The vestry of St. Thomas' is chaired by the rector and served by twelve members, who are elected by the congregation to oversee the well being of the parish. The vestry is organized to reflect the mission and vision of the church and each vestry member has an area of responsibility. The vestry is assisted by the treasurer, the register, and the staff of the church. The work of the vestry is governed by the Canons of the Episcopal Church.

Vestry Members

 

Class of 2011

Nathan Beck: Sr. Warden

Nathan Beck - Vestry

I have been fortunate to have attended a variety of churches; Quaker, Baptist, Lutheran and to have been confirmed here at St. Thomas.  My wife and I were married in the Episcopal Church, in Winchester, which she grew up in.  We both came to Richmond in the mid to late 80's for college.  I started out in the accounting industry, leaving after becoming a CPA, then pursued antique sales and real estate investments.  I now work as a realtor, utilizing my experience to help others locate and transfer property efficiently.  Heather and I have two daughters, Emma and Eva, 11 and 8 years old, respectively.  They love and value taking part in activities at St. Thomas and the area community.  We started attending St. Thomas in 2001-2, after enrolling in the Day School.  My blessings include, but not limited to, wonderful daughters, family, St. Thomas' family and community friends, that bring laughter, joy and challenges.  I have participated in different "pieces" of St. Thomas' including; stewardship, driving, faith and fellowship, ushering, greeting, day school and long range building.  I enjoy, when possible, bicycling, sea kayaking and collecting "the best" sea shells, while walking on any beach.  As a family, we always look forward to and cherish the fellowship at Shrine Mont, supper club and many other St. Thomas events.

Marcia Bracy: Hospitality

Marcia Bracy 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I grew up the daughter of a Baptist minister.  After college at the University of Richmond, I decided to stay in the Richmond area.  Over the years, I tried a number of faiths in the search for my church home.  My friend, Christian Durrett, invited me to come with her to St. Thomas in 2001. 

My first Sunday here was the annual meeting that year.  I was very impressed that such a seemingly small church supported so many community ministries and saw this as an avenue that would provide many ways to serve.  I felt extremely welcomed at St Thomas and was confirmed in 2002.  I had finally found my church home.

Over the years I have been fortunate at various times to be a recipient of the loving, nurturing spirit of St. Thomas and have strived to reciprocate that spirit to others.  I have been challenged in my faith and have felt tremendous growth since coming here.

I am or have served in choir, Sunday school teacher, VBS teacher, Helping Hands, Welcoming Committee, ECW, Caritas, EFM, lay Eucharistic minister, lay reader, supper club and others.  I welcome the opportunity to serve on the vestry and know that it will strengthen both my faith and ties to St. Thomas.

Outside of St Thomas, I have been in the life insurance industry since college, with a short stint in the accounting industry.  Currently, I am a customer service representative in the insurance agency at the Medical Society of Virginia.  I also serve on the board of my homeowners association and am a founding member of Dog Town Yacht Club, a group of friends who race small day sailors.  I have three sisters, a brother, three nephews and a niece, all of whom live in the surrounding area.

Jennie Eckert: Parish Life

Jenny Eckert - Vestry 

I have lived in Richmond most of my life and grew up in the Methodist Church. Phil and I began attending St. Thomas' in 1986 when our daughter, Katie, was one year old. I was confirmed in 1987. At St. Thomas' I have served as a Sunday School teacher, Women of St Thomas Scholarship chairperson, yard sale cashier, and CARITAS site manager. I was a long-time member of the Shrine Mont Committee and organized at least 10 Shrine Mont retreats between 1990 and 2003. In 2007, I audited the church's financial records with John Knapp and made several recommendations to achieve full compliance with diocesan standards. I have previously served and am currently serving on the financial committee.  St. Thomas has played a very important role in our lives and we saw our daughter grow up there with so much support and caring.  I worked as an accountant and financial systems manager for Reynolds Metals Co. and Alcoa, Inc. for 32 years. I have been happily retired since February, 2007. I am an ardent fan of VCU basketball, a Director of the Richmond Wine Society, and a volunteer at Lewis Ginter Botanical Garden, and Meals on Wheels food kitchen.

