Chase Branham
Nominated by: Cooper Morrison
Have you served on the Vestry before? No
Worship Service Regularly Attended: Sunday, 10:45 a.m.; Sunday, 5:00 p.m.; Weekdays, Evening Prayer
How often: Weekly
Ministry and volunteerism involvement within and beyond St. Peter’s
I first joined St. Peter’s after completing my undergraduate and graduate studies at Appalachian State in the fall of 2014. Since joining the parish, I have had the privilege of being an active member of the St. Peter’s Choir. I am also an active member of the newly-formed Compline Choir. Through its unique commitment and passion for enhancing weekly worship through the Anglican liturgical tradition, the Choir’s at St. Peter’s have proven to be an enriching spiritual journey for me. Within the nuances of music, the Choir’s strive to be a fine example of what it means to exist, collaborate, and create as a collective body. A body that not only helps to lead our congregation through hymns and psalms, but one that strives to be a light in this world for the brokenhearted.
I participate in the Daily Office at St. Peter’s. I officiate the Evening Prayer services on Wednesday evenings, and regularly officiate other evenings, as needed. When I am not officiating, I am in attendance and often serve as a lector. My prayer life is deeply rooted in this ancient practice of beginning and ending each day with communal prayer. It allows for me to properly fully engage in the church calendar by observing all Feast Days and the Daily Office lectionary. Additionally, it is a way to meet other parishioners and welcome visitors.
I am currently serving a two-year term on the St. Peter’s Finance Committee. This committee is charged with the responsibility to provide oversight on the development of the annual operating budget, annual external audit, and our internal controls.
Beyond St. Peter’s, I am currently serving a three-year term on the Board of Directors of the Choir School at St. Peter’s. My duties within this organization include serving on the Finance Committee and Strategic Planning Committee. Also, I routinely volunteer within our local community through Charlotte Pride, Classroom Central, Crisis Assistance Ministry, Katie’s Kidz, RAIN, and Time Out Youth.
Describe any Participation in the Christian Formation (Education) Program
I participate in the Young Adults Fellowship group which helps foster a welcoming and advantageous culture for parishioners in their 20’s or 30’s. Additionally, I am currently participating in the Fall Book Study of The Meaning of Mary Magdalene: Discovering the Woman at the Heart of Christianity. Finally, I am serving on the Planning Committee for the 2020 Kanuga Parish Retreat, where a significant portion of our efforts are focused around developing a meaningful formation program for all ages in attendance.
What does St. Peter’s mean to you and why are you willing to serve on the vestry?
When I first walked through the iconic red doors of St. Peter’s, I immediately knew that this was the long-term spiritual home for me. Through diversity, hospitality, fine worship, and commitment to outreach and social justice, St. Peter’s truly lives into its vision. In a world that often appears so broken and complex, St. Peter’s offers a safe-place for refuge and unconditional love. This vibrant community keeps me energized and hopeful for the future of not only the Church, but of the world. St. Peter’s continues to lead me spiritually into what it means to be a bold follower of Jesus Christ. I am willing to serve on the Vestry because I am passionate about spreading good change for the world. I believe that my unique set of gifts and talents can help our parish advance God’s mission in Charlotte, and bring light to those who may be seeking a spiritual home.
If elected, what gifts and talents would you bring to this leadership ministry?
If elected, I would be able to bring a unique combination of professional skills, experiences, and passion into this leadership ministry. My graduate-level studies and professional experiences in the accounting industry lead me to have a high-level working knowledge of financial data and related strategies to ensure a healthy and growing organization. My undergraduate-level studies and professional experiences in sacred music and music performance lead me to have a deep understanding of the Anglican liturgical tradition and the importance of maintaining a vibrant and quality liturgy. However, I believe my kind-heartedness and life passion for wanting to help create an environment where people will leverage their differences as strengths to create a more loving and accepting culture, granting equal opportunity for all, is a gift that would most firmly align with the vision for our parish. Furthermore, as an Episcopalian of the millennial generation, I will be able to add a unique perspective and voice in this leadership ministry as the parish strategically moves forward for future generations.
