Vestry
Members of the Vestry have accepted a call to lead the members of St. Andrew's to be in a closer relationship with God, and to serve as models for membership in the Body of Christ.
As leaders of our congregation, it is the responsibility of Vestry members to utilize our individual gifts of managing money, caring for our facilities, and working with our own congregation and members of the community at large, as well as planning for our future and furthering the mission of the Church.
Vestry members are elected by the congregation to serve in a sacred ministry. Service on the Vestry provides an excellent opportunity for leadership as well as personal growth. Even though time is a precious commodity for all, meetings are organized and productive, and the work is fulfilling, meaningful, and essential.
The Vestry meets the second Tuesday of each month at 7:00 pm at Stonehaven. Length of service on the Vestry is 3 years. Each Vestry member, with the exception of the wardens and treasurer, serves as a liaison to the various committees under the Ministry Map.
Bob Emmaus: I have had a strong interest in the liturgy, preaching and politics of the Episcopal Church going back to my college and divinity school days. In recent years at Holy Spirit I was active on the Vestry, serving in every position except treasurer. I have also been a Diocesan delegate and candidate for Standing Committee. I was Chair of the Greensboro Episcopal Housing Ministry and an active Yokefellow Prison Missioner at Camp Burton in McLeansville during the 80s and 90s. I have been a member of St. Andrew's since 2006, having moved from Holy Spirit for pastoral care reasons. I am very happy at St. Andrew's, and am honored to serve on the Vestry. I believe St. Andrew's is a lively place where one can make new friends without too much fuss. God calls us to new fields from time to time, and I am blessed that my new field is St. Andrew's!
Charles Kappauf: I live in Summerfield NC with my wife Shelley and our blended family with 6 children. We have two teenagers still at home. When I am not working at Volvo Financial Services, I like to cook, and enjoy tackling the various home repairs needed around our house.
I was elected to the Vestry in the spring of 2010. When I ran as a candidate for election to the Vestry, I stated that my two key objectives were to strengthen and enhance our youth program, and to broaden our music program. Since I joined the Vestry, St. Andrew's has made great strides in addressing my two personal objectives, for which I cannot take credit because the momentum preceded my election. Recently, St. Andrew's hired a new Director of Youth Ministries, and has introduced Taize music into some of our services. We even had a jazz band in the sanctuary on Bright Sunday. These enhancements to the service and youth programs help make St. Andrew's the wonderful place that it is. As a vestry member, I will work to support the ongoing efforts that we are making to enhance these two important areas of our faith community.
Betty Atwell: St. Andrew's has been a part of my entire adult life. Father Carl Herman assisted at our wedding. I was confirmed at St. Andrew's shortly after college and my marriage to a St. Andrew's young man, Alan Atwell. Our two sons were baptized, confirmed and grew up at St. Andrew's. Our youngest son, Ted, and his family are currently members. My in-laws, who were very active members for many years, are buried in the Urn Garden.
I have always had a great love for St. Andrew's and the foundation it has given me for building my adult life spiritually and for all the loving relationships that I have formed there through these many years. St. Andrew's is a very welcoming parish for all those who wish to become a part of our parish family. I have held many leadership positions through the years at St. Andrew's and have found it most rewarding to be involved in the path which the church takes, both in business and spiritual directions. I have previously served on the Vestry and would hope that my past experiences might some way help provide leadership for the future.
Chris Taylor: The parish family of St. Andrew's welcomed us warmly when we were new to Greensboro. Since 2001, St. Andrew's has provided a supportive and loving environment for my family and children. I joined the Vestry so that I can give back to St. Andrew's a small part of what the parish has given me. Being part of St. Andrew's means being part of an extended family of loving, caring Christians who seek to give of themselves in many ways.
Ernie Dishner: St. Andrew's Episcopal Church is a very welcoming community, small enough to get to know your fellow parishioners but large enough to have a positive impact on the local Greensboro community. The Church has a very competent and caring team of clergy and a very supportive staff. Especially important to me has been the opportunity to get to know and to work with a number of church members who have a sincere desire to support "the least among us" and to make Greensboro an exceptional place to live for all of its citizens. Because St. Andrew's is such a special place, I have chosen to devote a considerable amount of time and energy giving back to this Church community in whatever way I can. For much of my work life, which focused primarily on K-12 and higher education, I attended church but did not feel I had time to devote to the work of the church. As a recent retiree and relatively new resident of this community, I now enjoy the opportunity to utilize the past experiences to help continue to make St. Andrew's the best place to worship and to serve in the Greensboro area.