Susannah Raine-Haddad: Newcomers

 

 

I grew up in a small Episcopal church in southwest Virginia, was confirmed there and was an acolyte there.  My husband John grew up Catholic and as an adult did not want to attend a "high" church, but the Episcopal Church is all I had ever known, so we were "shopping" for churches-- attending both St Thomas and the Unitarian church sporadically. Five years ago we had a tragedy and Sue and some of the members gathered around us, enveloped us, and from that moment we knew where our home was. After that particular crisis, along with several other personal losses, I began to question, not the fact of my faith, but how God plays a role in my life in day to day practical terms.  I love the welcoming atmosphere St Thomas has, never judging anyone, and of just loving one another.  I have had the good fortune to be a stay at home mother for the last few years, after teaching high school art in a public school for 8 years. Raine (4) and Rye (3) both attend the Day School, of which I am a Board Member. I am involved with several committees with the school and volunteer my time there also.  At church, I was involved in the Mom's Morning Group from 2005 until it disbanded in 2007.  The members of this group organized a Kids' Yard Sale, which we are planning for the 3^rd year, and give a third of our profits to St Thomas.  I was on the Vacation Bible School committee and helped with registration in 2008.  I was in charge of the decorations for the Auction in 2006 and 2007; and took over as a Co-Chair in 2008, as well as for this year's event.  Our family has attended Shrine Mont for the past 3 years. When the new altar was put in in 2007, I led the children in the art project to paint the back side.  John and I have been members of a Supper Club for the last 4 years and we are the lead couple this year.  Our family has also volunteered with Caritas since we began attending St Thomas.  I served on Altar Guild from 2006 - 2007 but needed to devote more of my time to the Auction and ended my involvement with this ministry.  I have been a reader of the Prayers of the People for the last 2 years. I was on the Centennial Committee during part of 2006- 2007 and was charged with organizing the artist displays for a Fair that was being planned. In the fall of 2008, I took over the Meals Ministry and arranged a website for easy communication among members; our volunteer membership is now at around 40 people.  Last year John and I led a group during Sunday School also.  Although my primary responsibility is raising my children and being "House Manager", I am also a painter and paper artist and enjoy my alone time and being "centered" while my children are in preschool, and make a few bucks.  Needless to say, I like being involved and think it is important to use our gifts; and I enjoy the gift of caffeine to be able to do all this stuff.  I am really honored to be a part of this group. 

Class of 2012

Ted Smith- Stewardship

 Ted Smith

My family includes my wife Carolina Lugo, who is our youth minister at St. Thomas', our daughter Lucy, and my son and frequent co-usher Quin. I was born and raised in Richmond and attended a Diocesan school, St. Christopher's, then received my undergraduate degree at the University of the South. I have been a communicant of St. Thomas' for five years since returning to Richmond following graduate school at Wake Forest. We chose St. Thomas' because of its welcoming spirit and mission to include children and youth in all facets of Parish life. I love that Quin and other children are valued participants in so many things, but especially in the ministries in which I participate, ushering on Sundays and setting up for CARITAS. Professionally, I am a finance person. I work in the headquarters business planning and analysis group at Genworth Financial in the west end of Richmond, and prior to getting my MBA I worked on the endowment management staff at the University of Virginia and for an endowment management consulting firm, Cambridge Associates, in Arlington, VA. I hope to concentrate on nurturing the wonderful momentum we've built around the children and youth of St. Thomas' and to contribute my finance and investment experience to the sound stewardship of our parish resources and progress toward our long range planning goals

 

 Maria Candler - Jr. Warden

 Maria Candler

My husband Kirk and I joined St. Thomas in the winter of 2006 while we were expecting our 2nd child, upon the recommendation of Kim Kacani. We always knew that when we started our family we would find a church so that our children might begin to develop their spiritual foundations.  Little did we know how enriched our own lives would be as a result of choosing St. Thomas.  Shortly after joining, our son was born and spent several difficult days in the NICU at Johnston Willis Hospital.  It was there that my real faith journey began.  The overwhelming love and support that we received from our community at St. Thomas (many of whom we had never met) showed me a side of religion I had never experienced in other secular environments.  We knew without question that we had found the right place for our children and ourselves.  This experience led me to become baptized the following summer just before our children were baptized.  We are still learning about all of the wonderful ministries of St. Thomas but have been fortunate to participate in the annual auction, CARITAS, Helping Hands and many programs through the day school where my daughter Sophia, 5, is an alumni and my son Aidan, 3, currently attends. In my professional life, I am an accidental entrepreneur with partnerships in several ventures, most notably James River Grounds Mgmt, a commercial landscape management firm with 6 offices throughout Virginia. I have held several board and committee positions in the largest national landscape association.  I am currently a Junior Achievement volunteer in the Richmond City school district working with children on work readiness, entrepreneurship and financial literacy.  I am excited to work in a team to further develop all of the positive things about St. Thomas that drew my family into this community.

