"Our call has been heard!"

On July 4, 2010, we celebrated America's birthday in the town of Stowe. But the congregation of St. John's in the Mountains had much more to celebrate on this day. We learned that our two-year-long journey to find a new rector for our church had finally come to a successful conclusion. With a unanimous decision from the Ministry Discernment Committee (MDC) and a unanimous vote by the Vestry, Father Rick Swanson has answered our call and will become the new rector of St. John's in September. Alleluia! Alleluia!

We thank God for the hard work of the Ministry Discernment Committee, led by Duncan Tingle. They successfully fulfilled their duties and went above and beyond in their commitment to find the right person to lead St. John's as we begin our next phase of growth and look toward a brighter future. Much thanks go to Duncan Tingle and the members of the MDC: Barbara Baraw, Rich Reed, Olivia Grosvenor, George Gay, Patty Oden, Elizabeth Hoffmann, Lisa Birmingham and Pete Johnson.

A greeting from Father Rick to the people of St. John's 

Dear People of St. John’s in the Mountains,

How excited I am to come to the Stowe area and begin a new ministry with you! The future is bright and wide open for us to listen to God’s call and be the hands of God everywhere we go.

I am moving to Vermont from Dowagiac, Michigan--a small, rural town in southwestern Michigan. I have served as rector of St. Paul’s Church for the past four and a half years. Before that, I served St. Peter’s Church in Morristown, New Jersey, as Associate for Youth and Family Ministries. I began my ordained ministry at St. Mark’s-in-the-Valley Parish in Los Olivos, California as curate. I keep active by playing hockey and skiing in the winter, golfing and canoeing in the summer, and traveling interspersed from time to time. I was born and raised in Minnesota, the place my family still calls home. My family has a summer home in northern Minnesota, a place where you can find me during my time away. 

What is in store for us God only knows and that is the gift that is set before us. Listening is the place we begin: listening to God, listening to each other, listening to the community around us. In the Gospel of Luke, chapter ten, we see Mary and Martha, sisters of Lazarus, competing for the attention of Jesus. Martha was busy preparing food; Mary, sitting at Jesus’ feet listening to the living Gospel. This story has been in my mind since the MDC, Vestry and I began our conversations one month ago. We listened first to the Gospel, secondly to each other. This is what is in store for us. Our ear tuned to the Gospel, our community ear tuned to each other, and the willingness to act on what we hear God calling out to us. What hope we have in God in Christ!

I am looking forward to meeting all of you on September 19 when we begin this journey together. You are in my prayers, and I ask that you keep me in yours. Transition is change, and in that we must call on God’s guiding light to lead us.

In the peace of Christ,

Father Rick Swanson