Current or recent work or profession, priorities, hobbies
I am a Principal Auditor for Wells Fargo Bank, N.A. My duties are specialized within the Operational Risk sector of Corporate Risk & Capital Management. I provide professional skepticism and expertise in mitigating external and internal operational risks and financial losses for the organization, its customers and shareholders. Prior to joining Wells Fargo, I was a Senior Associate in the Assurance practice of CohnReznick LLP, one of the top public accounting firms in the United States. For five years, I performed financial audits and assessed proper compliance with financial reporting standards and federal laws/regulations for Commercial Real Estate, Residential Real Estate, and Not-for-Profit entities. Additionally, I served as Founding Chair of a national and local-level Diversity & Inclusion initiative.
My professional background spans more than just the financial services industry. I am a professional musician, specializing in Solo/Collaborative Piano and Sacred Music. My experience as a professional musician for the past 13 years has greatly strengthened my ability to provide creative, detail-oriented, and professional products and services. Obtaining three undergraduate degrees simultaneously has heightened my abilities to work under high-stress environments, often having to process multiple high-priority situations at once.
In my spare time, I am often supporting local arts organizations (Blumenthal Performing Arts, Charlotte Ballet, Charlotte Symphony Orchestra, Opera Carolina, and The Choir School at St. Peter’s) and embracing other cultures and diversities through traveling the world.
How does St. Peter’s feed your spiritual journey and growth?
St. Peter’s feeds my spiritual journey and growth through its commitment and deep roots of the Anglican liturgical tradition. Through being immersed in the daily cycle of prayer, St. Peter’s offers a unique framework that has developed and strengthened my spiritual path. St. Peter’s offers a unique combination of tradition and innovation in this culture of change and uncertainty. Witnessing St. Peter’s live through its vision of being a beacon of hope has been both inspiring and invigorating. The abundance of ministry and formation opportunities have allowed me to find smaller communities which most strongly align with my gifts and passions. St. Peter’s continues to set-forth a fine example of a unified community of people who are committed to follow Jesus Christ through radical love, acceptance, and strength.
Tony Craghead
Nominated by: Maria Long
Have you served on the Vestry before? No
Name(s) of household members: John Frederick (spouse)
Worship Service Regularly Attended: Sunday, 10:45 a.m.
How often: Weekly
Ministry and volunteerism involvement within and beyond St. Peter’s
I currently serve as a regular Eucharistic Minister at the 10:45 a.m. service, as well as regularly support worship activities in the roles of lector and thurifer on Sunday mornings, or for Evensong. I recently served as the Co-Chair of St. Peter’s Strategic Planning Committee, where we developed new Mission and Vision statements for St Peter’s. I have also recently completed a term as the leader of the Congregational Development Team, in which we served to welcome and integrate new members into the life of our parish community. In addition, I am the representative from St Peter’s to the Board of the Good Samaritan Fund, where we are responsible for allocating funds from the sale of the former Good Samaritan Hospital, to efforts supporting the spiritual or charitable needs of the African American community, as well as for efforts supporting racial reconciliation.
Describe any Participation in the Christian Formation (Education) Program
I am a regular participant in the Sunday morning adult formation programs, and have also served as a member Adult Formation Advisory Committee, assisting clergy with the development of adult formation topics and scheduling strategy. I am also a new participant in the Education for Ministry program (EfM).
What does St. Peter’s mean to you and why are you willing to serve on the vestry?
St. Peter’s has been a place of inclusion and welcome for myself and others, and has been a spiritual home for me and my husband for the past five years. I want to ensure that others feel as welcomed here, and find a spiritual community where their ‘whole selves’ can feel welcomed and embraced, and their spiritual gifts can be explored an incorporated into the life of the parish.
If elected, what gifts and talents would you bring to this leadership ministry?
