Announcement from Our Vestry and Search Committee

When Father Bill decided to retire, it was the next Vestry meeting when we all came to the realization that for some period of time, his administrative duties would become the responsibility of the Vestry and our staff; and his spiritual duties would be supplemented by our Deacons at the time, now Reverends Michael and Kelsey as well as supply priests and eventually an interim priest.

Fortunately, we aren’t the first congregation to go through this. The Episcopal Church has a process that paves a path that took us to our announcement today of our new Rector.

First, some thoughts about our Interim Priest, Father Patrick Collins. Imagine signing up for a job that you know will only be for 18-24 months; you have to move to a new location to take it and there is no opportunity to interview for the permanent role, nor guarantee of what your next opportunity will be. That takes a special kind of commitment and discipline. While Father Patrick brought many strengths to the interim priest role, his knowledge and experience on the administrative side of the church was particularly valuable. Since he previously served as Canon to the Ordinary here in the Diocese of Easton, he knew not only the staff at the Diocese, but most of the Rectors in the other Parishes. He fully understood the role of an interim priest, knew the challenges and the boundaries and didn’t stray from them. He is a teacher at heart and we have learned many things from his time here at Christ Church. We are truly thankful for his sacrifices and his commitment to seeing us through our transition period.

Once our interim priest was in place, we established a Rector Search Committee, who worked tirelessly to deliver against the charter established by the Vestry. They became a cohesive team, and we have been proud of the professionalism they have exhibited throughout this process. They are an amazing reflection of the very best of Christ Church.

The result of their work is that we had the opportunity to consider many qualified candidates literally from across the world. The team established their own processes to aid in their discernment of the candidates.

We want to highlight a few things. The committee found and secured a rector elect within the initially forecasted 24 months that it might take, in a market that heavily favors job seekers. We received numerous applications from a global and diverse group of candidates. We investigated each, interviewed several, conducted site visits (sometimes virtual), did due diligence, and finally invited three candidates to Easton for a longer discernment. Suffice it to say, all of the committee feels strongly about our choice.

To make a decision, the committee truly envisioned the next 10+ years with each candidate that visited Easton filling this vital role for our church family.

After the candidates visited, members prayed and reflected individually. About a week later, they then came together for dinner with a few others that had met with the candidates. An initial anonymous vote was held before discussing, assuming there would be some debate. However, they were surprised to find that there was one candidate with clear and unanimous support. Nevertheless, they spoke at length about any concerns they had with that candidate, as well as any other reasons to consider any alternatives. Ultimately, identifying a new Rector must be a fit for the church and for the candidate.  It became clear immediately that this “mutual calling” existed.

It is our deepest pleasure and great honor to announce The Reverend Anne Wright as our Rector Elect. Rev. Anne comes to us not only with years of experience and a track record for strong leadership, but a familiarity with and love for Easton. She will officially begin on November 1.

We want to thank all of those who have been involved in this journey, our Rector Search Committee, our clergy Revs. Kelsey Spiker and Michael Valliant, Father Patrick Collins, staff at Christ Church, staff at the Diocese of Easton, our Vestry, and you, our congregation.

Jim Marvel, Rector’s Warden, Vestry
Matt Boyce, Chair of the Rector Search Committee

Meet Our Next Rector!

The Rev. Anne Wright will join Christ Church Easton as our new Rector on November 1

Hello Christ Church! I can’t wait to meet each and every one of you.  I’m humbled, honored, thrilled, and excited to be called to be your next Rector.

You need to know that your Vestry and search committee did a fabulous job with the entire process. They represented you well, were open and honest and oh so welcoming.  What impressed me most about you as a parish is your strong commitment to your faith, your community, and to each other. The way you support one another and welcome new folks into the church is just amazing. The small pocket crosses you give out are little reminders for folks of the presence of God in their lives and of the support they have from Christ Church.

My husband, Mike, and I are in the process of moving to Easton and I will be joining the Christ Church staff on November 1 – All Saints Day! While I do love Jesus, I also am a baseball mom, wife of the best person on the planet, Orioles fan (pray for me), Detroit Lions fan (long story, please ask me), stadium chaser (yes, that’s a thing) and avid traveler. 

I’ll be there in time for the Waterfowl Festival and I can’t wait! When I’ve told friends I’m moving to Easton to be your rector I’ve had several people say – you should definitely go to that church in town and get a crab cake. And then I get to respond and invite them to come and let them know we are “that church” and I’ll be helping to serve crab cakes!

I’m thankful to be following in the footsteps of Father Bill who had a wonderful tenure and ministry among you. Please know I’m praying for all of you and for Father Patrick as this transition progresses into the next phase. I’m so thankful for both of them and the leadership they have provided. 

Many blessings and see you soon!

Anne+
The Rev. Anne Wright

Brief Background

Rev. Anne Wright has been ordained for 21 years – serving large and small churches in the Dioceses of Virginia and Maryland. She is passionate about helping people discover the gifts that God has given them and discerning how to live into the person that God created them to be. She has served as the Priest Mentor for those discerning a call to ordained life and has supervised 10 priest and deacon interns. Prior to seminary, she was a Human Resources Director and recruiter – and doesn’t see her priesthood to be much different – she has always been helping people discover the gifts and talents given to them by their creator.   

Born and raised in Virginia, Rev. Anne attended Mary Baldwin College for her undergraduate degree and Virginia Theological Seminary for her Master of Divinity Degree, where she was also President of her class.

Anne is married to her husband, Mike. They are a blended family with three of Mike’s adult Children: Erik (married to Natalie with son Kadin) Amy (married to Brandon), and Emily. Anne’s son, Colin, is a Junior at Penn State, Abington and is a member of their baseball team.