Hello. For those of you who may not know me, my name is Andrea Tucker and I am currently the Senior Warden of St. Marks’s. I was baptized and confirmed in St. Mark’s and have been a member here since the mid 80’s. I grew up here. This church and the people in it are my home. I was absent for several years while away to college, but have been back home in Tennessee for about five years now. I have a job in retail that I love and attend the 8 o’clock service when I have to work. When I can, I go to 10:30 service to see the rest of the congregation and hear the wonderful music.

Last year I was asked to consider being nominated to the vestry and this past December I was asked to be the Senior Warden. I was both honored and terrified at the thought of the responsibility to my church and the congregation.  But, I decided that when God asks, you answer. Change is never easy and I’m not sure that it should be. St. Mark’s has grown a lot since I was a kid (and is still growing), yet even with the increase in attendance, St. Mark’s has remained a caring, loving and safe place for people to come worship and find their path. That is probably what I love most about this church. Whether you just walked through the doors for the first time, or are returning after a long absence, you are welcomed like you have always been family or were never gone.

Everyone’s journey to God is unique. And while we all walk different paths, we all travel down the same road and can lend a hand when our neighbor falls into a great big pothole. The community of St. Mark’s has taught me that we are never alone and through others God always has a presence in our lives.

   My name is Steven Failor and this is my first year as a vestry member. I am married to Melanie Pafford-Failor and we will celebrate our 13th anniversary this year.

  We started attending St. Marks in the fall of 2002.  Prior to this we were both United Methodist and had heard about St. Marks through a website when we were doing research on labyrinths. 
Father Battle and Cary Stephenson were contacted and gave us some assistance in the building of a labyrinth at our former church. When we had completed the labyrinth we decided to visit St. Marks and the congregation made us feel so welcome that we decided to stay.
 It felt like a warm and comfortable home with a lot of caring family members.

   I am a firefighter with the city of Brentwood with 17 years of service. Melanie and I live on a mini-farm in Antioch where we have a horse, two goats, three cats and a dog. I have three great passions: my wife (she said I had better list her first), fly-fishing, and woodworking.

  I hope that I can be of service to the church and if anyone has any ideas or concerns for the vestry, I will be happy to present them to the group.  

Hello everyone.  My name is Herb Sievers.  I feel very blessed to be a member of this parish and honored to have been elected to the vestry.  

   I was born in Brooklyn and raised on Long Island.  I had a strong faith in God as I grew up.  I attended a small Catholic church that named: St. Martha’s.  It was, like St. Mark’s, very close knit.

   I didn’t realize it while I was attending St. Martha’s, but I was very spoiled as far as churches go.  While not big or fancy, it had a very diverse congregation and a folk group the likes of which I still have not seen. 

   I used to do the readings there and when I stood at the lectern and glanced out at the congregation, I used to think that it looked like a Norman Rockwell painting.  People of different races and backgrounds were sitting amongst each other and you just got the feeling that you were among family.  That is the feeling I get when I attend St. Mark’s.

   I did my best, during my late teens and early twenties, to run away from God, but he kept finding me.  Even when it felt like I was in Hell, I knew that God had not abandoned me; it was the other way around. 

   Well, it was a series of “coincidences” that saved my life and eventually brought me to St. Mark’s.  (Somebody once told me that a coincidence is God’s way of remaining anonymous.)

   I was married and divorced on Long Island.  My son Danny is the product of that marriage.  In 1996, his mother took him, and his older brother Nicky, to Burns, Tennessee. 

   I had begun dating and eventually married my beautiful wife, Theresé.  I had known her since 1982.  We had always been friends and I just thought she was too good looking for me.   Like some of us, I have trouble seeing the good things that God has placed in my life.  We had our first date in 1996, after she asked me out.

   I grew very tired of seeing Danny only 2 or 3 times a year and decided to move to Tennessee.  We spent 10 months in Knoxville and enjoyed it there.  I got to see Danny every other weekend but still wanted to transfer to Nashville.

   We moved to Nashville in February, 2002.  I had been attending a spiritual church but noticed after some time that while the people were friendly enough to smile and say hello, nobody actually spoke to me beyond that.  Theresé wanted to go to an Episcopal church and I wasn’t interested at that time.

