It’s been quite a ride. I came to Saint Mark’s in 2014 when the Church of the Intercession closed, at the suggestion of Father Fred Johnson. He thought I might enjoy singing in the choir…

Little did I know that I’d end up so involved with the church, finding friends and faith and becoming a Vestry member. And I certainly didn’t expect to be the Senior Warden during an important time of transition! God does indeed work in strange and mysterious ways.

In the past few years, we have been blessed with His strong presence in our midst as we survived the departure of our Rector Father Bob Trache, the turbulent times of our Interim Father Johan Johnson, the challenging times of masking and separating due to the Covid pandemic, the calming influences of Priest in Residence Father Errol Harvey and 8am priest Father Sonley Joseph, and finally the triumphant calling of our new Rector Father Grant Wiseman. How fortunate are we to get a Rector who has so much energy, fresh ideas, and a history of church growth? Blessed indeed we are.

We’ve lost members for an assortment of reasons, some of them gone from this earthly plane forever, others who’ve moved out of the area or switched to other churches. But we’ve gained members, too, some of them finding us through our website or facebook or our advertisements, and quite a number joining us from another closed church, St. Martin’s in Pompano. Members new and old have eagerly participated in activities here, among them Vestry, choir, and an assortment of other ministries.

Music has always been important to me, and I extend thanks to our wonderful director Gordon Roberts, who’s improved the already excellent choir that was rebuilt by Kevin Estes. Thanks also to Mike Mullins, Robin Dreyfuss, and Susan Leerstang for their hands-on involvement in and contributions to our music program. I am so lucky to be singing with you – at least when I’m not up in the balcony doing the livestream. I’m sure parishioners are laughing when I frantically go down to sing the anthems…

Through it all, our largest ministry, the school, has not just survived the Covid times but thrived under the leadership of our wonderful head of school, Spencer Taintor. I cannot thank you enough, Spence, for your assistance to me when I became the Senior Warden and all through the time we had no Rector. You were a bastion of good sense and a tower of strength, and the weekly meetings with you and Harry were invaluable.

Not only has Saint Mark’s been blessed, but so have I. My time as Senior Warden was successful because of the tremendous efforts of a hard working Vestry that – gasp – gets along. I’m not going to call out every name, but you should all know how grateful I am for each and every one of you. Thank you so much. I will single out my executive committee:

  • Robin Dreyfuss, thank you for your boundless energy and generous contributions to Saint Mark’s
  • Ryan Brukhardt, thank you for your conservative financial planning that has helped us get through challenging times with your commitment to growing rather than cutting
  • Harry Richardson, thank you for your hard work and attention to detail, for your voice of experience on the Vestry, and for your patience with an inexperienced Senior Warden.

I leave you in capable hands. It has been my privilege to serve you.