Sunday, Jan. 21
It’s time to do the parish’s yearly business of assessing the past year and looking ahead to this one. Please join us at 9 am on Sunday, Jan. 21 for the Annual Parish Meeting. We will also vote on a slate of new Vestry nominees - Lisa Ackerman, John Anderson, Pat Plomgren and Eric Still. As we conduct our business we’ll enjoy a covered dish breakfast - so bring something to share and join us!
Learn more out our Vestry nominees. They were asked to answer four questions:
What about the Episcopal Church gives you hope during these challenging times in the world?
What gifts do you bring? Think beyond work related skills and think about interpersonal style, life skills and personal strengths, as well as spiritual gifts.
What do you think God is calling you to do at this point in your life?
What issue(s) / concerns do you feel are facing the Vestry / Saint Anne’s, and what opportunities may arise from this?
Here are their answers:
Lisa Ackerman
The Episcopal church provides me spiritual stability and comfort. Its message of love, peace and acceptance of all provides us constant hope in the world. I am quite proud to be a lifelong Episcopalian.
I have a tremendous passion for and a strong loyalty to Saint Anne's. It has been my church home for many years and I have seen it through many ups and downs. I am wholly invested in our community and its future. I am task oriented and organized and will do all that I need to do for Saint Anne’s to continue to thrive.
I believe God is calling on me to slow down and focus on what is really important. One of those things is giving back to my church community that has given so much to me and my family.
Sadly, I think that church has become obsolete in so many people’s lives. I think our challenge in today’s world is to get others to see the value of a church community. Getting families involved in our community is vital to the growth of our Parish. How do we go about reaching out and serving them? I think Saint Anne's is in a great place to cultivate our welcoming culture and share our joyful spirit with others.
John Anderson
I am a lifelong Episcopalian. The Episcopal Church has always served as the most foundational element in my life outside of my immediate family. I've grown up in the Church and was quite literally educated by the Church at Sewanee in college. Our core values as Episcopalians are there to equip us to deal with these challenges. Tradition, scripture, openness, and reason provide us all with a foundation and the ability to discern a path forward despite any obstacle.
A sense of humor! I greatly enjoy working in a group dynamic but at times we can all get caught up in the details and lose sight of the objective. I like to take on a challenge but have fun doing it at the same time.
My parents are past vestry members of a parish outside of Atlanta that has struggled a great deal in recent years. They have faced challenges with constantly changing rectors and dwindling membership. I believe it's human nature to sometimes take things for granted and perhaps a parish is no different. We are truly fortunate to have a wonderful parish at Saint Anne's and I believe God is calling me to preserve it and cultivate our growth to ensure continued vitality.
Saint Anne's has reached a point of positive transition from many of the recent challenges presented by the Covid pandemic. We are very fortunate to have had an outstanding leader in Buddy and the rest of the clergy during this challenging time period. Saint Anne's has also maintained a solid financial footing. As a parish we are well-positioned to not only maintain our health but to grow by seeking new members, new outreach initiatives or revitalize those that once flourished pre-Covid. It's an exciting time to seek new paths!
Pat Plomgren
The Episcopal Church gives me hope during these really tumultuous, scary, times through my continual Sunday attendance and the Saint Anne's community continual presence. We are also blessed to have excellent guidance, from our clergy as well as Bishop Wright.
For many years I was chairman of the flower guild which is one of my passions. It is such a joy to make beautiful surroundings even more beautiful if that is possible. The flower guild provides the altar flowers each Sunday in memory of parishioners' loved ones. These are then delivered to communicants each Sunday.
I think at this point in my life I would like to be a better servant through helping others with our many ministries. Saint Anne's offers so many different opportunities in many venues. I might just find my newest passion!
I would like to see Saint Anne's approach our surrounding neighbors to invite them to join our community, especially at holidays such as Christmas, Easter, or even our summer camps if that would be possible.
The beauty of Saint Anne's has always been our vibrant, active close-knit community.
Whenever I'm down or need to pray, coming to the church and lighting a candle always lifts my spirits and hopes.
I am extremely flattered to have been nominated for the Vestry and look forward to serving if elected.
Eric Still
What gives me hope is the openness of the Episcopal Church and the fact that it welcomes people from all faiths, beliefs, and backgrounds. I feel this is what the love of Christ looks like.
In addition to strong organizational skills, I bring flexibility and a desire to bring people together and build consensus. Most importantly, I have a willingness to serve Saint Anne's with God's help.
I've always tried to be faithful to what God has called me to do. Right now, I feel a strong call to serve Saint Anne's as a Vestry member. With Buddy as our rector, I think we're entering a very exciting stage of our communal life. I look forward to serving in this important leadership role alongside Buddy and my fellow Vestry members.
What immediately comes to mind are ideas around:
Maintaining our strong leadership, financial heath and community involvement and volunteers.
Brainstorming for the future and the next opportunities for Saint Anne's, looking at how we can better serve those who ask for financial support as well as homeless and hungry people who show up at our doors.
Starting a conversation about how Saint Anne's could provide counseling and other mental health services.
Creating better ways of welcoming our visitors, especially LGBTQ people.
These things would continue to add to Saint Anne's efforts of expressing our service to Christ.