Godspeed to two valued staff members

Two valued staff members begin new chapters

Janet Allen retires; Becky Lehman enters new field

Janet Allen Becky Lehman

Two long-time members of the parish staff have concluded their ministries at St. Stephen’s Church.

Janet Allen, who came to St. Stephen’s when the Rev. Gary Jones was called as rector in 2005, retired at the end of June. Janet, who had worked with Gary in his previous parish, Church of the Holy Communion in Memphis, has overseen crucial areas of our parish life, including membership, stewardship, and finance. She’s also worked closely with parish leaders on the Legacy Society, the planned giving effort designed to increase the value of St. Stephen’s endowment fund.

Janet has been active in the larger church, as well, serving on the board of the Consortium of Endowed Episcopal Parishes at one time, and helping plan and host several conferences under the banner of “Going Forward Together.” Beginning in 2003, these conferences helped Episcopal parishes focus on best practices for health and vitality at a time when many were consumed by church controversies.

Prior to working with Gary at Holy Communion, Janet was on the staff of Calvary Episcopal Church in Memphis, where she grew up.

Before church work, Janet was a commercial artist. After she learned to write icons, she was instrumental in establishing a summer icon workshop at St. Stephen’s; before the pandemic, it took place annually for many years (and we hope to bring it back after the pandemic). Janet has also become accomplished in bookmaking arts and related media—something which she’ll no doubt continue to pursue in retirement, in addition to having more time to visit her two sons in Oregon.

“Janet has worked tirelessly for the past 16 years alongside Gary Jones and the rest of the clergy and staff,” said Allison Koschak, senior warden. “Gary would be the first to say that he was able to accomplish so much of what he did thanks to the efforts of Janet each step of the way. Janet has exhibited for these many years. She is graciously and diligently passing her knowledge along to other key staff members who will now carry the torch.”

Allison added, “She is always working in the background to make sure we have what we need before we even know we need it! Janet never wants the attention to be on her, but this is one time we will ignore that: Godspeed, Janet and enjoy your much-deserved retirement!”

In early May, the parish said goodbye to Becky Lehman, after she completed a four-year program in clinical mental health counseling, earning a master of arts, and secured a full-time position with a local practice.

Becky joined the staff in September 2014 to assist Betsy Lee in receiving visitors and manning the phones, and providing support to Sarah Bartenstein with email newsletters, Web site updates, publicity for parish events, and serving as a backup for Sarah on other tasks. At Becky’s going-away luncheon, Sarah joked that if not for Becky, she could never have taken a vacation.

Becky was also the hub for scheduling lay people for liturgical roles in our worship services, a huge task.

During the pandemic, when the May Fair House launched an e-commerce site, Becky worked closely with Christi McFadden and Fern Newsom to set it up. Becky took all the photos of merchandise and maintained the site.

“Becky’s efficiency and attention to detail combined with a wonderful sense of humor and deep commitment to the work of the church made her the perfect addition to our staff,” Sarah said. “She’s a problem-solver who relishes any opportunity to find a new and better way to do something.”