THE CALLING OF THE REV. BLAKE HUTSON

Dear Apostles:

Your Vestry is pleased and excited to announce the calling of The Rev. Blake R. Hutson as the second Rector of the Church of the Holy Apostles. Fr. Blake is presently an Assistant Rector at St. Phillip’s In The Hills in Tucson, Arizona. He and his wife Christina are na-tives of Nashville, Tennessee and they are looking forward to returning to the South.

The Discernment Team formally recommended Fr. Blake to the Vestry on April 9, 2012 and we visited with him and Christina on April 12 and 13. After much prayer, consider-ation and asking direction from our Lord, the Vestry feels that we have called a faithful pastor, a great Rector and the right spiritual leader for Holy Apostles. Bishop Sloan has approved this call and welcomes Fr. Blake to the Diocese of Alabama.

Our Parish Profile outlined the traits of the leader we have been seeking. The Vestry is convinced that Fr. Blake more than meets the qualifications the Parish identified and we concur with the recommendation of the Discernment Team.

The Rev. Rusty Goldsmith, who has served as our Interim Rector since last April, com-pleted his commitment to Holy Apostles on April 15, 2012. Fr. Rusty has been a blessing to all of us at Holy Apostles as he has been a mentor, teacher, confidant and priest for our Parish and has guided us in our transition to our new Rector. We thank Fr. Rusty for his leadership during the past year and we wish him well as he returns to his retirement. At the conclusion of our Vestry meeting last week, Fr. Rusty left this message with the Vestry: Great Parishes help make great Rectors. Holy Apostles is a great parish and Fr. Blake will be a great Rector with our love and care for him and Christina.

Fr. Blake will begin his ministry at Holy Apostles on approximately the first week of June 2012. We all look forward to his becoming our new Rector and leading Holy Apostles in the name of our savior Jesus Christ. We will have a celebration of the beginning of Fr. Blake’s ministry on the first Sunday of his arrival at Holy Apostles.

Thanks be to God and Peace to all,

W. David WhatleySenior Warden

The Voice Apri l 26, 2012

Clergy

The Rev. Blake R. HutsonRectorBegins 6/4/12

The Rev. Dr. Wilton BunchPriest Affiliate

The Vestry of Holy Apostles

Senior Warden:David Whatley789-7997

Junior Wardens:Scott Dunbar807-7488

Kenn Gaddis365-6439

Susan Jackson

David McElroy

David Mize

Mary Morgan

David Shipley

Bertha Smith

Treasurer: Mike Lewallen

ChoirmasterShaun Pezant

Parish AdministratorTeresa Byars

SextonJudy Lee

The Voice April 26, 2012 Page 2

Message From Rusty

Dear Sisters and Brothers at Holy Apostles,

It is so much easier and a lot more fun to say “Hello” than “Good-bye.”Since we first said “hello” to one another, nearly a year has passed. It has been my pleasure and privilege to serve Holy Apostles as your Interim Rec-tor. I have been continually inspired and supported by your commitment to our Lord, and by your constant agape.

All of you have gone out of your way to make me feel valued and welcome. Thank you for allowing me to minister with you and to you.I would be remiss if I did not acknowledge and thank the two Sr. Wardens with whom I have had the pleasure of working – Bob Northcutt and David

Whatley and the Vestries. And then there is Teresa Byars, your Parish Administrator, who is “a pearl be-yond price.” She is one of the keys to your new Rector’s successful integration, and to the future health of Holy Apostles.

Thank you for your loving send-off on Sunday, April 15th. Your generous gift to the School of Theology at Sewanee in my honor was a wonderful surprise. They and I thank you most sincerely. The lunch and fellowship was terrific as always, and your many cards and kind remarks made the day very special indeed. For at least this summer I plan to take a break from interim work, and to return to my part-time ministry as Priest Affiliate at St. Luke’s.

Holy Apostles is today a wonderful community of faith. However, you are just beginning to hit your stride as you approach the end of your “teen years.”As I have said to you often, Holy Apostles has huge potential for growth in ministries, members and dis-cipleship. I continue to believe that the areas of your parish life that could be expanded and deepened are Outreach, Stewardship and Evangelism. I will watch with great interest in the years ahead as you continue to grow and prosper.

