The Word 1

Hilary West, Senior Warden

Hilary West is a native Washingtonian and has been a

member of St. John’s Church since her youth. As a young

parishioner, Hilary attended Sunday church school, partic-

ipated in Christmas Eve pageants, and was confirmed at

St. John’s. As an adult, Hilary has volunteered as a church

school teacher, assists with the leadership of the Lafayette

Fellowship and, most recently, serves as Junior Warden.

She also has served on the Church Growth Committee

and routinely serves as a chalice bearer and reader at

Sunday services. Professionally, Hilary is a lawyer,

currently working as Vice President of Federal Govern-

ment Relations at JP Morgan Chase and Co. Hilary, who regularly attends the 9 am

service, is the daughter of Gail and Togo West, both of whom are long-time mem-

bers of St. John’s.

Richard Metzger, Junior Warden

Richard Metzger has been a member of St. John’s Church

for more than 25 years. He is currently a member of the

Vestry and the Properties Committee. He previously was

the Chair of the Investment Committee, which assists

the Vestry in supervising the management of the church’s

endowment. Richard also serves as an Assistant Head

Usher at the 7:45 and 9:00 a.m. services. He was a mem-

ber of the Vestry between 2006 and 2010.

Richard is a member of the law firm Lawler, Metzger, Keeney & Logan, LLC, which

specializes in advising and representing clients regarding matters pending before the

Federal Communications Commission. Richard is a graduate of Williams College and

Georgetown University Law Center.

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St. John’s Church, Lafayette Square

Vestry Candidates

The Rev. Dr. Luis León

Rector

The Rev. D. Andrew Olivo

Assistant Rector

The Rev. Juan Pastor Reyes

Assistant Rector -

Iglesia San Juan

Kaye Edwards

Assistant for Church

Growth

Dr. Benjamin Hutto

Director of Music

Ministry and Organist

Michael Lodico

Associate Organist and

Choir Director

Samuel Munguia

Musician for Iglesia San Juan

Sarah Taylor

Seminarian

The Vestry Nominating Committee Presents the Candidates for the

Vestry Election in 2015

At the February 1 Annual meeting of St. John’s Parish, the following candidates are standing for

election to the Vestry. Hilary West is standing for Senior Warden, Richard Metzger for Junior

Warden, and the remaining are standing for election to be members of the Vestry.

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Vestry Candidates Continued

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Lisa (Beury) Russo currently co-chairs the Outreach Committee at

St. John’s. In this capacity, she oversees community and volunteer ac-

tivities for the parish, which include everything from Rebuilding To-

gether, to clothing drives, to Sandwich Sunday. She also leads the Angel

Tree toy drive, which, through the generosity of St. John’s parishion-

ers, provides Christmas gifts to 150 needy children in Washington,

DC.

Originally from northeastern Pennsylvania, Lisa has slowly migrated

south since childhood, first to Philadelphia to attend Villanova Universi-

ty, then Baltimore, and finally DC in 2007 to attend graduate school at

The George Washington University. She holds a master’s degree in

Security Policy Studies and focuses her professional attention on na-

tional security issues.

Lisa currently lives in Old Town Alexandria with her husband Garrett and their rambunctious

Labrador puppy Bianca.

Carrie Garland was born and raised in Alexandria, VA and

graduated from The College of William and Mary in 1990. She

married Jim, her high school sweetheart, in 1995 and they have

four children—Bayley (16), Ellie (14), Jack (12) and Benjamin (8).

Benjamin was baptized at St. John’s in 2005. Carrie enjoyed

working in the marketing department for Perrier until 1998

when she began her career as a stay-at-home mom! Carrie, Jim

and the kids lived in Rehoboth Beach and Lewes DE for several

years until they moved home to Alexandria in 2003. They home-

schooled the kids in 2010-11 so they could take a year off and

travel around the world. They visited over 30 countries, includ-

ing a week-long visit to Kwasa where they met Lisa Saunders and

a dozen more parishioners from St. John’s who were helping

Sharron Dinnie, the teachers and children there.

