Vestry Members:

Senior Warden: PAT MACKENZIE (February 2009)

We MacKenzie’s joined St. George’s in 1985 and appreciated the emphasis on family right from the start. We became part of the “Parent’s Group”. With this bunch of wonderful people, we raised our kids and made fast-friends. Under the umbrella of St. George’s we have worshipped, camped, dined, worked on ministry projects, and have cultured relationships that affirm our faith in God and our appreciation of our extended St. George’s family. 

I can’t tell you how thankful I am to be a part of this church. I have met such good people and have made friends and acquaintances with so many of you. I’ve volunteered to conduct youth activities, ushered, became a chief usher, perennially participated in the Annual Spaghetti Dinner (I have been Antonio Pepperoni’s straight man in perpetuity), and became the Buildings and Grounds Chairman which led to becoming the Visions Implementation Committee Chairman. You have elected me to the Vestry. You elected me to Junior Warden and I have served this past year as Senior Warden. 

I have worked as part of the Vestry team to make continuing upgrades to our church. We’ve done a good job of making St. George’s a place to fulfill your spiritual needs. I have been blessed to receive interim rector, Father Jim Larsen, with his years of experience. Together we are nurturing a proactive Vestry that is concerned about the progress of finding a new rector. We are encouraging the search committee, under the leadership of Junior Warden, Rob Johnson, to move ahead with the parish survey and the resultant church profile. 

 I have tried successfully to balance our operations over the past year with our present income stream. We’ve worked tirelessly on incorporating our new property, 41 Manor into our campus.  More needs to be done. I would be honored to provide the leadership necessary to incorporate a new wave of worshippers, young and old, into our congregation.  As such, I humbly request that you participate in the annual meeting of St. George’s and vote for me for the year ahead as Senior Warden. So…Gotta Go!!!
Peace be with you!
Patrick MacKenzie
Senior Warden

Junior Warden: Rob Johnson (February 2009)
I am 37 years old and am a life long Episcopalian. My wife is named Michele and we have a seven year old son named Adam. I am originally from Connecticut and moved to the Dayton area nearly ten years ago for my job at Reynolds & Reynolds. I am a Product Manager for one of our software applications. We began attending St. George’s a few months after moving to Dayton and have always been very glad that we found this church. In my job as a Product Manager, I am responsible for aligning priorities for my product and deciding what features and enhancements will be implemented. These decisions are often based on our resource availability as well as the market demand. Sometimes these decisions are also made because it is the right thing to do. I believe this experience will help me in my role as Junior Warden. As I have not moved around much, most of my church experiences are limited to the church I grew up in and
St. George’s with some short periods at a couple other churches. Growing up in my hometown church, I participated in many of the activities and ministries my church offered that many youth go through. Other than Sunday school, my first involvement was with the Junior Choir followed by serving as an acolyte and crucifer. In my later high school years, I also served as a chalice bearer/lector. I would also mention the eleven years I spent attending and working at my Diocesan (Connecticut) summer camp. Perhaps the most important thing I learned going to summer camp was that God is fun (among many other things)!  That may sound strange but growing up, I always felt that many of my peers thought that God was there but was not something worth putting much time into. Summer camp showed that you could still have a good time and not need to neglect God. Since Michele and I arrived at St. George’s nearly ten years ago, our involvement has grown. I started out serving as a chalice bearer/lector at the 5:00 service and then became a verger for the Cornerstone service. I have also been a member of the Stewardship committee. Michele and I have also been involved with many other activities like the Spaghetti Dinner, Rummage Sale, etc. The outgoing and welcoming atmosphere is what attracted Michele and me to St. George’s several years ago. I don’t think this has been lost over the years and I would like to see it continue as we grow our ministries. Whether it is a service like Cornerstone or the addition of our new staff members, I think we need to continue to find new ways to reach out to those who don’t know Christ or have been away from him and need to return.At the same time, I also think we need to maintain the strong traditions that the Episcopal Church represents.