   Another “coincidence” occurred during a conversation I had with an attorney one day.  (I’m an attorney for an insurance company.)  I don’t remember how we started talking about religion, but I was telling this man that I had decided to stop attending this spiritual church and was looking for somewhere else to worship.  I told him that my wife was Episcopalian and that she hadn’t been going because she did not want to go alone.

   This gentleman attended an Episcopal church that he described as “high church.”  He said that it was at least as strict as most Catholic churches.  I was lukewarm about going there.  He asked where I lived and when I said “Antioch,” he said that there was an Episcopal church in Antioch but that it was a little too liberal for him.  I said that in spiritual matters I had become very liberal.  He told me to try St. Mark’s

   I had Danny that weekend and Theresé, Danny and I came to the 10:30 service.  I loved everything about the church: the Native American Stations of the Cross, the great choir, and most of all, the feeling of closeness I saw among the people at the service.

   Battle gave a great sermon that day, as usual.  It wasn’t until after the sermon, however, that I found the truly unique thing about St. Mark’s that made me realize that I could fit in here:  HECKLING! 

Most importantly to me, it was during the coffee hour that more people came up to myself, Theresé and Danny and truly welcomed us.  I engaged in more conversations during that first coffee hour than I had in about 4 months of attending that spiritual church I had been attending.

   During my time here, I get the idea that this is what church is supposed to be.

   It was during the announcements that Battle said something funny, as he occasionally will.  Everyone chuckled and he smiled and said: “I always wanted to be a preacher.”  Somebody yelled out: “it’s not too late!”  As we all laughed, he smiled and said: “thanks, I’ll keep that in mind.”

  That first Christmas Eve after we had joined, we brought Danny to the service and Battle gave one of the most beautiful sermons I have ever heard.  He was talking to all of us, but it seemed as if he was looking right at Danny frequently and he put it in language that an 11 year old could understand.

   One of the readings for Ash Wednesday this year was from Isaiah, and it spoke of the fasting of which God approves:  feeding the hungry, clothing and sheltering the poor, giving comfort to the sick.

   At the latest vestry meeting, Battle told us of a flyer he had received from a church that wanted us to join in a special collection of food for Second Harvest.  This is a collection they were doing for lent.  We agreed that we would not participate in the Lenten collection of food, since we collect food for Second Harvest all year, not just during Lent. 

   Once a month, I am privileged to spend the night with a group of homeless men, and sometimes women, at St. Ignatius Catholic church on Bell Road.  It is called: “Room at the Inn.”  They have facilities big enough and with a shower and laundry, but we at St. Mark’s volunteer the second weekend of every month.

   Our weekend in February was the weekend of the 11th.  When the homeless people arrived, there were almost as many volunteers from St. Mark’s as there were homeless people.  There was more than enough good food donated and much good fellowship during the dinner and the rest of the night.  I was proud to be a member of St. Mark’s.

   St. John tells us that: “God is love, and those that abide in love abide in God, and God in them.”  I guess if I had to sum up St. Mark’s in one sentence, I would say that “love abides there.”

   I thank God for leading my family and me here to worship and love him with all of you, my St. Mark’s family.

Belated Greetings,
Somehow it slipped through the cracks that I was to do an article about me when I became a Vestry member, so here goes.
I’m Jim Hall, a retired priest for 12 ½ years after 43 years of active ministry in congregations from Miami, Florida to Seattle, Washington and a few places in between, including Tennessee and the ruggedly beautiful state of Montana.
For about four years I was non-parochial while managing a heavy construction company in Seattle, building and repairing bridges and roads. One of the more interesting experiences while managing the company was the acquisition of a dynamiter’s license, and I had the experience of demolishing a couple of bridges and assisting in the demolition of others.
I left Seattle for Nashville and Holy Trinity Parish in 1983 where I met Pauline, dated her, asked her to marry me, she consented, and we married in April, 1987. We then moved to Hampton, Virginia in May where I remained as Rector of St. Cyprian’s until retirement in 1996. In 1997 we moved to Antioch and linked up with St. Mark’s where we have been happy ever since.
While in Montana I gained a graduate degree in anthropology, specializing in language and culture, especially the language of aggression. One little technicality of my existence should be mentioned. Because of church rules, I cannot transfer to the Diocese of Tennessee as a retiree, so I am still canonically a resident in the Diocese of Southern Virginia but am able to function as a priest by license of the Bishop. However, as a member of the parish of St. Mark’s I can serve as a Vestry person and exercise any other function of a parishioner. I do not want a high profile, but I do want to be of help to Battle and the congregation in any way that I can.
With thanks to all of you for your kindness to Pauline and me. God’s blessing upon us all.
--Jim Hall

