed an Episcopalian at Christ Church, Fred-erica in 1976.Currently, a member since 2010. Previously, a longtime member ofSt. John’s Ca-thedral, Jacksonville. Current service activitiesinclude: coordinator of Lenten meditation series for five years;church musician; lector; writer for News You Can Use and variousother CCF proj-ects. Retired news journalist, book author andpublic relations professional. Married to Jan La Boone. Three grownkids and six grandkids between us. I believe in the future ofChrist Church. We know that we are blessed with an amazing historyand heritage, but I am especially excited about our future. We arenow poised to dream new dreams and to make those dreams intorealities. I believe wholeheartedly that we need to redesign andrepurpose our parish hall into a larger, more inviting and moreuse-ful main worship space that can accommodate our present andfuture needs and allow us to engage more fully in our Christianlife together. We should also preserve the use of our historicchurch buildings both at Christ Church and St. Ignatius because ourheritage is important – but the future is calling, and I believethat our best and most exciting years at Christ Church are stillahead of us. We can become a fully accessible church to all peopleregardless of physical challenges. We can attract and retain manymore young families with children and teens. We can collaborate inmore ecumenical projects. We can host Spanish language worshipservices. We can build on our already notable outreach to thedisadvantaged. We may not be able to do everything that we canimag-ine, but we can do a whole lot. We can definitely grow andembrace change in order to follow where God is leading us in ourChristian mis-sion, and the adventures in ministry ahead of usshould be absolutely fascinating, to say the least.

CASEY LAVIN

Monica and I moved to St. Simons over 6 years ago. Having comefrom an Episcopal Church in Charles-ton that we loved and feltdeeply connected to, we struggled to find a church community thatoffered the young professional and family programming we wanted atthis point in our lives. Like many that relocate to this area, we“church hopped” for years and eventually considered ourselvespart-time members of Christ Church and another church up thestreet. Soon we realized that the traditions, theology, comfort andliturgy of the Episcopal Church were calling us back and we foundit more and more difficult to be only “half in” during such anexciting time in the Church’s life. The clergy, the robust musicprogramming and hope in a future that allows us to touch more livesin this community is what keeps us at Christ Church.

I have spent my career in Hotel and Resort leadership andcurrently oversee operations at the Sea Island Company. I amcalled, both professionally and personally, to help make adifference in others’ lives through being of ser-vice andleadership to others. My passion for a deeper spirituality,interest in theology and leadership background are part of whatseem to be calling me to serve on the Christ Church Vestry, shouldI be selected to do so.

I currently serve on the Church Development Institute with otherDiocesan parish representatives (both clergy and lay) and am in thefirst year of a two year commitment. I am also on this year’sStewardship Committee. Prior to joining Christ Church, I have beeninvolved with fundraising efforts and various campaigns.

What an exciting time in the life of the Church! Fromexperience, I know there are people searching for a church home.This will only continue as Glynn County grows in the coming years.There are also those that feel disillusioned and alienated from theChurch (universal) and are looking for something more, somethingthat I believe the Episcopal Church is perfectly and uniquelypositioned to provide. I envision a future that gently merges ourhistory and tradition with growth that provides a home andcommunity for those in need of one. A Church that is active in thecounty and alive both inside and outside our walls. I envisionresponsible growth of our cam-pus and expect additional programmingto follow that allows Christ Church to be the spiritual epicenterof St. Simons (and possibly beyond). What a gift we have to be ableto influence the next 200 years of Christ Church and I feel calledto be a part of it in some way.

JANE THAU

My husband, Bill, and I first attended Christ Church when wewere still living in Dallas, Texas, but had a vacation home here onSt. Simons. We were drawn to Georgia because I had attended AgnesScott College in Atlanta for 2 years, Bill had grad-uated fromGeorgia Tech, and we had vacationed here several times with ouryoung children. When he retired after practicing law for 39 years,we chose to move to St. Simons. Christ Church was our anchor as webegan to settle in to this community in 1999. The history andbeauty of this church, in addition to the warm, welcomingcongregation, drew us in.

Having served on the Altar Guild for 20 years at the Church ofthe Incar-nation in Dallas, I chose a completely different route atChrist Church. I immediately joined the bell choir in which Iplayed for many years. I also joined the Frederick Cousins Guild;chaired the patron party for the Tour of Homes in 2000; andcontinued to work as a docent for the tour for many years. I ampresently loving the icon writing group and find it veryspiritually fulfilling. I also find great inspiration in the Sundaymorning adult class.

I am very definitely a “people person” and feel that I havelearned many valuable life skills from raising three children andmanaging eight grand-children. I have served on the Board ofDirectors of the STAR Foundation for five years and as President ofthe Black Banks Homeowners Associa-tion for two years. Mostimportantly, I have a strong sense of aesthetics and a goodunderstanding of the visual arts, having served as a docent for 15years at the Dallas Museum of Art. I believe that I could be veryeffective in influencing the design of the properties to be builtunder the new building plan.

My vision for Christ Church is that it be a warm, welcomingplace of worship, filled with the Holy Spirit, offering much toolder people as well as young. I am very excited about the newbuilding plan and especially love the fact that it can beimplemented in stages as the need becomes evident.

STEVEN WILLIAMS

We came to Christ Church after moving to St. Si-mons. We werelooking for a church family a little closer to our home. The firstservice we attended was a Christmas service soon after our son wasborn.

We feel welcome and peaceful at Christ Church and really enjoywalking through the grounds before and after service. Our childrenhave grown to love coming to church and they truly enjoy Kidurgyand Sunday school. The congrega-tion is composed of interestingpeople from many walks of life and we are thankful for thefriendships that we have made here.

I try to approach most situations with an open mind and an openheart. I appreciate and value input and opinions from people withdifferent backgrounds and skill sets.

Christ Church is a compassionate, inclusive community and Iwould like to see it continue to grow as such. I appreciate thatthere are so many members that are active in community outreach andhope that the church as a whole can grow in a role that supportsall people in the areas surrounding us.

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