Carrie has been an active volunteer at The College of William

and Mary, Bethel Christian School, Grace Episcopal School, St.

Stephen’s and St. Agnes School, The Campagna Center and Riverside Gardens Swim and Tennis

Club. She currently serves on the Board of The Campagna Center, the agency that facilitates the

Head Start program in Alexandria, and on the Executive Board of the APT at St Stephens and St Ag-

nes School, where all four kids attend. At St. John’s, Carrie has taught Sunday School for many years, Jim is currently on the Seminarian’s Committee, all of the kids are acolytes, Bayley and Ellie

were in the 2012 St. John’s confirmation class and Bayley is a reader for the 11 am service. St. John’s

has enriched Carrie's life and the lives of everyone in her family, and she is honored to stand for the

vestry.

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Vestry Candidates Continued

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Nancy Mathis has applied her energy and skill set to many as-

pects of St. John’s since becoming a member in 1990.

Nancy has focused much of her efforts on ensuring that the next

generations of St. John’s feels both connected and committed to

the church. A Sunday school teacher for 10 years, she founded

the church’s annual bake sale, began the collection of soccer shoes

and equipment for Kwasa, and shepherded fundraising efforts di-

rected towards the school.

As mother to Aidan Maher, now a St. Alban’s School senior, Nancy

was one of four adults who accompanied the church’s first youth group trip to Kwasa, and she

continues to be actively involved in St. John’s relationship with the school. Most recently, Nancy

has been assisting church leadership in revamping its internal and external communications ef-

forts.

Bob Pasley and his wife, Gay, were first drawn to St.

John’s in 2006 through their interest in supporting the

Katrina recovery in New Orleans. Bob and his family

have gone on three Katrina mission trips. Most recent-

ly, Bob and Gay went on the 2013 mission trip to South

Africa to visit the Kwasa Center. Bob also serves in the

church as an usher, a lay reader and, with his wife, an

annual sponsor of St. John’s lunches. He has previously

served on the vestry of two other churches. At a pre-

vious church, Bob and Gay put together a Mardi Gras

dinner and auction that raised more than $50,000 for

Katrina relief. They attend the 11 am services.

Bob and Gay have been married since 1981 and they have two daughters, Virginia and Heather.

Both daughters graduated from the College of William & Mary and served in the Peace Corps

(Ukraine and Uganda, respectively). Virginia, after receiving a Master’s in Journalism from the Uni-

versity of Missouri, is working in communications. She is active in Latrobe, teaches 7th through 10th

graders at the church and sings in the Summer Choir. Heather is pursuing a doctorate at Purdue

University in Environmental Engineering.

Bob, a graduate of Hamilton College and Cornell Law School, worked for the Office of the Comp-

troller of the Currency (one of the federal banking agencies) as an attorney and a manager for 30

years. Upon “retirement,” he worked at Bank of America as a Senior Vice President and is now an

independent consultant in the area of bank regulation and anti-money laundering.

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Vestry Candidates Continued

In recent years, Anne has been both an Usher and a Greeter welcoming new people to St.

John’s. She was a member of the Board of Trustees for the Arlington Community Foundation

and was recently elected to the Board of Trustees for The Goodwin House Foundation, Inc.

Anne received her bachelor’s degree from Duke University and a Master of Public Administra-

tion from The Maxwell School of Public Affairs at Syracuse University. She worked

as the Director of Career Services and Alumni Affairs on campus and in a number of different posi-

tions at the University facility in Washington. She retired three years ago and began a volun-

teer position as a docent at The Library of Congress. Anne was a caregiver for her husband Donald

for a number of years. She has four adult children and ten perfect grandchildren.

She served a term on the Vestry and was a delegate to the Diocesan

Convention to elect a new Bishop. Anne served in several capacities

during the last Capital Campaign including working on initial plans

with architects and surveying the congregation to determine the sco

pe of the campaign. She was also the Co­Chair of the successful fund

raising campaign to update the interior of the church, and buy and

install the new organ.