At 14, I briefly flirted with fundamentalism, but only because all my friends were doing it and assured me that the youth ministry scheduled lots of fun events.  This excursion into the realm of certitude did not end well.  I quoted Walden to my Bible study group, challenging their interpretation of the book of Romans.  Accused of being the voice of Satan, I left the group.  I was 15.  It was hard.

All my friends tried to win me back to the True Path by warning me of the dire consequences I risked.  After all, if God would send pagans to hell who had never even heard of Him, what would happen to someone who had been given news of God, and then rejected Him?  Surely, eternal flames awaited me.

This happened just before Easter, when my father insisted I perform the minimum union requirement of Catholicism—receive the sacraments of Confession and Holy Communion for one time that year.  I recited the usual litany of venial sins to Father Gilligan, but just as he slid the privacy door shut, I blurted out “and I may have rejected God.”

Slowly the door opened. “What do you mean?”  I explained what had happened.  I remember to this day what he said next.

“Do you reject the search for justice?  Do you reject your fellow man, and the peace and brotherhood you can find with him?  Do you reject love, caring for the unfortunate, forgiving those who have done you wrong?  Do you reject mercy and charity?  Do you reject what God has given you—this beautiful planet, the joy of your friends and family?  To reject God, you must also reject all He has given to us and all He asks of us.  Do you reject these things?”

“No, Father, I do not.”  “Then you should not be worried that you have rejected God.  God is all of those things, and more, and you cannot embrace them without also embracing Him.  Go in peace, to love and serve the Lord.”

Leslie Branch

Welcome to another edition of Meet Your Vestry.  My name is Lesley Branch.  If you don’t know me, you probably know my parents, Pat and Les Worsley.  We’ve been attending St. Mark’s since I was 5 years old, and I just can’t imagine my life without the St. Mark’s community.  St. Mark’s is more than our church – it is our family.

     When I was nominated to be a Vestry member two years ago, I was very honored to be asked.  Serving on the Vestry has provided a great opportunity for me to learn more about the workings of St. Mark’s.  My time on the Vestry has shown me that the Vestry is greatly involved in the business part of the church, but that’s just one tiny aspect of St. Mark’s.  It’s the entire congregation that makes this church such a special place.

     I’ll never forget Margie Boutwell, my first Sunday School Teacher, first communion classes with Father Kochtitzky, or EYC trips with Nancy Hopper and Tony Debboli.  Some of these names may not be familiar to you, but they are part of the history of St. Mark’s.  And they are a part of my history.  These people, and many, many others, have helped shape me into the person I am today.  It is impossible to put into words the impact St. Mark’s has made on my life. 

     It is the history and family at St. Mark’s that drives me to be a Vestry member, acolyte, nursery worker, etc.  It is my love for this church that makes me want to volunteer my time and talent.  I know many of you feel the same way.  If you have any suggestions on how to improve our little “House on the Hill”, please speak with me or any other Vestry member. 

            Thank you so much for the opportunity to serve.  I look forward to continuing serving for the rest of this year, and through 2005. 

"We at St. Mark’s, are on a journey seeking God, in you, ourselves and all creation.”

Hello. My name is Richard Hardison and I’m lucky to be on the vestry. Why? Before I came to St. Mark’s I was on a journey of my own, even though I never thought of it as such. Wasn’t sure of where I was going; truthfully, not really caring all that much. And then I stumbled upon St. Mark’s.

Well, I stumbled across my wife Carey first and then St. Mark’s and the rest is history. Elected  to serve on the vestry. Dealing with money and buildings and grounds and lions and tigers and bears...oh my! Things that make a church possible. Things I’m not sure I’m really best suited to deal with. So, having said that, I thought I would tell you what the mission statement means to me. 