 

Ron Rechenbach-Property

 

Ron Rechenbach

 

 

 

 

 

 

I was born and have lived in Richmond, Virginia all of my life, 25 years as a resident of Ginter Park.  I have two grown sons living and working in Arlington, Virginia. I am married to the former Nancy Marston (Miss Nancy) a former St Thomas Day School teacher and resident of the neighborhood for 30 years. I received a BA degree in Psychology from Randolph Macon College in 1969 as well as a Masters degree in Counseling from VCU in 1972. My business career has led me to work as a high school guidance teacher, a high school basketball coach, and as a salesman. In 1989 I started my own company New Dominion Equipment Company, specializing in material handling equipment In 2001 I changed the name of my company to Peaklogix, a company specializing in material handling systems integration. In 2007 I sold my company and am currently retired.  I have served in various capacities over the years such as current member and former board member of the Virginia Counsel of CEO's; a former board member of the National Material Handling Equipment Distributors Association; a current member of the Richmond Chamber of Commerce Business Leaders Roundtable, and a former board member of the Virginia Logistics Association. I grew up attending Ginter Park Methodist Church. Most recently I was a member of Grace & Holy Trinity Episcopal Church for 20 years. While there I served on the Sunday morning breakfast crew and also served as an usher. In 2007 after Nancy and I were married at St Thomas, I transferred my membership to St Thomas. I look forward to new challenges ahead for the unlimited potential of St Thomas

Matt Grey - Outreach

Matt Grey

 

 

 

 

 

 

My wife Kerry and I have been members of the St. Thomas' community for approximately 3 years. We previously attended Grace and Holy Trinity Church where I was confirmed in 1997 and Kerry and I were married in 1998. We were introduced to St. Thomas' by John and Susannah Haddad at a dinner not long after we moved to Ginter Park. Since joining St. Thomas', we've participated in supper club, set-up and take-down for CARITAS, and I am a member of the Parish Life Committee. Kerry sings solo and sometimes with the choir, and is chairing the 2010 auction. I grew up Catholic and attended a Jesuit high school, but feel like I've truly found a home in the Episcopal Church and particularly at St. Thomas'. The staff is energetic and challenging (in a good way), the members are welcoming and enthusiastic, and the atmosphere encourages involvement of all kinds. St. Thomas' has given me very much in a very short period of time, and I would welcome the opportunity to give back. I am a lawyer currently in a solo practice focused on mortgage banking and general business matters. I graduated from Washington and Lee University and the University of Richmond Law School. I am the Secretary and Treasurer of the Virginia Capital Chapter of Trout Unlimited, and have served in the past on the working board and executive board of Rebuilding Together (formerly Christmas in April), a neighborhood rehabilitation organization, and have volunteered with the local council of the Boy Scouts. I am an avid fly fisherman, and am interested in art, fitness, food, wine and travel.

Class of 2013

 

Matt Bryant

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

My wife Mitra and I have lived in Ginter Park since 2002, and began attending St. Thomas' Church shortly thereafter. Our daughters Stella and Cora were baptized at St. Thomas', and my daughter Samantha enjoys singing in the children's choir and serving as an acolyte. Stella is a graduate of the Day School, and Cora recently began attending the Day School. We are blessed, both as a family and individually, by our St. Thomas community of friends and neighbors.

 

I was born in Dallas, Texas, attended middle and high school in Houston, and attended college in Virginia and moved here to stay in 1994. I've been active in two other Episcopal churches in Richmond. Since attending St. Thomas', I've served as Treasurer and had a term on the Vestry. I'm currently helping coordinate the acolyte program, and enjoy serving as an acolyte and eucharistic minister during worship. I've also served as Treasurer and Board Member of the Day School. Although a lawyer by background, I currently work in the project management field. I have experience in business process analysis and re-engineering, software system design and implementation, and data management. I work primarily as a consultant with state-government clients.

 

Andrew Derer: Finance and Administration

 

 My wife, Maribeth and I have lived in Richmond for 8 years (and Virginia for 11).  We met in Texas in 1998 where Maribeth grew up and I resided for 7 years.  Prior to my tenure in the Lone Star State I spent the first 25 years of life in Ohio growing up in the Lutheran community.  My journey of faith mirrors the diverse places I’ve hung my hat.  I grew up Lutheran, confirmed at Faith Lutheran Church in Kent.  Spiritual searching continued for 2 decades and included the New Apostolic Church, Northwest Hills United Methodist Church, the Palmyra UMC and a variety of 1, 2, or 3 Sunday visits to churches in the Richmond area too numerous to remember.  Walking into St. Thomas 3 years ago was a homecoming—I felt an immediate acceptance into a rich community of loving people willing to embrace those on a spiritual journey. I immediately became involved, and have served with coffee hour, CARITAS, Men’s Corp, Auction, and Ushering. 

