An article from the Cathedral Times
by Canon George Maxwell
Welcome home!
We hope that you enjoyed your summer—made some memories and enjoyed a different pace for a time.
We have been working hard to assemble a new team for the upcoming program year, and we are very excited about what we have been able to put together.
You are going to see some new faces doing familiar things, and some familiar faces doing new things.
You will have a chance to learn all about it at the Ministry Fair on Sunday, but here is a short summary to get you started.
Wallace Marsh has added Pastoral Care to his portfolio. He is now the Canon for Pastoral Care and Worship. Wallace has been working on new ideas for pastoral care groups, and for classes dedicated to pastoral care topics. He has also been talking to the Cathedral Counseling Center about offering programs and workshops that focus on transitions that we all experience in life.
Juan Sandoval will be taking on additional duties. You know Juan as our Deacon, who has focused particularly on the community that has formed around our Spanish-speaking service. But, Juan has also demonstrated a heart for pastoral care generally and will be doing more in that area.
Jeannie Mahood can do anything, of course! But, we have asked her to focus more of her time on pastoral care. She is now the Program Coordinator for Pastoral Care and Spirituality.
Ciara Rowley picked up some of the things that Jeannie was doing to support our liturgical ministries. She will keep most of her existing responsibilities for children and youth ministries. Ciara’s new title is Program Coordinator for Education and Worship.
Maggie Paul has moved up to take on responsibility for our youth programs and will be developing new programs focused on young adults. Her title will be Director of Youth and Young Adults. Maggie has gotten off to a quick start, hiring two new youth interns.
Meg Jones is one of the new interns. You may have met her at Kanuga. She had been on the job almost 48 hours before she moved into the youth cabin and joined into the fun! Meg grew up in Newnan, attending St. Paul’s Episcopal Church, participated in many Diocesan Youth events throughout middle and high school, and served as a chaperone while in college at Appalachian State University.
Jacob Nastruz is the other intern. We were so excited about him that we met him at the airport and offered him the job while he was changing planes in Atlanta on his way home after a year of service in South Africa with the Young Adult Service Corps. Jacob grew up in Urbandale, Iowa, where he was involved in his church’s youth program, as well as programs within the Diocese of Iowa.
Lisa McNamara has joined us as our Director of Children’s Ministries. Lisa will be responsible for Mothers Morning Out, Godly Play, special events (like the blessing of backpacks and costumes), Week of Wonder, and all of our other programing for children from birth through the fifth grade. Although Lisa is coming to us from a corporate position, she knows what she’s getting into. She started the Mothers Morning Out, Godly Play, and Vacation Bible School programs at St. Anne’s Episcopal Church.
Janie Harris is our new Program Coordinator for Membership and Stewardship. Janie graduated from the University of Kentucky, and comes to us from a marketing and public relations position with the Atlanta office of Jackson Spalding.
So, as you can see, it’s been a good summer for the Cathedral! There are new programs, but more importantly there are some really good new people.
Take a moment in the next several weeks and welcome the new faces that you will see on staff.
We are looking forward to the new energy and creativity that they offer, and the new ways to be in community that they will provide to all of us.
Welcome home!
It’s a new year, and it’s going to be a good one.