What kind of journey are we on? How long will it take? Is the road well marked? What happens if we get lost along the way? Questions are the first step of any journey. “Which way do we go?” is an important step and yet you can just as easily go in the opposite direction and be totally lost, or not, right from the start. How do we know what direction to take?  We don’t, but thankfully for us God gave us a map.              

 “But I don’t know how to read a map!”

 Never fear, because we have Father Battle and he is an excellent reader of maps. We have our map and someone to read it. Ok, now we’re ready to go. Right?

Not so fast Skippy. How long is this journey going to take? I want to get there and not waste any time doing it, but I don’t want to miss anything along the way... if it doesn’t take too long…I’m sooo confused. Our mission statement

leaves a lot out, doesn’t it? We’re on this journey that doesn’t seem to have a start, or a finish, just a lot of in-between.

 Seeking God is the key for me, because it explains the journey in a way I can understand. When I was a child, my family would take a trip to the beach each summer. A long drive for a child of any age. All I could focus on was the fun we would have when we got to the beach and I wanted my fun to be “right now!” Luckily for me, my father was in charge. We took our time and stopped at every alligator farm, juice stand, souvenir shop and restroom between our home and the beach. We even stayed overnight in a motel, with pool and playground, instead of driving straight through.

 Was that the best way? I don’t know, but it was my dad’s way. He wanted us to enjoy and appreciate the whole trip, not just the destination. Time spent with baby alligators was cool. Time spent with my dad, who found the time for alligators and small boys was way cooler. Best gift I ever received. Who knows what gifts God has for us along the way if we slow down enough.

Frank Brannon

Each month a member of the Vestry is asked to give a brief profile of himself or herself. This month is my turn. This is my second time to be elected to St. Mark’s Vestry and to have the honor of helping our congregation grow as a loving, caring, sharing, and compassionate community.

     I'm originally from Michigan and graduated from Wayne State University and the University of Michigan with a joint degree. Then I went on to receive a M.Div. at the School of Theology at Drew University and a Certificate for Urban Ministry at the Divinity school at Yale. This was followed on with an M.S. in Counseling. Through the fine auspices of the United States Air Force and the United States Army, I have had the privilege of seeing and/or living in a great many places in our world. These adventures afforded me the opportunity of  experiencing many diverse cultures and people. This has led me to, truly, with the help of God,  "to seek and serve Christ in all persons... and to respect the dignity of every human being."

    Presently I co-mentor the Education for Ministry (EFM) program with Peggy Tucker and co-lead the Adult Christian Formation class with Lynn Kauppi. Our bishop has selected me to serve on the Companion Diocese Committee under the chairmanship of our Senior Warden, George Kurz. I also work as a Licensed Professional Counselor in private practice and serve part-time at the Parthenon Pavilion Psychiatric Hospital.

     I'm married to Pam Carr-Brannon. We have five grown children and four grandchildren living in the Boston area, Baton Rouge, Detroit, and the wilds of Texas. Reading and enjoying new experiences are my hobbies.

Linda ClenDening

“Why are you an Episcopalian, today?”

      This question was recently posed by Lynn Kauppi in our Sunday School class.  I gave an answer that made sense to me at the time:  I’m Episcopal because St. Mark’s is Episcopal and St. Mark’s is my family.  St. Mark’s is where my boyfriend (Bob) and his sons (Will and Parker) were attending church when we started dating, so Andie (my daughter) and I attended church with them.  St. Mark’s is where Bob and I were married, by Scott Lee on June 8, 1996.  St. Mark’s is where our two children (Maryn and Connor) were baptized in 1998 and 2000.  So, when Lynn asked that question, it seemed easy for me to say that “whatever St. Mark’s is, that’s what I am”.

      However, as the week progressed past that Sunday School question, I thought deeper about it (which is usually the case with good Sunday School questions).  I realized that it’s important to me to be Episcopal and to be linked to the Diocese of Tennessee so that we can all go to Camp Gailor Maxon together, up at Monteagle.  It’s important to me to be Episcopal so that my tithing can support the outreach of St. Mark’s and the Diocese:  Second Harvest Food Bank, St. Luke’s Community Center, and Room in the Inn, to name a few.  It’s important to me to be Episcopal so that I can be linked to a Diocese in Ecuador and the church of Santiago Apostal.  It’s important to me to be part of the national Episcopal Church:  a thoughtful, opinionated group of individuals making important statements about love, about hope, and about faith.   It’s important to me to be part of the Anglican tradition of contemplative prayer.