 

 

Maribeth and I have two wonderful boys Eric, 9 and Michael, 4.  Our boys are loving, helpful to a fault, and precocious. I can think of no better place to raise our children than in the warmth of the St. Thomas family.  I also know that to maintain that caring, welcoming environment takes the effort of all.  As a member of St. Thomas I feel a call to do all I can to further the will of God through ministry, faith and indeed.  I believe God sees us more for what we do and where our hearts are rather than what we say.

Professionally, I have been in education for 19 years.  I received a Bachelor’s of Science degree in Mathematics Education from Kent State University and a Master of Education in School Administration from Sul Ross State University (Texas).  I have been a mathematics teacher for the majority of my career.  I have worked at the MathScience Innovation Center for 8 years and coordinate the K-12 special programs for the Center.  I am the current president of the Greater Richmond Council of Teachers of Mathematics (GRCTM).  My hobbies include running, playing volleyball and building stuff. 

 

 

Terry Menefee Gau: Faith Formation

 

  Terry Menefee Gau

  

  

  

  

  

 

 

An actor, ordained minister, mom, and cook Terry worked in the corporate environment at Virginia Power (now Dominion Power) for seven years as a Customer Service  representative and a Human Resources Specialist.  She left the business world to attend seminary at Union-PSCE, where she received her Masters of Divinity and Masters of Arts in Christian Education in 1998.  Shortly thereafter she was ordained in the Baptist tradition.  In 1999, she started the Lilly endowed, vocational program for high school students, Project Burning Bush, where she stayed on as director for six years.  Terry left Project Burning Bush to pursue her dream of acting and working as a film theologian.  She has been acting since she was four years old and can be seen and heard in local TV and radio commercials, as well as on local stages.  Terry still works part time with Project Burning Bush as their alumni liaison, supports her husband's business by keeping the books, acts in local film and theatre, and shares parenting Jasper with her husband David.  In between, she enjoys baking and cooking for her family and others.  Terry has her BS in Mathematics from James Madison University.  Raised as a Baptist, she has attended church her life-long, and has held various leadership roles there.  Terry joined the St. Thomas community four years ago and she loves the change to Episcopal. Currently, she works with the Altar Guild and the Hospitality committee.

 

Mary Whittle, formerly Mary Hall: Worship and Hospitality

 

 Mary Whittle

 

   

   

   

   

   

 

I was born in Louisville, Kentucky, and have been in Richmond, Virginia, since 1971. I have a graduate degree in English literature and philosophy.  I have retired from teaching in public and private schools after 32 years of service.  I have taught in grades 6,7,8,9,10,11,12, and college in Kentucky and Virginia. Perhaps I have gotten a few skills in my teaching career; among them are probably promptness, patience, openness to new ideas, and creativity. I work well with others. I also have the ability to communicate with all, even the recalcitrant. In retirement, I spend my time gardening, fishing, boating, traveling, reading, and rental real estate. I volunteer at the Ginter Park Botannical Garden and work occasionally in a local surgical office.  At St. Thomas I sing in the choir and help out with Caritas and the Fall Farms. I am a liturgical reader and a cook with the Helping Hands ministry. I enjoy the study groups, supper club, and Shrine Mont, which I attended for the first time this year. I am also excited about going to England with the Eaves and other parishioners on our pub crawl/pilgrimage in June. I have made dear friends at St. Thomas and hope to get to know many others in the congregation over the years. A persistent spiritual search has been a theme my whole life.  I was raised in a fine Southern Baptist family.  However, as soon as I got into my rebellious teenage years, I began sneaking off to the Catholic Church to soak up the rarified atmosphere and liturgy.  At another point, I began attending the Unitarian church. Later when my son attended St. Bridget's School, I joined St. Bridget's Catholic Church and taught there for a few years.  After 12 years, I became disillusioned with the Catholic Church and began searching for a new church home.  Loving the Catholic liturgy and tradition but needing to exercise my protestant mind, I naturally wandered over to the Episcopal Church.  It is a great fit!  Home, at last. I love the members of the St. Thomas congregation for their honesty, determined intellectual curiosity, and dedication to community service as well as fun in general.  St. Thomas is the most honest and loving church I've ever attended. We're really trying to get it right here, rather than trying to keep each other in line.  Being asked to run for the vestry is humbling, but a great honor.  I do have the time to devote to serving on the Vestry and would consider it a great opportunity to be able to serve the church in any way that I can.