Susan Daly (February 2007)

My family and I have been members of St. George's since August of 2003. I have three children ages 17, 16, and 5. Each has found a different aspect of the church in which to participate: Erin is active in youth group; Kathleen sings in the choir; Ian benefits mightily from Patti King's excellent Christian education program. My husband, Bryan, and I sing in the choir as well as other organizations outside of church.
My employment background includes data analyst positions for a marketing research company and a university Provost office, a stint as a quality engineer for an optical manufacturing firm, and adjunct professor at both a community college and a university. For the past 5 years I have been a stay at home mom. These dissimilar experiences give me the analytical skills to examine options dispassionately as well as the patience and flexibility to see things through with enthusiasm (or at the very least, obstinance).
When I was first asked to consider being on the vestry, I wondered how a newcomer could possibly contribute anything. Then it dawned on me that I am no longer a newcomer and maybe this was a hint from God to stop thinking like one. I have attended both Alpha and Via Media, and have been involved in organizing both the coffee hour and newcomer's brunch. These experiences have been part of my growth in the church and I believe the Vestry would be another step on that path.

Annette Fredenburgh (February 2007)

I am very enthusiastic about the opportunity to serve St. George’s as a member of the vestry.  Returning to the St. George’s family after living away for the last 11 years felt like coming home.  I was confirmed at St. George’s and it is here I began a deep love for and commitment to the church.  I also began my spiritual journey here, which is still in process and ever changing and evolving.  It is a journey which will continue to grow and develop as I serve the church in this role.
Not only do I have my commitment to the church to offer, but I also have experience working for the church in an administrative capacity.  While working as convention coordinator for the Diocese of New York, I was also the staff liaison to the Standing Committee and Diocesan Council.  In these positions I learned about the administrative and business side of the church.  As a clergy wife, I gained an “insider’s” view of the problem and the triumphs; the struggles and the love in the church.  I hope my varied experience will be valuable in my service here at St. George’s.
I grew up in Oakwood and lived in the Centerville area until we moved 12 years ago.  My husband, John, is an Episcopal clergy and recently retired after 42 years in the ministry.  We are now living close to our 5 of our 7 grandchildren – 2 in Dayton – 3 in Columbus – and 2 in Portland, Oregon.  My daughter, Amy, is living in Manhattan but still calls St. George’s her home.  I work full time at Beth Abraham Synagogue as bookkeeper/administrator.  It has been very interesting to be involved with a completely different religion which faces many of the same day to day issues we face. Although I enjoy my work and have met many wonderful people, I am always aware of my deep love for Christ and my devotion to the Episcopal Church.

William R. (Bob) Hard (February 2009)

 Lifelong Episcopalian – member of St. George’s since 1987

 Served one two-year term and two three-year terms on the Vestry

 Senior Warden for three one-year terms

Have been a member of Outreach, Stewardship and Finance commissions – current member of Finance commission

 Head Verger since 1998

 Lay reader / Chalice Bearer

 Retired military officer, former business owner, currently work as government contractor and program manager at WPAFB

St. George’s has been an integral part of my family’s life since we moved here in 1987.  It is where our children were brought up, where our friends are, and where we worship and socialize every week.  I believe my experience as senior warden during our last rector search, combined with my skills, discipline and focus, will help St. George’s succeed as we proceed through these difficult economic times and as we transition in the search for a new rector.

Max F. Heintz (February 2009)

My wife and I have been members of St. George’s since 1988.  We have always found St. George’s to be a vibrant, friendly, and spiritually nurturing community.  I was a member of the choir for five years, and my wife a Sunday school instructor for five years.  We have participated in many church events over the years.   

As a CPA with my own firm, and experience as Treasurer for several not-for-profit entities, I am accustomed to looking at issues from a financial and budgetary perspective.  Certainly we need to be as careful and frugal as possible with our present resources, but we also need to find ways to expand our membership and revenues.  There is no “silver bullet,” rather, we should consider a number of small initiatives that hopefully add up to a significant difference.  For example, we might try to formalize and expand an effort to obtain “legacy” funds as part of an estate or trust.  As another example, we probably should be looking a Manor Lane as a competitive advantage in seeking a permanent rector. 