What I hope to bring to Vestry service is my ability to think holistically and systematically about the health and wellbeing of the congregation and its needs, and strategize about how to best implement them. I also have an ability to interpret congregational data and formulate action plans, based on the information presented.
Current or recent work or profession, priorities, hobbies
I am currently in practice as a psychologist with Psychological Services of Charlotte.
How does St. Peter’s feed your spiritual journey and growth?
St. Peter’s has been fulfilling to me spiritually by providing the opportunity to participate in rich liturgical offerings, including not only on Sunday mornings, but of the beautiful offerings of both Evensong and the recently added service of Compline. I also love that the church offers both morning and evening prayer, as part of our weekday offerings, although my schedule does not always permit my regular participation in these. Additionally, my recent participation in the Education for Ministry program has been an enrichment to my biblical literacy and how understanding of scripture fits into the life of the church.
Christopher Cudabac
Nominated by: Maria Long
Have you served on the Vestry before? No
Name(s) of household members: Abigail, Helen, and Rosamond
Worship Service Regularly Attended: Sunday, 10:45 a.m.; Sunday, 5:00 p.m.
How often: Weekly
Ministry and volunteerism involvement within and beyond St. Peter’s
Within St. Peter’s, I am currently serving with the Altar Guild, as a Lector, as an adult acolyte and host for evensongs, on the Stewardship Committee, on the Kanuga Committee, on the cooking team for various events such as Mardi Gras, the Easter Brunch, and Choir Benefit brunches, as a member of the group that marches for St. Peter’s in the Pride Parade. and as a team member for Room in the Inn.
In the past at St. Peter’s, I have been an acolyte trainer, an Eucharistic Minister, and a volunteer in the nursery.
Outside of St. Peter’s, I have volunteered as a classroom volunteer and gardener at Park Road Montessori, and in a variety of roles for the Choir School at St. Peter’s, including grants consultant, house manager, and post-concert strike crew.
Describe any Participation in the Christian Formation (Education) Program
I once led a class on the theology of liturgy, and I have attended meetings on the strategic plan and on music. But I have not been regular in attendance at these offerings, not because of their limitations, but because of mine.
What does St. Peter’s mean to you and why are you willing to serve on the vestry?
“Home is where you come to,” said Robert Frost. I come to St. Peter’s, and it is my home.
St. Peter’s is where I know who I am, and I know who other people are, even if, in my forgetfulness, I don’t quite always remember each person’s name or stories, nor do others always know mine. It’s where the fundamental assumption is that we’re all here because the love of God and one another has drawn us here. This parish is where I receive, gratefully, the benefit of the doubt that I am doing what I can for the kingdom of God, and that I hope to do more. Where the presumption is that I am loved and love in return.
Loving and being loved entails obligations, and one of those is the obligation of giving thought, consideration, and advice when asked. If people who have shown me so much kindness, friendship, and love ask me to give attention to the concerns of this parish and to look for the best paths forward, then I will do my best to give in thanksgiving careful thought and hard work.
After all, a sign that you are at home is that you’re glad to make it a better place.
If elected, what gifts and talents would you bring to this leadership ministry?
When someone asked me about serving on the vestry a dozen years ago, I was very intimidated, because I did not think I knew St. Peter’s very well. Since then, either directly or through my family, I feel that my experience of this parish has broadened greatly. So a gift that I bring is the prior experience of many different aspects of this parish, both in time and across ministries.
I have always loved words, and many faithful and patient people have helped me shape this love into a competency for analyzing and using language carefully, and sometimes well.
Teaching Latin draws a wide range of personalities into one’s experience: I have experienced some success in deepening my ability to welcome and value differences in those around me.
I know that I am still ignorant about many things, some of which I am not even aware of—what someone once called the “unknown unknowns.” But I have been given the grace to be somewhat unashamed about my ignorance and ambitious to overcome it: I know that I should only be ashamed about staying ignorant, and that’s what I try to live into. So that instinct for inquiry is a gift that I would bring.
