No sooner have we welcomed our new Parish Assistant, Debbie Sullivan than there’s further staff news to share! I’ve just signed a letter of agreement to call Alan Gates to serve as Assistant to the Rector and Director of Youth and Young Adult Ministries at St. Paul’s.

You may recall, at stewardship time, I sketched out the needs St. Paul’s has. We need another cleric – to share liturgical, preaching and pastoral responsibilities. We also need someone to build, organize and spearhead much-needed ministries to teens and young adults. Approximately only 2.5% of all Episcopal clergy are under age 35. That didn’t bode particularly well for the chances of finding an ordained person who’d be willing and able to fulfill the needs we have for these ministries. But God gave Alan and us a gift. It just so happened that Alan was looking for just this combination of ministry. Alan, Jessica and Parker - their baby daughter – will move to North Kingstown from Virginia Theological Seminary in June. They’ll live in the Curate’s Cottage, and Alan will begin his duties on or about July 1.

They moved to Virginia Seminary from Seattle, where the Bishop of Olympia will ordain Alan to the (transitional) Diaconate sometime in June. A graduate in Theology with honors from Seattle University, as a lay minister, Alan served St. Peter’s Church, Seattle, as Family Life Coordinator and Trinity Church, Seattle, and St. Christopher’s, Springfield, VA, as Youth Leader. He has experience in and passion for Youth Ministry, and beside his family, of course, his other interests include: travel, cycling, guitar, saxophone and computers. Needless to say, I’m delighted that he’ll be joining us! He’ll be great with the teens!

Just one thing – keep those pledges current, so that we’ll be able to keep the fine staff we’re privileged to have been given by God.