We must find resources to hire an outstanding permanent rector.  Second, we must find a way to fund an outstanding youth program.  I view these are the two most critical components in ensuring a vibrant, growing and healthy congregation.  Certainly this would be the perspective of any prospective parishioner visiting the church.  This is not to diminish the importance of all other programs the church currently has, but only to identify those that have the “biggest bang for the buck.” 

I pledge to bring as many new ideas to the table as possible, work to bring those and other ideas to fruition, and be part of the team that ensures St. George’s continues as a loving, growing and vibrant church community. 

Ted Knox (February 2009)

 I was raised in the Episcopal Church in Wilmington Delaware.  Before our family moved to the suburbs after WWII, I was baptized in the Cathedral church in Wilmington.  I served as an acolyte all the way through college at Brown.  Carol and I have been married for 43 years and have two children and two grandchildren.  I have degrees from Brown (B.A., Biology), Iowa State (M. S., Physiology and Biophysics) and the University of Illinois at the Medical Center in Chicago (PhD, Physiology and Bioengineering).  I was a Captain in the Army Medical Service Corps and have worked in research and development for both the Army and the Air Force for some 31 years.  I also was an Associate Professor of Physiology and Biophysics at LSU School of Medicine in Shreveport LA for 7.5 years and have held adjunct faculty appointments at Louisiana Tech and Wright State.  Since 1989, I have served as Principal Scientist in what is now called the 711^th Human Performance Wing of the Air Force Research Lab and have manage groups of up to 20 or more professionals with budgets of several million dollars.

 I have served on three Vestries – Brown Episcopal Student church at St. Stephens, Providence RI, Epiphany Episcopal Church in Enterprise, AL and at St. George’s.  At Brown I was vice-President of the Student Christian Movement (among other things we raised money to support voter registration in the South during 1960-1963).  At Epiphany I also sang in the Choir, was Superintendent of the Sunday school and on building and priest search committees.  In Shreveport I attended St. Paul’s and sang in the choir and taught Sunday school with Carol.  At St. George’s I have sung in the Choir since 1989 and served on the Newcomers, Accessibility, visions committees and the Vestry (one term).  I have worked on two Habitat Houses and was stage manager for two choir shows.

Bob Loper (February 2009)

I have been a member of St. George’s Parish Church since January 2006, shortly after I reported to Wright-Patterson Air Force Base.  I am no stranger to the Dayton area, since I grew up in Dayton, though I moved away in 1995 for school and work.  St. George’s was not the first Episcopal parish I tried when I moved back to Dayton, but I found St. George’s to be a welcoming home, and I draw spiritual nourishment from the wide variety of services and ministries we experience here.

I am a first lieutenant in the U.S. Air Force, and I work as a physicist and intelligence analyst at the National Air and Space Intelligence Center.  I anticipate starting a physics Ph.D. program at the Air Force Institute of Technology (also at Wright-Patt) this summer.

In the service of the church, I have been a tenor in St. George’s choir since Steve Gustafson recruited me on my second Sunday here, and I’ve been serving as a verger since May 2006.  I have served on the Social Issues Commission since 2008.  I explored a call toward the priesthood for two years of my time with St. George’s, but ultimately felt that that call was nudging me toward the lay ministry of theologian.  Toward that vocation, I have been studying part-time at United Theological Seminary for the last two years.

I am a relative newcomer to the Episcopal Church; I was baptized at the Easter Vigil of 2005 at St. Peter’s in McKinney, TX.  Here is where I have a unique perspective:  I am not a cradle Episcopalian but a convert, brought into the church because I sought a home where I could find spiritual nourishment.  Keeping in mind the challenges which we face as a faith community now and in the near future, I would like to apply this perspective as a member of the Vestry to ensure that the hard decisions that are made to help St. George’s continue to operate also allow our faith to invite new members to join our church.

