Our leaders
Below you will find a listing of our official leaders (click on links to learn more about them). But our leadership is far more than any such list can contain. Most people in the parish find a particular ministry that delights their heart and serves the people of God either inside and outside the parish. Because the Rector (Episcopal-speak for "pastor") is half-time and the organist/choirmaster is part-time, all work together to manage the affairs of the congregation as part of a "Total Ministry" team. The parish is less clergy-centered than most.
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Ms. Caroline Goldthorpe, Warden.
Caroline has been active at St. Helena's
since 2000. She has served on vestry, coordinated servers,
spearheaded outreach efforts, and coordinated much else. Born in
England, she trained as a museum curator and worked at the
Victoria and Albert Museum in London and ran the Willis Local
History Museum in Hampshire before moving to New York in 1986
to be a curator at the Metropolitan Museum of Art. She teaches
at
Northwestern and on-line for the
University of
Oklahoma. She is a Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts. She
has three sons. |
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Dr. Rainer Schochat, Warden. Rainer is Professor of
Mathematics at Triton College and has held leadership roles in
several Episcopal Parishes. A native of Ulm, Germany, he holds a
Ph.D. from
Northwestern University. Rainer is also an expert carpenter,
a gourmet cook and an oenophile. His wine cellar contains some
800 bottles. |
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The
Rt. Rev. Jeffrey D. Lee, Bishop of Chicago.
Lee was consecrated
the 12th Bishop of Chicago in February 2008 He is a graduate of
the University of Michigan and Nashotah House Seminary, and was
ordained priest in the Diocese of Northern Indiana in 1985.
After serving there as canon to the ordinary there, he served as
rector in Wisconsin and Washington. Lee is the author of
Opening the Prayer Book in the New Church's Teaching
Series. |
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The Rt. Rev. Victor Scantlebury,
Assistant Bishop. A native of
the Republic of Panama, Bishop Scantlebury worked first as a
news cameraman for a Panama TV station. Scantlebury then entered
the Episcopal Theological Seminary of the Caribbean, graduating
in 1973 with a Master of Divinity. He became suffragan Bishop of
Panama in 1991, then oversaw a cross cultural ministry in the
Diocese of Mississippi before becoming our Assistant Bishop.
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The
Rev. Dr. Robert O. Wyatt, Rector
Bob became rector in 2006. He was
ordained priest in 2004 after 31 years teaching English and communication, principally at
Middle Tennessee State University,
where he was director of a survey research center. He
also worked as an editor for the Nashville
Tennessean. He
holds a Ph.D. in English from
Northwestern, a B.A. in English from the
Sewanee: The University of the South,
an M.S. in communication from the
University of Tennessee, and
an M.T.S. from
Vanderbilt
Divinity School. His wife, Terri Lackey,
is an editor for the
women's magazine of the
Evangelical
Lutheran Church in America. |
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The
Rev. Lynn Ramshaw, Priest Associate.
Ramshaw is an accomplished spiritual
director and retreat leader. She is former Canon for Pastoral
Care at Trinity
Cathedral in Cleveland, Ohio, and former Associate Rector at the
Church of St. John the Evangelist in Flossmoor. A clinical
social worker, she ran shelters for the homeless in Florida for
many years. She holds a master's degree in spiritual direction
from General Theological Seminary in New York. She has two sons,
both surgeons, and a daughter, a teacher. |
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Ms. Daryce Hoff Nolan, Pastoral Associate.
Daryce is a music teacher at Morgan Park Academy and a
part-time chaplain at South Suburban Hospital. A longtime
Episcopalian, she aspires to be ordained a Deacon (a servant
ministry that interprets the needs of the world to the Church).
She holds a master's in music form
the
Chicago College of Performing Arts at
Roosevelt University and a bachelor's from
Trinity Christian
College. She and husband Bob, a lawyer, have a son in college. |
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Mr. James Morehead,
Organist and Choirmaster. Jimmy is a superb and
lively musician as much at home with gospel or blues as Bach or
Anglican Chant. He
is adjunct professor at the
Chicago College of Performing Arts at
Roosevelt University and music director
of
Vox3. He holds a master's from
Roosevelt and a bachelor's from
Duquesne
University. |
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Leadership in Episcopal parishes is shared by the Rector and the Wardens and Vestry (usually lay people). The Rector is in charge of spiritual matters while the Vestry controls finances and property. The arrangement is similar to the separation of church and state enshrined in our constitution. Each parish is part of a larger unit called a diocese and headed by a Bishop (Episcopal comes from the Greek word for bishop).
Sounds dull, huh? But our leaders, nationally as well as locally, are anything but dull.
For example, one couple feels called to garden on our beautiful campus; another parishioner delights in collecting food for the poor; another works on the pastoral-care team visiting shut-ins; others prepare the weekly bulletin or monthly newsletter; a group takes care of the building; another group provides an art class at a local nursing home. Thus, we consider ourselves a Total Ministry parish , where each member has a unique calling from God that delights his or her soul while meeting the world's deepest need, as spiritual author Frederick Buechner observes.
Total Ministry is more than a way to get things done; it is a way to listen to God and discover the desires in our hearts.
The Rector is in charge of the spiritual, pastoral, and worship life of a parish, while the wardens are responsible for finances, building, and grounds. In practice, the Wardens (principal lay leaders), Vestry (parish board), and Rector (pastor) work collaboratively.
Note: Most of our obscure and sometimes colorful titles and terms are British in origin. Enjoy them; don't be put off when you hear someone referred to as the Canon to the Ordinary (COO of the Diocese) or the Archdeacon (head of the deacons, who are ordained ministers engaged in servant ministry).