      I’m Linda ClenDening, and I wanted to share these thoughts with you as a Vestry member.  I’m glad to have been serving St. Mark’s on the Vestry for one year, and look forward to two more years of service.  Thank you for your trust and faith in me and this St. Mark’s family.

Herb Stewart

I remember, as a small boy in Midland, Michigan, attending the Baptist Church in a town of some 16,000 people.  My sister and I would be downstairs at Sunday school while my parents were upstairs attending the service.  Several things stick in my memory such as the baptism tank behind the altar where people were submerged during the baptism ceremony.  I also recall the fact that there were at least two factions within the congregation.  I can remember one evening several people, including the Minister coming to our house, asking for my parents support against another group within the church.  (What it was about, I don’t know.)

 When I met Shirley and decided on marriage, we met with Father Williams of St. Johns  Episcopal Church in Midland, Michigan.  He advised us that we could not be married at the main altar since I was not a member of the Episcopal Church, so we were married in the Chapel, in the basement, of the Church.  Again, I was in the basement of the church.

 After we were married, I attended instruction classes and was confirmed as a member of the Church by the Bishop. 

 After we moved to Nashville, Tn. in 1966, we attended St. Bartholomew’s in Green Hills and later St. Phillips in Donelson.  In 1988 we started attending St. Marks.  We immediately fell in love with the Church and all associated with it.  Shortly thereafter, I served on the Mission Council and was Junior Warden for three years. 

 Now, as a member of the Vestry, Shirley and I still look forward to our involvement with our St. Mark’s family.  I enjoy finally being on the upper floor of the church and not in the basement.

Jim Johnson Elected to Vestry November 2006
My name is Jim Johnson, and I’m at St. Marks due to a series of relationships.

When Mary Beth agreed to marry me a few years ago, we both wanted to find a church to attend. I went to a Hispanic church while we dated, and she, not speaking the language, did not understand squat! She went to another church that I thought was drier than gargling with ground glass. So, we agreed to look for another church.

I worked with Amy Harwell (Battle’s wife). We also lived on the same street, only a block apart. So we shared meals together and were simply neighbors and co-workers. Mary Beth, the brains behind it all, said to me one day, “Why don’t we go check out St. Marks”?

We visited several times. We both enjoyed ourselves. I especially enjoyed the banter in the morning before 8 o’clock service between Herb Stewart and John Seufert. That was like watching Rush Limbaugh spar with James Carville. Well, we joined the church, and I had both of those guys as my sponsor. John Seufert told the bishop, “This guy needs two of us to get in”!

Mary Beth and I were raised Southern Baptists. So, both of us now are comfortable to be in a church that we can at least be called “moderate”.

I am a “preacher’s kid” and have lived up to standard that most have of “preacher’s kids”. I have two parents that love God, each other, and a huge family of God. They instilled in me a love of God, people, and a search for truth even in the face of asking bad questions.

That search for truth was sharpened in college. I had one philosophy class my sophomore year and was considering it as a major. I heard the professor who taught that class was an “atheist”. I went to him and inquired about a major and asked if he would be my advisor. I told him that I was a Christian and wanted my beliefs challenged. He agreed to be my advisor and advised me to take his graduate level Plato class. I thought no way! Well, I took the class. Needless to say, I did three years of study to accomplish my major. During the spring semester of my senior year, he invited several students to his house for a meal. It was Easter Sunday. When we sat down to eat he said, “Let us bow our heads and pray”. I almost fell out of my chair! I later found out that he was an Episcopalian.

I am at St. Marks because of relationships. Relationships that do not seem connected, but in the economy of God’s kingdom ring true. My mother always says, “You don’t have to like them, you just have to love them”. That is not always easy for me to do.

George Noren - Junior Warden - Elected to Vestry November 2005

There is a song that states “Life is a winding road”.  This is a perfect description of my journey and how I ended up at St. Mark’s. 

For those of you that don’t know me, my name is George Noren and I am one of your newest vestry members.  I was born in Norwood, Massachusetts, and am a “cradle Episcopalian”.  I was baptized at All Saints Church in Attleboro, Massachusetts and spent the first eighteen years of my life in that church. 