Anne Stewart searched for a year to find a church home after

moving to the Arlington, Virginia from upstate New York. She came

to hear the “new Rector”, Luis León, on his first Sunday twenty-one

ears ago and decided to stay! She has worked on a number of

committees over the years including a search committee for a

new assistant minister, the Outreach Committee and the Steward-

ship Committee where she organized several receptions to encour-

age leadership donors.

Thom Sinclair is an active member of St. John's. He currently serves

as an usher, crucifer and Lay Eucharistic Minister (LEM). He is also fin-

ishing his final year of the Education for Ministry (EFM) program. Thom

is a cradle Episcopalian. His father was an Episcopal priest who served

as both an Army Chaplain and later in the Dioceses of Atlanta. Thom

has always been active in the church with the exception of a few years’

hiatus while serving in the Peace Corps in Latvia.

He is a Senior Organizational Learning Advisor in the Policy, Planning

and Learning Bureau at the U.S. Agency for International Development

(USAID). He holds an MPA in International Public Service and Devel-

opment from Rutgers and an MA in Political Science from Georgia State University. Thom is married

to Jim Kreger who is the Organist and Choir Director at St. John’s Episcopal Church in Olney, MD.

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1 5

Baptisms February 15th at

9:00 a.m. service

April 12th at

11:00 a.m. service

May 24th at

11:00 a.m. service

Baptismal

Class

Thursday,

February 12th, at

6:45 p.m. in the

church.

Thursday,

April 9th, at 6:45 p.m.

in the church.

Thursday,

May 21 at 6:45 p.m. in

the church.

Baptism and Class Schedule

Please note that parents or grandparents of children being baptized must be active, pledging

members of St. John’s. Adults interested in baptism for themselves must attend the Rector’s

Adult Inquirers’ Class and be active, pledging participants of the parish.

If you are interested in having a child baptized, or in baptism for yourself, please contact Kaye

Edwards in the parish office at (202) 347–8766 ext. 317 or by email at

kaye.edwards@stjohns-dc.org.

Transfer In:

Margaret McQueen Cantrell – from Trinity Episcopal Cathedral, Columbia, SC

Transfers Out:

Eugene Phillip Stutts, Ann Glanville Stutts, and Parker Fleming Stutts – to Christ

the King Episcopal Church, Santa Rosa, FL

From the Register

Those who were born:

Molly Magee Lyons born on December 24

Steven Chase Bellman born on December 25

Charles Dana Outten Olivo born on December 25

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1

Faith and Politics: Advocacy as a Gospel Mandate

Theology on Tap with John Johnson

Wednesday, January 21, 2015

6:30—8:30 p.m.

The Bier Baron Tavern

There are two things that we are told we should never talk about in polite conversation: faith and politics.

Join us as John Johnson explores why followers of Jesus must actively influence public policy.

An Episcopalian from southern Georgia, John Johnson formerly worked for the Episcopal Church’s Office

of Government Relations and currently serves as the Program Director for the ELCA (Evangelical Luther-

an Church in America) Advocacy Office in Washington, D.C. The Presiding Bishop recently asked John-

son to chair the Executive Council.

Theology on Tap provides an opportunity to explore issues and topics that relate to faith and life in a cas-

ual, low-pressure environment. Speakers from a number of churches, universities, and institutions in the

D.C. area share their thoughts and experiences to get the conversations started each month. All are wel-

come!

Latrobe Fellowship Interested in any of the events listed below? Please contact the

Rev. Andy Olivo at (202) 347-8766 or at

andrew.olivo@stjohns-dc.org

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January 11: The Honorable Andrew H. ("Andy") Card,

White House Chief of Staff to President George W.

Bush and currently Franklin Pierce University's fifth

president.

Adult Forum Schedule

January 18: The Honorable Thomas F. (“Mack”) McLarty,

White House Chief of Staff to President William Jefferson

Clinton. He is the President of McLarty Associates, a

Washington-based consulting company, as well as Chief

Executive Officer of the McLarty Companies.

January 25: Vestry Candidates Presentation.

February 1: No Forum (Annual Meeting)

February 8: Karl Weissenbach, Director of the Eisenhower Presidential Library and Museum.