The big news, of course, is not my departure but the arrival of your new Rector. I know you will do every-thing in your power to make Blake and Christina welcomed and supported in every way. Congratulations to Jerry Robertson and your Search Committee for its outstanding ministry. As I said to them and want to say to you one last time, “Great parishes help make great Rectors.” I have no doubt that this call is the work of the Holy Spirit, and know for a certainty that if you are as affirming, supportive and loving with them as you have been with me, your future will be bright indeed.

In the meantime, I will keep you all in my prayers, and ask that you do the same for me. You will always be a treasured part of my ordained experience and memories.

The Lord bless you and keep you;The Lord make his face to shine upon you and be gracious to you;The Lord life up the light of his countenance upon you and give you peace.

With appreciation and much affection,Fr. Rusty+ (xoxo)

Message From Rusty

The Reverend Blake Hutson was born and raised in Nashville, Tennessee. He received his Master of Divinity from Princeton Theological Seminary in Princeton, NJ. During the summer of 2002, he worked as Chaplin at the VA Hospital in Nashville , TN. In 2005, he received his Master of Sacred Theology from Sewanee: The University of the South in Sewanee, TN.

He was ordained in the Diocese of New Jersey by the Rt. Rev. George Councell. He has served parishes in New Jersey including: St. Matthew’s (Pennington), Grace Church (Plain-field), and as an Assistant Priest at Trinity Episcopal Church in Moorestown, NJ. Most recently, he as served as an Assistant Priest at St. Philip’s in the Hills, a corporate parish in Tucson, AZ. During his time at St Philip’s, he initially had oversight of the program areas of Outreach and Evangelism. He later acquired the responsibility of overseeing the Pastoral Care pro-grams and needs of the parish.

Because of his interest in developing lay leadership and the future leadership of the Episcopal Church, he was appointed to serve on the Commission on Ministry in the Diocese of Arizona. Blake and his wife, Christina, have been married for nine years. She has served as a Registered Nurse in the area of Oncology and as a Research Nurse at the University of Arizona, Col-lege of Nursing.

The Voice April 26, 2012 Page 3

The Reverend Blake Hutson

Welcome Rev. Blake & Christina Hutson

HERE WE GO AGAIN…AIR CONDITIONER ISSUES

About this time last year, the Vestry came to the Parish membership and talked about the issues with our air conditioning system at the church. At that time the unit supplying air to the worship area was damaged and need of repair. The unit servicing the front of building was in fine working condition. Now, the “front” unit has a major problem. The coils are leaking in that unit and must be replaced. We are investigating the best options for us: replace the coils or replace the entire unit. We are presently receiving bids from three differ-ent contractors in order to be assured that we have the best value for whatever direction that we take.

The long-term solution is to replace both units (currently heat pumps) with a large 10 ton conventional heating and cooling unit located outside the build-ing. This solution will be more efficient and be less costly to maintain. How-ever, the cost for this solution is far in excess of $40,000 and at this time we simply do not have these kinds of funds available.

We have determined that the most affordable solution is to replace the coils in the existing unit. While this will not solve the long term issue of replacing the entire unit, it will return cool air to the narthex, offices and classrooms in the front of the building. This approach should serve us until we are able to afford replacement of our HVAC system.

Your Vestry as a show of their commitment has made contributions specifically designated for air conditioning repair. We ask that all parishioners consider making a contribution to the Air Conditioner Fund. We are very grateful for anything that you can contribute. We ask that donations be made between now and June 1, 2012. Please indicate “Air Conditioning Fund” on all contri-butions for this emergency repair.

Our church family is very important to us. The Vestry wants everyone to feel welcome and comfortable in our place of worship and we are grateful for each and every person who calls Holy Apostles home. We also thank you for the sacrifices and contributions that all Apostles make on behalf of our church. You, our church family, help to make this the wonderful place to worship and gather to celebrate the blessings that we receive by being together.

Thanks for your support of Holy Apostles.

David WhatleySenior Warden

The Voice April 26, 2012 Page 2

Post Office Box 361352Birmingham, AL 35236Tel. 205-988-8000

holyapostles.dioala.org