Current or recent work or profession, priorities, hobbies
I was a teacher in Latin, Greek, and history in different independent schools for fifteen years; I am currently a Latin teacher at Myers Park High School. I have also worked professionally as a writer, proofreader, editor, and tutor.
As to my priorities, I have learned that wherever I try to place them, they land on church, family, and my calling as a Latin teacher.
I love words, speech, language, and literature; it makes me happy to study them, read about them, and work with them. I love music. I am addicted to history. I hike when I can, preferably with my family. I like to cook: maybe a bit too much, but then, after all, Dante ranks gluttony as one of the least of the sins.
How does St. Peter’s feed your spiritual journey and growth?
For me, it is fundamental to living as a child of God and a member of Christ, that I have to do this in a community whose language of faith is one I can understand. I’m using the word “language” very broadly, to include not only the words we say but also the musical “language,” the liturgical “language,” the ways we express our Christianity in the things we do, the things we don’t do, and the things we cannot imagine doing. It does so much for me that all of these modes of expression and adoration are employed, and employed carefully, thoughtfully, and prayerfully here, in ways that both comfort and challenge my heart and my mind.
Even more important than all of this, though, is that St. Peter’s is, for me, one of those rare “thin places,” as Bishop Curry said once, where, in the faces one finds here, the love of God shines through somewhat more clearly and brightly. People in this parish have a real talent for welcoming and loving. I first experienced that welcoming love fifteen years ago; I want to continue nourishing it and spreading it, so that many more can know how good and pleasant it is when we dwell together in unity and love.
Patricia Massey Hoke
Nominated by: Rob Smith
Have you served on the Vestry before? No
Name(s) of household members: John, Jack, Walt
Worship Service Regularly Attended: Sunday, 10:45 a.m.
How often: Weekly
Ministry and volunteerism involvement within and beyond St. Peter’s
My sense of call to give back to others comes directly from my faith. Being a Christian requires me to consider how I might make our world more like the Kingdom of God in my lifetime. At St. Peter’s, this has meant service on the Social Justice Committee, the 2016 Capital Campaign Funds Advisory Committee, the Adult Formation Advisory Team, and as a Lector. Our family’s life is also nourished by the communities at St. Peter’s of which we are and have been a part including the 20s/30s Group, Parents Connect, our dinner group, and as supporters of The Choir School.
Beyond St. Peter’s, I chair the Board of Digi-Bridge, a local non-profit organization serving K-8 students with out of school STEAM experiences. I am also a past member of the Charlotte Shapers, a local hub of the World Economic Forum which challenges young people to improve their communities. Finally, I am the executive director of the Women’s Impact Fund, a local collective giving organization with more than 500 members. John and I also give philanthropically to variety of local organizations and educational institutions (and St. Peter’s, of course!).
Describe any Participation in the Christian Formation (Education) Program
Currently, I regularly attend the Parish Hall Forum and other Sunday 9:30 a.m. Adult Formation activities. In the past, I have attended seasonal weeknight activities during the Advent season. Our oldest son also attends (and loves!) Catechesis of the Good Shepherd.
What does St. Peter’s mean to you and why are you willing to serve on the vestry?
Since coming to St. Peter’s almost seven years ago, it has become our family’s spiritual home – nourishing our spirits and souls with worship and fellowship, building a strong foundation on which to raise our children, and challenging us to share the love of God in a world that so needs it. We are deeply grateful for the relationships that we have built as members of St. Peter’s – a rich, diverse community that we have gotten to know over shared meals, home visits after the birth of our children, and countless conversations in the pews after worship services.
I am excited about the opportunity to serve on the Vestry as I believe that the Church is entrusted to our care by the generations that have come before, and I want to ensure that St. Peter’s remains relevant, sustained, and grows to continue serving as a beacon of hope in Center City for generations to come. I have been nominated to serve in the past, but declined given how young our children were at the time. I am grateful to have been nominated again, at a time when I feel ready, willing, and able to serve this special church and community.