March 22: Gigi Bradford is chair of the Folger Shakespeare Library Poetry Board and a member of the

Emily Dickinson Museum Board of Governors. She has taught poetry at Politics & Prose bookstore for

almost a decade and is the inaugural recipient of the Poets House Elizabeth Kray Award for Service to Literature.

The Forum is an adult education program at St. John’s Church. From September through May, at 10

am most Sundays, we hear from scholars, poets, and leaders in our world, and in the world of faith.

Visit www.stjohns-dc.org for updates on this year’s

Adult Forum speakers or call the Parish House office

at (202) 347-8766 with any questions.

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Lafayette Fellowship All are Welcome!

Lafayette Fellowship meets once a month for Saint John’s community to gather in an informal setting in

order to talk and get to know one another. We begin our time together with Evening Prayer followed

by an activity. The fellowship evenings are interesting and provide lots of opportunities to pray, learn,

have fun, and enjoy good company. We meet on the third Tuesday of each month at 6:45 p.m. Please

bring a friend – all are welcome!

Champagne Tasting with the Rector

Tuesday, January 20, 2015

6:45 p.m.

Please join us as our Rector, The Rev. Luis León, guides us through an assortment of bubbly. There is

probably not a better way to begin our new year. Please meet in the Sanctuary of the church where we

will begin with Evening Prayer with homily. We will then move into the Parish Parlors to begin our

champagne education and tasting.

Please visit St. John’s website at www.stjohns-dc.org to register.

Lafayette Fellowship

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Advent Party

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Special Thanks!

Thanks to Wande Johnson and Nikki Allen,

Advent Party Coordinators,

and those who helped with the party:

Ashley Atwater

Krista Becker

Annie Simpson Froehlich

Kay Gilley

Greg Morrison

Karis and TJ Parnham

Adelle Simmons

David Trebing

Hilary West

Audrey Wood

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Winter 2015 Service Schedule January 11th—Feast of the Epiphany

7:45 a.m. | Holy Eucharist

9:00 a.m. | Sermon and Holy Eucharist and Baptism

10:45 a.m. | Church School

11:00 a.m. | Sermon and Holy Eucharist

1:00 p.m. | La Santa Eucaristía

January 18th—Second Sunday After Epiphany

7:45 a.m. | Holy Eucharist

9:00 a.m. | Sermon and Holy Eucharist

10:45 a.m. | Church School

11:00 a.m. | Sermon and Holy Eucharist

1:00 p.m. | La Santa Eucaristía

January 25th—Third Sunday After Epiphany

7:45 a.m. | Holy Eucharist

9:00 a.m. | Sermon and Holy Eucharist

10:45 a.m. | Church School

11:00 a.m. | Sermon and Holy Eucharist

1:00 p.m. | La Santa Eucaristía

Check website for updates at www.stjohns-dc.org.

Would you like to have an article or photo included in the February

edition of The Word? Please send your submissions to

Serina Freeman at serina.freeman@stjohns-dc.org by January 23.

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Our Newest Member

Introducing Charles Dana Outten Olivo , son of the Rev. Andy and Mrs. Catherine

Olivo. Charles was born Christmas morning at 8:17 a.m.

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Christmas Pageant Pictures

PAMELA VENZKE,

PAGEANT DIRECTOR

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Special Thanks! SPECIAL THANKS TO PAMELA VENZKE, OUR PAGEANT DIRECTOR, AND ALL THOSE

WHO HAVE CONTRIBUTED TO THE PRODUCTION OF THE 2014

CHRISTMAS PAGEANT.

