the The Newsletter for Saint Michael and All Angels Episcopal Church
July 2016
the
9:00 Patriotic Music for the 4th of July
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Church Offices Closed - 4th of July Holiday
Cook for Austin Street Center (at Saint Michael)
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Serve Dinner at Austin Street Center
Faith and Grief Luncheon
Prayer Ministry with The Very Rev. Doug Travis
Volume 28 No.7
Saint Michael and All Angels Calls New Rector
Saint Michael and All Angels Episcopal Church has called The Rev. Christopher D. Girata to be its eighth Rector. The Vestry unanimously voted to make the call at its meeting on Wednesday, June 15. He will begin his ministry at Saint Michael on Monday, August 15. The Rev. Girata, 36, currently is Rector of Calvary Episcopal Church in Memphis, Tennessee, a church of more than 1,000 parishioners in downtown Memphis. His wife, Nicole, is a retirement consultant for Mercer, an international human resources consulting firm. They have three children; son, Brayden, 10, and daughters, Layna, 8, and Annemarie, 3. The Rev. Girata is a native of Florida and grew up in the Tampa area. He received his Bachelor of Arts in religious studies, in honorus, from Stetson University, a Master of Theological Studies from Emory University, a Master of Divinity, cum laude, from Virginia Theological Seminary, and is completing his Doctor of Ministry from Duke University. He became Rector of Calvary Episcopal, a downtown “destination church,” in mid-2012. During his tenure youth participation has tripled, the church’s average Sunday attendance has grown
every year, particularly with new members in their 20’s and 30’s, and its members’ engagement in outreach ministry has expanded dramatically. Prior to becoming rector at Calvary, The Rev. Girata was Associate Rector at St. Luke’s in Birmingham from 2008 – 2012, and as a seminarian served at The National Cathedral in Washington, D.C., and at St. John’s in Chevy Chase, MD. He already is recognized as a leader in the Episcopal Church, presenting regularly at church-wide conferences, including the recent Invite-Welcome-Connect conference at Camp Allen and to the Consortium for Endowed Episcopal Parishes on “Turning Visitors into Members.” Chris is a classically trained musician and amateur cook. His wife, Nicole, received her undergraduate degree in finance and computer information systems from Stetson University (where she and Chris met), and her Master of Business Administration from the University of Alabama at Birmingham. In addition to being a Senior Associate at Mercer, she likes to travel, go to the theater, and enjoy her husband’s cooking! Send a message of welcome and congratulations to Chris and his family at cgirata@saintmichael.org.