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 711th
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.