If elected, what gifts and talents would you bring to this leadership ministry?
I have a professional background in corporate, government, and non-profit organizations. I am organized and detail-oriented, and comfortable interpreting financial statements and tracking operations to strategic plans. I know when to listen and when to speak up. I have previously served in church leadership roles as an ordained Elder in the Presbyterian Church (USA), being ordained and serving on the Session (Presbyterian Church governing body) for the first time in 2002. I understand the unique challenges facing church leadership including operating as a non-profit, managing staff, maintaining a facility, relying on donations, and constantly serving the public good to the glory of God. In addition, my profession and community involvement give me a current perspective on social issues facing Charlotte and local philanthropic organizations involved in various social change efforts.
Current or recent work or profession, priorities, hobbies
In July, I began as the executive director of the Women’s Impact Fund. Previously, I was the director of corporate and foundation relations at Davidson College for four years; prior to that I was a manager at Deloitte Consulting. I have an MBA from The College of William and Mary and a BA from Davidson College. When I am not balancing our sweet kiddos (Jack, 3, and Walt, 1), work, and my community commitments, I might be found in the yoga studio or hiking in the North Carolina mountains with John and the boys.
How does St. Peter’s feed your spiritual journey and growth?
St. Peter’s is both a grounding and inspirational force in my life. Participation in weekly worship – the incredible music, intentional liturgy, and compelling preaching – nourishes my soul and fills my cup. And St. Peters’ involvement in various community missions – both historically since its founding and currently – inspires me to consider how I might live my life and raise our children in a way that better reflects God’s hope for our world. What a joy to learn, worship, and grow in such a community and what a privilege it would be to serve more deeply.
Dorothy (Deje) McGavran
Nominated by: Elsie Erneston
Have you served on the Vestry before? No
Name(s) of household members: I now live alone in the house where my husband of 46 years and I raised our 3 children.
Worship Service Regularly Attended: Sunday, 10:45 a.m.
How often: Weekly
Ministry and volunteerism involvement within and beyond St. Peter’s
This is my fourth year of tutoring two students with the Augustine Literacy Project. I am still working with my first student (now on lesson #162). I have also coached twice in ALP training sessions.
Joining with others, I’m working on organizing St. Peter’s response to environmental issues as part of the Creation Care initiative of the Diocese of North Carolina.
For over a year I have joined with four others in cataloging and organizing the St. Peter’s Library–a shadow Library Committee, if you will. This is where love of books finds us. Our goal is to offer the congregation an organized library of reading appropriate to our mission.
Describe any Participation in the Christian Formation (Education) Program
If there is a book study at St. Peter’s, I’m usually there participating! Recently I’ve joined others in discussing Marcus Borg’s The Last Week, Parker Palmer’s Let your Life Speak, Richard Rohr’s Falling Upward, A Different Way, Living Simply in a Complex World, and Cynthia Bourgeault’s The Meaning of Mary Magdalene.
This fall I’m leading very lively discussions of Toni Morrison’s Beloved.
What does St. Peter’s mean to you and why are you willing to serve on the vestry?
In my personal journey I have been blessed by St. Peter’s in many ways. After my husband died five years ago–suddenly within ten hours of having a massive stroke–St. Peter’s picked me up and sustained me. It has been “a place of unconditional welcome,” as many individuals welcomed me to the retreat at Kanuga, to the formation gatherings, to the Soup Kitchen mornings, and to my St. Peter’s dinner group. It has given me ways to live out the 2 great commandments–love of God and love of neighbor. Serving on the vestry is a way of giving back. I will do that even if I am not elected.
If elected, what gifts and talents would you bring to this leadership ministry?
I have been an educator all my life. While many think that English professors are only grammar police, I believe my discipline centers on unlocking the power of word and story. That power to read and interpret enables people of all ages to grow and to thrive spiritually as well as socially and economically. As I have become involved in the Augustine Literacy Project, I have come to see that reading is also a key component of social justice. Students who can’t read by grade four risk not graduating and not getting employment. Adults who want to understand politics need to develop social media literacy. I won’t say I have mastered all these literacies–indeed my involvement in social media is limited–but I believe love of neighbor should guide us as we read and interpret texts and the world around us.