After graduating high school, my path took me on many twists and turns that I never could have foreseen.  In August ’94 I went to Virginia Tech to study Geology.  In the first three years I was at college, I moved three times.  First I went to Scottsdale, Arizona, and then I moved to Tallahassee, Florida in May ’95, and then to Nashville in October ’96.  In January ’99 I left school and began attending St. Mark’s with my parents on a regular basis.  I immediately felt right at home.  I joined the choir and was confirmed at St. Mark’s.  Although I didn’t want to leave Massachusetts, I would not change the path that was set before me. 

St. Mark’s has been a wonderful church family and I am truly blessed that I have been given the opportunity to serve this congregation. 

I went through a period of searching for a place to worship. I needed a church that would help me feel close to God. I found that at St. Mark’s. Every time I walk in the door, I get such a feeling of peace. I have never felt so close to God as I do when I kneel on Sunday morning to pray.

Suzie Abrahamson Elected to Vestry November 2006

   Almost 9 years ago, August 1998, I accepted a position in Nashville to work with a man who had previously hired me in 1990. My husband, Gary, and I moved to Antioch from Cleveland, TN. Gary and I were raised as Methodist and joined the Episcopal Church through my brother’s affiliation in Leeds, AL. Upon moving to Antioch, Gary and I immediately started attending St. Mark’s and moved our membership within the year.

   When you change jobs, your insurance also changes and Gary & I had to choose and visit a ‘Primary Care Physician’. Ultimately, this was the beginning of a “very close” relationship with our St. Mark’s family. Gary’s prognosis in early 1999 was lung cancer. Chemo, surgery, more chemo and radiation were part of our lives and yours for the next 3 years. We were never without the caring, the compassion and the love of our new found family! In 2002, Gary had a seizure and the result was that his lung cancer had metastasized in his brain. Two surgeries and much radiation later, Gary gave it up to go home in June of 2005. Through all of this, so many of you walked that path to heaven with us and I am eternally grateful!

   Your support and friendship to me has continued and I have committed to “try” to give back. I’m honored to serve on the Altar Guild and most recently as a Vestry member.

   In January of this year, I changed jobs again (every 8 ½ years….next time I get to retire). The decision was hard….being single now with a secure job, why would I do that??? Well, your prayers and words of encouragement said “Go For It”! I am now, for the 3rd time, working for the man that brought me to Nashville….a great boss! Friends say either he “hasn’t learned his lesson” or “his confidence in me is obvious”! It’s hard taking those giant steps. I really appreciate those that pushed me….I’m so happy with that decision!

George Kurz -  Senior Warden contact at GEKurz@bwsc.net
Re-Elected to Vestry November 2006-

            I was born in New Jersey but lived in the South for the past 51 years (I know – that means that I’m not just a Yankee – but a d… Yankee!) Most of my growing up was in Florida  (Orlando, St. Petersburg and Jacksonville). However, of all the moves made by my family, I’ve always considered that coming to Tennessee was the best! I love the mountains, plateaus, forests, and rivers – the tremendous variety and seasonal change in this state. From the very beginning, my goal was to be a civil engineer. Combining that with my love of water and the outdoors, resulted in my specializing in environmental and sanitary engineering. Initially, I attended UT, busted out and in 1970 became a “transfer student” to Vietnam for 18 months. When I returned, I finished my active duty in the Army War Room at the Pentagon. I returned to school at Tennessee Tech in Cookeville and finally graduated. My first job was in Nashville with the Tennessee Division of Water Quality. Then I worked in Chattanooga as system engineer for the municipal sewer system. That has subsequently been the focus of my professional life. Presently, I work part-time for an engineering consultant (Consoer Townsend Envirodyne) in Metrocenter in Nashville.

For the first half of my adult life, I was out of the church. However, about 21 years ago, I began to feel there were several things missing in my life. I was divorced for several years. Then I met Iva, and several good things came into my life. With an “instant” family (Iva’s two daughters – Jonie and Jackie) I felt there were a lot of good things being fulfilled. Also, I was impressed with the depth and commitment of Iva in her faith. We had been attending church together before we were married, but there were many things that I feel that I learned from her – especially about being a good steward and the importance of welcoming people.

Cyndy Fahnestock - Elected to Vestry November 2009
Dear Congregation,