Meet our New Rector
A Note from Becky Coerper
To my new St. James’ parish family:
Alleluia, Alleluia, Praise the Lord!!
Kip (my husband) and I are rejoicing in Summerville, South Carolina, as the announcement is made that on September 12, 2010 we will be at St. James’ Episcopal Church, where I will begin life and ministry as your next Rector. WE ARE SO EXCITED!
It has been an extraordinary few months, beginning last March when I first laid eyes on information about St. James’ through the Episcopal Church’s national deployment website. I was, at the time, visiting my parents in New Hampshire and sent an email to Kip saying “You have got to check this place out. It is incredible! Everything about it is what we have been looking for.” Both of us were afraid to get too excited about being in the search process with St. James’, or to entertain the possibility, that at the end of that prayer and discernment process, we might be called to such a vibrant, faith-filled and visionary Christian community. And it is just an incredible bonus, that the setting on Skaneateles Lake is so unbelievably beautiful! But here we are and that dream has come to pass by the grace of God.
I will tell you more of this amazing story in the upcoming newsletter, and as we begin life together, but for now let me say that each encounter we have had –- with the Search Committee and with the Wardens, by phone and in person, in Summerville and in Skaneateles -– has been energizing, deep, rich sharing both in vision for St. James’ and in love of the Lord Jesus Christ. Kip and I both feel, in an unexplainable way, that we are coming home and we cannot wait to join you for whatever it is the Lord has for us to do together in growing and sharing the Kingdom of God in this place and this time.
Until then, I already hold you in my heart with great affection, and have begun to pray for you by name, making my way through the church directory in my morning prayers.
With affection and excitement,
Becky Coerper+
[and since people often ask, our last name is pronounced as if it were spelled “keŕ-per”]
About Becky
Becky was ordained to the Episcopal priesthood in November 2003 and has served since then as assistant and then associate rector at St. Paul’s Episcopal Church in Summerville, South Carolina. She received a BA in religion from the College of Wooster in Ohio and 21 years later began work on her MDiv. The initial year of this latter degree was earned by two and a half years of part-time study at three institutions: the extension and online programs of Trinity Episcopal School for Ministry, Charleston Southern University, and as a commuter to Lutheran Theological Southern Seminary in Columbia, S.C. The final two years of the degree were earned by full-time study at The School of Theology of the University of the South, Sewanee, Tennessee. Becky is currently working on her Doctor of Ministry degree in Biblical Preaching at Luther Seminary in St. Paul, Minnesota, to be completed in May of 2012.
Becky and her husband Kip have been married 32 years and have two sons, Jeremy, 31 and Benjamin, 28. Kip works for Habitat for Humanity as the construction site supervisor in Dorchester County, S.C,. and he is the organist-choirmaster for the traditional services at St. Paul’s Church. Jeremy is working for Habitat for Humanity in Berkeley, California. He is engaged to be married on August 28 in Roanoke, Virginia, to a wonderful young woman named Jan Steffe. Ben just finished working as animal manager on a sustainable organic teaching farm in St. Croix, U.S. Virgin Islands, and is now at Camp Deerwood in Holderness, N.H., where he is the trips coordinator.
Before seminary, Becky and Kip lived in Charleston, S.C., for 16 years. There Becky served on the staff at Holy Communion Episcopal Church for seven years as Coordinator for Pastoral Care and Director of Christian Education. She also completed the Diocese of South Carolina’s Spiritual Directors’ Training Program (now known as the Spiritual Directors’ Formation Program). During those years Kip worked as a choral director and tennis coach at Porter-Gaud School as well as organist-choirmaster at Holy Communion Church. Born and raised in northeastern New York State, Becky is the second oldest of six children (the youngest three of these being adopted, and the youngest a full-blooded Korean, who died in 1989). Her dad, now retired, is a Presbyterian minister (as were both grandfathers and five other extended family members), and her mom is a retired social worker who specialized in grief counseling.
At St. Paul’s, Becky has had oversight of adult discipleship (Christian formation) as well as coordinating with the Children’s and Youth ministry staff. She has been the clergy link working with the Pastoral Care Team, and has had extensive involvement in all aspects of finances including reconstituting the finance team. She supervises four members of the staff and the permanent deacon. She has been involved in healing prayer ministry and loves to help people grow in their own life of prayer. Becky is an experienced retreat and small group leader. She shares in weekly responsibilities for preaching and liturgical leadership, as well as all other aspects of ordained ministry. Her great passion is for discipling people of any age and at any stage in their faith. This means encouraging and assisting people in growing in their relationship with the Lord. She also cares a great deal about developing and supporting strong lay leadership.
Becky likes to swim, to watch old movies, she loves her family, and laughter comes easily and often.
H/T: TitusOneNine
No comments:
Post a Comment