Current or recent work or profession, priorities, hobbies
Until retirement in 2016, I was a professor of English at Queens University of Charlotte for thirty years. I love cooking and eating meals with family and friends. You can find me year-round early on Saturday mornings at the Charlotte Regional Farmers Market. I love knowing and supporting the families who grow the food I eat.
How does St. Peter’s feed your spiritual journey and growth?
St. Peter’s offers me worship and music in the rich Anglican tradition, opportunities for service in Charlotte, and a lived culture of belonging. I am a dedicated traveler on the Episcopal Church’s journey to Becoming Beloved Community–a commitment to racial healing, reconciliation and justice.
Ashleigh Morgan
Nominated by: Bert Miano
Have you served on the Vestry before? No
Name(s) of household members: Peter, Wesley, and Samuel Morgan
Worship Service Regularly Attended: Sunday, 10:45 a.m.
How often: Several times a month
Ministry and volunteerism involvement within and beyond St. Peter’s
Until recently, I was very involved with the League of Women Voters in Charlotte, particularly on efforts to address gerrymandering in North Carolina. I also regularly participate in volunteer events through work and other groups, serving a number of community organizations. At St. Peters, I served on the Strategic Planning Committee and have been involved as a parent with the Choir School and at Youth events.
Describe any Participation in the Christian Formation (Education) Program
We attend the Parish Forum on Sunday mornings and have participated in some of the small weeknight groups as well, such as the more in-depth studies of sections of the Bible. Our children have also been involved in both the Atrium and Youth education programs.
What does St. Peter’s mean to you and why are you willing to serve on the vestry?
St. Peter’s is very special to us. We were introduced to St. Peter’s through our children’s participation in the Choir School. We came for the music, and stayed because of the welcoming congregation, the liturgy, the relationship with the community, and the focus on continued learning. My greatest concern has been providing a strong foundation in the church for our children before they go out into the adult world. St. Peter’s means so much to me because it has provided that support for our family. I am glad to serve in any way I can so that St. Peter’s can continue its ministries to the congregation and community.
If elected, what gifts and talents would you bring to this leadership ministry?
I am good at organization and focusing on details, and experienced at working with others to achieve a goal. As part of my professional practice, I am used to working in committee and in collaboration with others. I also have experience with many of the family programs at St. Peter’s.
Current or recent work or profession, priorities, hobbies
I am an ERISA/Retirement attorney and I lead the Retirement Team in Wells Fargo’s Legal Department. Our group supports different businesses in Wells Fargo as they develop products and services to help clients save for and live in retirement. I enjoy my work because of the positive impact that it can have on the clients we serve. My priority right now is to lead a life fully engaged in the areas important to me: my family, St. Peters, and my profession.
How does St. Peter’s feed your spiritual journey and growth?
St. Peter’s liturgy, music, and educational opportunities have helped me grow in a deeper understanding of the our church and my faith. Christians have struggled with some of the same questions for centuries, so I appreciate that we include both historical and contemporary elements in our worship and discussions. The strong focus on social justice reminds me of my responsibility to act as a Christian in all things. The music brings me joy and peace.
Davis Tapp
Nominated by: Vera Greene & Cooper Morrison
Have you served on the Vestry before? No
Worship Service Regularly Attended: Sunday, 10:45 a.m.; Weekdays, Evening Prayer
How often: Weekly
Ministry and volunteerism involvement within and beyond St. Peter’s
I have done my best to get involved as much as possible since joining St. Peter’s. I have primarily served in liturgical roles serving as an Eucharistic Minister & Evening Prayer lay leader. I participate in our Young Adult programming and attend adult formation most Sundays. During our search for a new Associate Rector in 2018, I was a member of the committee that helped Father Jacob discern calling Mother Amanda to St. Peter’s. I have also lent my professional talents as a fundraiser to the Stewardship Committee.
