As you know from our Parish Meeting, the Vestry is investing more resources in Children and Family Ministry in order to build on the successes of the past and in order grow our church, and build community. It is still early days for the Noble Singers, but the 9am service has taken on a new life. Our strategic planning exercise in 2019 revealed that there are 18,000 elementary school-aged children living in half-mile radius around our church! We hope to begin better outreach to children and families locally. Currently, in the 2024 budget, only 2% of our operating budget will be spent on children and family ministry, but that will now include a newly ordained priest that we will be training and forming.
I am pleased to welcome Fr. Preston Gonzalez-Grissom as a member of our team. Recent savings made in our budget planning, and consolidation of some roles means that we can expand children and family ministry while still cutting costs overall, but the value-added of having another resident member of the clergy to work closely with Mo. Turner and the rest of the staff will bring dividends. Fr. Gonzalez-Grissom will be living at the Choir School and we are excited about his energy for outreach in the community, his experience working with teenagers and young adults, and his passion for sharing the gospel and building community. His first Sunday will be February 18, the First Sunday in Lent, and he will preach at the 11am service.
Training a newly-ordained curate is an important ministry to the wider church, just as we train future organists and musicians. Investing in our children and families is also crucial as we build community in a post-pandemic digital-age.
Fr. Preston, originally from Chesapeake, Virginia, has spent the past few years serving as a Hospital Chaplain, following his graduation from Princeton Theological Seminary. Prior to his seminary studies, he pursued his passion for justice in roles such as Housing Coordinator for For Kids Inc., where he facilitated stable living conditions for unhoused families, and Director of Operations for Faith for Justice, a nonprofit in St. Louis that provided consulting services to churches, universities, and other organizations on matters of anti-racism and racial equity. Father Preston is deeply committed to spiritual formation and has served as Assistant Youth Director and Spiritual Formation Fellow at a Charlottesville parish, as well as serving as Spiritual Formation Research Assistant at Princeton Seminary and Trinity Episcopal Church, where he was a Graduate Student Minister to Princeton University Ph.D students. He was ordained priest a few months ago. Father Preston lives in the city with his wife Ashley.
Mother Turner writes:
I am delighted that Fr. Gonzalez-Grissom has accepted the call to be an Assistant Priest for Children and Family Ministry, and to be part of our team of Clergy and Lay leaders.
Preston brings a spirit of faithfulness and prayerfulness as a priest, as well as an energy and compassion for young people as their pastor. His experience and commitment to inclusion, collaboration, and outreach, echoes our mission to worship, love, and serve our Lord Jesus Christ.
I look forward to him joining our team, as we seek to expand creative and nurturing opportunities for our children and youth, as well as develop new liturgical engagement and outreach initiatives.
