The vestry is an elected group of parish members who oversee the church and its operations.
This group of parish members ensure that the church obeys the denomination’s church doctrine.
Father Chris was born and raised in Queens, NY. A lifelong Episcopalian, he grew up going to his local parish Grace Church Whitestone. At Grace Church, Father Chris began his journey with Our Lord. Growing up, he enjoyed playing baseball and rooting for his beloved N.Y. Mets and N.Y. Giants. Father Chris attended John Jay…
Brett is a life-long Episcopalian and a Tampa native. He was baptized at St. Andrew’s and served as an acolyte there for many years. Brett and his wife, Pam, have two children, Ryan and Hayley, who were long-serving acolytes before leaving for college. Brett and his family usually attend the 9:15 a.m. service and have…
Fr. Dale is a native of the scenic Finger Lakes region of New York State, a graduate of Keuka College (History & Political Science, 2014), and an alumnus of Nashotah House Theological Seminary in Wisconsin. He is passionate about liturgy and sacred music and plans to share his love of teaching with us at St.…
I am a lifelong Episcopalian and have been a member of St John’s since 1990. I grew up in Kansas, I was educated in Kansas and moved to the Kansas City area after college. While living in the Kansas City area, my wife and I were members of St. Michaels and All Angels parish in…
A Tampa native born to The Rev. and Mrs. Leonard E. and Martha L. Nelson, Mary Alice and older brother Martin were raised in Louisiana. Mary Alice is married to Victor, who is from Mexico. They have three children, Philip (Atlanta), Ana (Missoula, Montana), Victor (Tampa), and a grandson, Miller (Atlanta). Mary Alice received her…
Laura Hobby has been a member of St. John’s since 1985 when her parents, Bob and Lynda Vawter, joined the church. St. John’s has been the center of her life since then. She married her husband, Clarke Hobby, at St. John’s and her children, Charles and Virginia, were baptized at the church. Laura’s involvement in…
Father Connelly did his undergraduate work at the University of North Carolina and then earned an MBA at the Columbia Business School. After an eighteen-year career with Owens-Illinois, he spent fifteen years engaged in various entrepreneurial endeavors. As a layman he was involved in a wide variety of ministries in several Episcopal churches including serving…
Sarah Bricklemyer has been an active member of St. John’s Episcopal Church since 2004 when she moved to her husband Clayton’s hometown of Tampa. She was born and raised in Greensboro, NC, where her family was an active member of Holy Trinity Episcopal Church. She attended their parish preschool, served as an acolyte, and she…
Fr. Fred retired on January 31, 2020 after serving as Rector of Church of the Redeemer in Sarasota for nearly 26 years. Prior to coming to Florida, Fr. Fred was Rector of Grace Church, Monroe, Louisiana, and before that was Rector of St. Andrew’s Church, Grand Prairie, Texas. Both of his parishes in Louisiana and…
The Rev. Donald P. Goodheart has led congregations from rural New Hampshire to Seattle, Washington in his 45 years of ordained ministry. Under his leadership St. Paul’s in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, grew to a membership of 2800, carried out a $14 million expansion of facilities, developed an Outreach Center, and started programs focused on spirituality…