Letters from Andrea Kamouyerou and the Rector
A Letter from Andrea Kamouyerou
Dear St. Paul’s family,
I am writing to let you know that I have made the difficult decision to leave my role as Director of Engagement at St. Paul’s, and take a full-time position in the healthcare industry. I am making this move with many mixed emotions. To say that I have loved this job would be an incredible understatement! I have been so blessed to walk with our church family as we have grown and strengthened and lived out our shared faith in so many ways over the past three years.
The vision of radical hospitality that our rector the Rev. Noah Evans has cultivated during his time here, along with the guidance and support of all of our staff, has allowed the ministries that I was a part of to truly flourish. Working with both the Outreach and Fellowship Commissions has shown me how committed this congregation is to being radically hospitable to not only those inside our church building, but those that we may never even meet, in our neighborhoods, our city, and beyond. I am humbled by and grateful for the opportunity to walk with so many of you over the past few years, to get to know you personally, to share our life stories, to love and be loved by God and each other. It has taught me about the transformational quality of relationships and community.
On a personal note, my time on staff at St. Paul’s has been deeply healing for both me and my family. As an LGBTQ Christian coming from a faith background that was not affirming, being welcomed and celebrated at St. Paul’s for who I am has been restorative to my faith. My family – all four of us! – have loved me working here, and we all have mixed emotions about me leaving. I see this transition as just a shift in my ministry at St. Paul’s, from a staff person to a lay person. I will continue to be involved in many ways in the life of the parish… so we aren’t going anywhere! Thank you all for making St. Paul’s the vibrant, loving and inspiring faith community that it is.
God’s peace,
Andrea Kamouyerou
The vision of radical hospitality that our rector the Rev. Noah Evans has cultivated during his time here, along with the guidance and support of all of our staff, has allowed the ministries that I was a part of to truly flourish. Working with both the Outreach and Fellowship Commissions has shown me how committed this congregation is to being radically hospitable to not only those inside our church building, but those that we may never even meet, in our neighborhoods, our city, and beyond. I am humbled by and grateful for the opportunity to walk with so many of you over the past few years, to get to know you personally, to share our life stories, to love and be loved by God and each other. It has taught me about the transformational quality of relationships and community.
On a personal note, my time on staff at St. Paul’s has been deeply healing for both me and my family. As an LGBTQ Christian coming from a faith background that was not affirming, being welcomed and celebrated at St. Paul’s for who I am has been restorative to my faith. My family – all four of us! – have loved me working here, and we all have mixed emotions about me leaving. I see this transition as just a shift in my ministry at St. Paul’s, from a staff person to a lay person. I will continue to be involved in many ways in the life of the parish… so we aren’t going anywhere! Thank you all for making St. Paul’s the vibrant, loving and inspiring faith community that it is.
God’s peace,
Andrea Kamouyerou
A Letter From the Rector
Dear Friends:
It is bittersweet news that Andrea Kamouyerou is leaving the staff of St. Paul’s. It is bitter that she is leaving the staff for other opportunities and sweet that she and her family will continue to be a part of our parish community. Andrea has blessed us with her kind energy and outgoing spirit as well as her project management and organizational skills. Her presence on staff has helped the parish to grow into some new ways of doing ministry, including allowing us to increase the size and scope of our Outreach, Newcomers, and Fellowship ministries.
After conversations with our Vestry and other staff members, for at least the short term we will seek to absorb Andrea’s responsibilities into other staff positions and volunteer leaders. Erin will take over coordinating our Outreach ministries, with the exception of outreach fundraising events. Laura will assume responsibility for our Newcomer’s ministry. Bob will take a more active role in planning some large social events, including Fish Fries and Beer and Hymns. We will have a volunteer become the coordinator of Greeters, in line with other liturgical ministries. There will of course still be other gaps to fill, and we will work through those as they arise.
Last summer, our Financial Administrator, Lloyd Moore expressed his desire to move on from his position. He has faithfully continued on over the last few months as we have discerned how to move forward with the duties of his position. After much investigation, our Finance Commission and Vestry have decided to outsource our parish accounting and bookkeeping. This will allow us to regularly retain more expert advice, help us to automate many functions, and work more efficiently in this domain. Additionally, there is a slight cost saving in moving in this direction. Within the coming weeks, Bookminders will assume our bookkeeping. The parish office will serve as the point of contact for all of the financial questions and needs for parish operations. I anticipate this will be a smooth transition, though there may be some unexpected bumps in the road during our first few months.
We also all know that these transitions are a natural part of a dynamic and vibrant parish like ours. Please feel free to reach out if you have any questions.
Peace,
Noah
The Reverend Noah H. Evans, Rector
It is bittersweet news that Andrea Kamouyerou is leaving the staff of St. Paul’s. It is bitter that she is leaving the staff for other opportunities and sweet that she and her family will continue to be a part of our parish community. Andrea has blessed us with her kind energy and outgoing spirit as well as her project management and organizational skills. Her presence on staff has helped the parish to grow into some new ways of doing ministry, including allowing us to increase the size and scope of our Outreach, Newcomers, and Fellowship ministries.
After conversations with our Vestry and other staff members, for at least the short term we will seek to absorb Andrea’s responsibilities into other staff positions and volunteer leaders. Erin will take over coordinating our Outreach ministries, with the exception of outreach fundraising events. Laura will assume responsibility for our Newcomer’s ministry. Bob will take a more active role in planning some large social events, including Fish Fries and Beer and Hymns. We will have a volunteer become the coordinator of Greeters, in line with other liturgical ministries. There will of course still be other gaps to fill, and we will work through those as they arise.
Last summer, our Financial Administrator, Lloyd Moore expressed his desire to move on from his position. He has faithfully continued on over the last few months as we have discerned how to move forward with the duties of his position. After much investigation, our Finance Commission and Vestry have decided to outsource our parish accounting and bookkeeping. This will allow us to regularly retain more expert advice, help us to automate many functions, and work more efficiently in this domain. Additionally, there is a slight cost saving in moving in this direction. Within the coming weeks, Bookminders will assume our bookkeeping. The parish office will serve as the point of contact for all of the financial questions and needs for parish operations. I anticipate this will be a smooth transition, though there may be some unexpected bumps in the road during our first few months.
We also all know that these transitions are a natural part of a dynamic and vibrant parish like ours. Please feel free to reach out if you have any questions.
Peace,
Noah
The Reverend Noah H. Evans, Rector
English