Judy Platt: The St. Andrew's Church family is just that - a family. I've always been helped to feel welcomed, encouraged to join in, made to feel at home. I would like to think there are no strangers or outsiders here. I have been involved with the worship part of church since I been attending St. Andrew's. I sing in the choir and belong to Ben's Bells. I also take part in the annual Bazaar and the Fall clean-up days.
John Covington Overfield ("John"): I was confirmed in the Episcopal Church in 1994 at St. Paul's in Winston-Salem. My partner and I moved to Greensboro in 1996 and visited several churches in Greensboro. On our first Sunday at St. Andrew's, we were greeted with one of the warm welcomes for which St. Andrew's is famous. We both recognized immediately that we had found our church home. The members of St. Andrew's extend a warm welcome to everyone who attends services or programs at the church. St. Andrew's is made up of a diverse group of individuals and families, and the church warmly welcomes persons from all walks of life. Our parish is constantly changing and continually evolving as we seek to serve God within this community and throughout the world.
I served as a member of the Vestry at St. Andrew's from 2005 through 2008 and as the Co-Senior Warden from 2006 through 2008. More recently, I served as the Chairperson of the Rector Search Committee during 2009 and 2010. I feel very confident that great things await St. Andrew's over the coming years under the leadership of our new rector, B.J. Owens, and I look forward to being a part of the leadership team that helps to guide our parish during this exciting new phase of our life as a parish family.
I have practiced law in Greensboro since 1996, and I currently serve as the Managing Member of the law firm of Coltrane Aycock & Overfield, PLLC in downtown Greensboro.
Linda Cummer: Being nominated and elected to the Vestry of St. Andrew's is both a privilege and an honor. Vestry members are entrusted to do what is in the best interest of the church, and that is a huge responsibility. Each time I am told by a fellow parishioner that he/she is glad I am on the Vestry, it reminds me that I must hold myself accountable to their trust. That is a very humbling feeling. Keeping St. Andrew's a strong, vibrant parish is of utmost importance to me.
I am proud to be a member of St. Andrew's. Having been a member for over twenty years, I have seen both growth and change. As a new member here in 1988, I felt welcomed and wanted. Throughout the years, the clergy and parishioners of a very caring place have enriched my life spiritually, mentally, and socially. I can always be assured that my needs will be met and my spirit nourished, as a member of St. Andrew's. Smiling faces, kind words, genuine care and concern are always visible. Fortunately, the years have not changed the love for God, the community, and each other I experience here at St. Andrew's.
Marcia Moore: My family - my husband Rob, son Taylor, age 27, and I have been members of St. Andrew's for over 20 years. We were drawn to St. Andrew's initially by the warm welcome and inclusiveness, as well as the openness and inquiring spirit we found in the Adult Sunday School program and in the church as a whole. What we have found here over the years has been priceless - St. Andrew's is not only our faith community, it is our family - we have been held and supported through difficult times, and have shared celebrations and victories with the same kind of caring. Our faith has been formed here, and we have learned the true meaning of fellowship and service. We have been given the opportunity to learn what it means to be members of the Body of Christ.
When I was asked to consider service on the Vestry, I wondered if I was up to the challenge - yet I felt deeply - and still do - that God was calling me to use the gifts given to me to help guide our beloved St. Andrew's through a time of economic uncertainty and change in many areas. I feel honored and humbled to be doing this work and looking toward the future with my fellow disciples.
Margie Baker: St. Andrew's has been my church home since 2007. This church is so welcoming and embraced us with enthusiasm and warmth. I immediately loved the traditional worship experience coupled with great music and a strong sense of social justice. Since then, I have served on the Worship and Music Committee, led music for Vacation Bible School, and helped with EYC. My son was baptized here in 2009, and I was confirmed in 2010. St. Andrew's puts a lot of its resources, in terms of money, time, and elbow grease, into outreach. Its members serve not just each other but our city and the greater community. It has been so great to see the parish grow in the last several years, and I want to support and bear witness to its continued growth in the years to come. Having grown up in the Episcopal Church, serving on Vestry is the best way to serve this church which has become so important to my family and myself.
I teach French, Music and English for Guilford County Schools. When I'm not at school or at church, you will probably find me running on the Greenway or hanging out at home with my family.
Sandy Shelton: After a number of "life events", I was searching for a spiritual home where I would be a spiritual and a Christian part, not just a financial part of tithing only. Getting closer to God in my own way was important, and I needed to be valued for who I was, not what others wanted me to be. I decided to give St. Andrew's a try and immediately found a nurturing, welcoming, and vibrant place to worship.
As a result of finding St Andrew's, I find it necessary in my own heart to try to give back for what the church has provided me. I am grateful for the opportunity to serve on the Vestry and to use some of the talents that God has given me for the benefit of the church.