Outside of St. Peter’s I regularly volunteer for my alma mater, Queens University of Charlotte, helping with young alumni events, fundraising, and community involvement. I also Chair the Annual Appeal for my elementary and middle school, Triangle Day School, writing and reviewing their annual fundraising campaign.
Describe any Participation in the Christian Formation (Education) Program
I attend adult formation most Sundays during the year when they are offered. I have enjoyed the rich discussion we have had around living out our faith fully in the world, listening to God in our daily lives, and delving into the liturgy. St. Peter’s is a place where we are asked to think critically about our faith, and our formation offerings aid in these efforts.
What does St. Peter’s mean to you and why are you willing to serve on the vestry?
St. Peter’s has really been my community since returning to Charlotte last year. It has been a place for me to care for, and be cared for by others. It has been a place that I can lean on to help when I’m struggling. It has been a place for me to learn. St. Peter’s has been a vital part of my world. It means a lot to me.
I am willing to serve on the Vestry because I believe I can contribute to our parish in a meaningful way. I am willing to serve because that is what we are asked to do as a part of a Christian community. I am willing to serve because I believe in St. Peter’s.
If elected, what gifts and talents would you bring to this leadership ministry?
I have been a member of service oriented organizations my entire life (Boy Scouts of America, Pi Kappa Phi Fraternity, Church Youth Groups) and I understand the importance of volunteerism and how to operate on a volunteer board.This could translate not only to my role on vestry, but how we engage St. Peter’s parishioners and community partners. I have served in leadership positions in practically every volunteer organization I have ever been a member of. I am also a professional fundraiser (working in the non-profit industry since my graduation from Queens in 2014) and believe I could provide some valuable knowledge in that arena. I am also passionate about making St. Peter’s the best it can be and I think I could provide a unique voice on Vestry as a young, childless, single member of our parish.
Current or recent work or profession, priorities, hobbies
I am currently the Associate Director of Individual Gifts at Pi Kappa Phi Foundation. I travel the country asking our alumni to help fund our national leadership education programming and scholarships.
I am passionate about charitable giving and often speak to young people about the importance of donating to organizations they care about early in their careers.
As I mentioned earlier, I am involved with my schools (Queens and Triangle Day) and I occasionally still volunteer with Scouting’s National Honor Society.
In my free time I enjoy snuggling up with my cat (Welby), reading, writing, and spending time with close friends.
How does St. Peter’s feed your spiritual journey and growth?
When I moved back to Charlotte in April of 2018, I had only been confirmed in the Episcopal Church for five months. I adored my small parish in Lumberton and was not excited about joining yet another church by myself. Coming to a new church for the first time by yourself can frankly be an incredibly uncomfortable. You don’t know anyone, you’re entering a community where people have lived alongside one another for decades and you want to find your place in the parish.
I attended several other parishes in Charlotte before coming to St. Peter’s and was not sold on any of them. One was too eager to have a younger person there, one did not even acknowledge that a new person who clearly didn’t know anyone was in their midst, and then, like Goldilocks, I found a place that was just right. People were friendly and said hello, but were not trying to “sell me” on the parish. That paired with the Anglo-Catholic worship made it an easy sell.
St. Peter’s helps me grow as a person in ways that other faith communities I have been a part of in the past couldn’t and that is a product of how diverse our parish is. Growing up in an Evangelical Presbyterian Church, there weren’t many people who looked differently from me, or came from different backgrounds. St. Peter’s is a place where I can learn more about God by loving my neighbor more fully – and that means neighbors who, on the surface, I don’t have a lot in common with. St. Peter’s has been a place for me to feel safe growing – it has allowed me to comfortably uncomfortable – and that means the world to me. People are incredibly patient, passionate, and kind. I don’t know of any other church that has such open and honest conversations about the challenges of being a Christian in today’s society. I am humbled by how God is working in our parish.