Jeff Reed (elected to 2 year term February 2009)

Heather and I live in Kettering and teach history and humanities at Clark State Community College in Springfield and Fairfield. I moved to the Miami valley in August 2004 from Washington DC, after working on two US Agency for International Development contracts performing communications, publications editing, layout and design work, most recently for the Africa Bureau’s Office of Sustainable Development, dealing with agriculture, the environment, HIV/AIDS, education and other economic development issues. Before moving to DC, I taught at colleges in Michigan and Georgia.

I have been privileged to attend two of the best educational institutions in America. I received an ALB in history from Harvard University in 1986. After my undergraduate years I went on to graduate school at Emory University in Atlanta and received my doctorate in history in 1998.

Heather and I joined St. George’s community in July of 2007, after searching for a church that shared our principles and convictions. We both appreciate the wonderful ceremony of the Episcopal Church, but I was drawn by the high level of social commitment that is the hallmark of Episcopalian belief and practice. That the St. George’s family so quickly made us a part of their community is a demonstration that we made the right decision!

This is a critical time for St. George’s, and the new vestry is going to have to make many difficult choices. Installing a new rector and balancing the budget will remain the main focus of vestry activity, and are fundamentally important at the current time. As it says in Psalm 11 “When the foundations are being destroyed, what can the righteous do”? We must make sure that our foundations are strong, so that St. George can fulfill its mission.  After all, a strong foundation is only a first step. St. George’s needs to continue to meet the needs of the congregation, grow its membership, and remain active in the Dayton and worldwide community.

Eric Schryver (February 2008)
First, it is an honor to be asked to run for a Vestry position. If elected, I will serve willingly and thoughtfully. I grew up in Dayton; attended St. Paul’s Episcopal Church, and graduated from Oakwood High School. I attended the University of Colorado and the University of the Seven Seas. In 1967 I married Sue, also a native of Oakwood. By 1973 we were a family of four with two children -- our son, Lew, and our daughter, Elizabeth. After working at Dayton Power & Light for 20 years in Sales and Marketing, I left the corporate world to pursue my real passion -- photography. In the mid-seventies Sue, the children, and I joined St. George’s, where the opportunities to worship God, meet new friends and volunteer were endless. My journey of faith and walk with Christ was renewed and nurtured at St. George’s. I taught Sunday school, served on the Finance and Stewardship Committees, helped the Organ Committee raise funds, and worked on the Spring Festival. I was a member of the Vestry for eight years --the last four as Junior Warden. In the community, I was involved in Scouting as a troop leader, Centerville Rotary as president, the Professional Photographers of Southwestern Ohio as president, the Professional Photographers of Ohio as a board member, the regional high school arts review board, and Ohio’s Arts and Communications Panel for the State’s vocational schools. Our children have grown, graduated from college, established careers, married, and brought us four wonderful grandchildren. Currently, I am a Stephen Minister, a volunteer for our music outreach program, chairman of the Membership Committee, and attend Wednesday and Sunday Bible Study. And, oh yes, I enjoy ushering with Sue. As a candidate for the Vestry, I bring the
gifts of leadership and relationship experiences, an open but questioning mind, an innate curiosity, and a sense of humor. I come with the perspective of a strong
interest in the well being of family, friends, and St. George’s. I most appreciate the presence of a loving and tolerant church family. We should reach to activate our inactive members, and bring new members into the body of Christ.

Vacant (February 2008)
 

Susan Wehmeyer (February 2007)

My family started going to St. George’s in 1991.  Daughters Ellen and Mary are now in college, but their church activities were a big part of our lives while they were growing up.  In recent years, my husband, Jeff, and I have become regulars at the Cornerstone Service, where he serves as a verger.  My current activities include: serving as webmaster for this website, scheduling the Cornerstone technical crew, and scheduling the acolytes.  I’ve also volunteered in smaller capacities such as cooking for the Spaghetti Dinner and making breakfast casseroles for the Other Place. 
I work at Wright State as a librarian, managing the Information Delivery Services Department of the University Libraries.  Much of my job involves customer service, organization and planning, and management.   I have a feeling that serving on the Vestry will bring as much to my life as I can offer in return.  I sincerely care about St. George’s, and would do my best as a member of the Vestry.