ST. JOHN'S CHRISTMAS PAGEANT CAST:

Narrators: Jamie Agnew and Bayley Garland

Mary: Juliet Faris

Joseph: Gabriel Morrison

Baby Jesus: Elizabeth Sue Martin

Donkey: Delia Garza Jimenez

Elizabeth: Annie Garland

Baby John: Hall Elizabeth Meadows Mead

Angel Gabriel: Luke Morrison

Angel of the Lord: Thea Crouch

Star of Bethlehem: Elise Doucet

Lead Angels: Sofia Hermoza, Adrianna Leckow, and Elizabeth Thesmar

Angels: Caroline Astrich, Bobby Barnes, Ella Barnes, Gloria Burkhardt,

Katherine Charney, Samantha Hermoza, Amelie Mertins-Miller, Victoria

Mertins-Miller, Matilda Rossbach, and Lily Venzke

Lead Shepherds: Dean Collins, Jack Garland, Lansing Lee III and William

Wilson

Shepherds: Adam Charney, Benjamin Garland, Lansing Lee III, John Morri

son, Ugochukwu Owunwanne, Wesley Paty, Cooper Thesmar, Alexander

Lehmann Weng, Oliver Lehmann Weng, and Sebastian Lehmann Weng

Animals at the Stable: Ellie Paty, Nicholas Schoeneman, Bella Storm,

Bentley Storm, Lulu Storm, and Caroline Lehmann Weng

Back Stage and Other Pageant Volunteers: Barbara Burkhardt, Jennifer

Charney, Carolyn Gardner, Sandy Graves, Susan Lewis, Araceli Ma, Chrystal

Martin, Elizabeth Morrison, Felicia Owunwanne, Owen Owunwanne, Karis

Gong Parnham, TJ Parnham, Margaux Polanski, Katrina Robson, Laurie

Rossbach, and Patrick Venzke.

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Report from the Ven. Sharron Dinnie

A project of the Highveld Anglican Board of Social Responsibility

Kwasa 2014

2014 has been yet another challenging but very exciting year at Kwasa!

Heartfelt thanks to all who have journeyed with us and assisted in so many

ways!

Kwasa Pre-Primary

Numbers remained the same in 2014 – 116

children aged 3-6 years old were taught by

our 7 dedicated teachers under the leadership of Gill Elgar. The 2 Grade

“R” classes were once again taught by Johannes and Dorcas who are funded

now by the Department of Education. Kwasa remains indebted to the De-

partment of Social Development – their grant covers most of the nutrition

costs, and some of the teachers’ salaries.

The year ended with the school concert and “graduation” of learners who will advance to Grade 1 in

2015. We will miss Sheila Radebe next year – she has retired, having given 8 years’ faithful service to

Kwasa Pre-Primary. We wish her a happy, fulfilling retirement!

Kwasa College Grade 1’s

Our little “pioneers,” some seen here with Veritas learners, settled down quickly under the gentle yet

firm discipline of their teacher, Elaine Finke. They have learnt to read English and Afrikaans, and Mathe-

matics is another favourite subject. They will progress to Grade 2 in 2015, and their teacher will be Sasha

Minnaar – whose arrival at Kwasa we eagerly await!

Kwasa Scholarship Learners

In 2014 there were 84 learners at Strubenvale Primary, Werda primary, Springs Technical College and

Springs Girls’ High, in Grades 2-9. No Grade 1’s as they are in Kwasa College! Tshepiso Malape was in

Grade 12 – we await her Matriculation results!

These learners have been assisted with their homework in the After-Care by a faithful team of volunteers,

and will continue to be part of Kwasa until they matriculate – thank you to those who assist with bursa-

ries for them!

Of special note was Vinet Maepa (Grade 6 at Strubenvale) who was the Dux Scholar, received: medals for

7 subjects, academic scrolls for 4 subjects, a trophy for English, the Victrix Ludorum Trophy, is Captain of

Vaal House for 2015, and is a Prefect for 2015! We are all very proud of her, and await the outcome of an

application for a scholarship to a top school in the country for 2016.

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John Crane House (girls) and Mike Howes Boys’ House

On 6 February the Mike Howes Boys’ House at Kwasa was opened – and tribute must be paid to all who

donated towards its construction! There are now 14 girls and 12 boys being housed at Kwasa – all of

whom for one reason or another are vulnerable! My thanks to those who support the running of these

homes, and have helped to meet the needs of the children! Some very special visits and times with the

children have meant a great deal to them!

Kwasa College

A MOI (Memorandum of Incorporation) and Constitution have been drawn up and submitted for the reg-

istration of Kwasa College as a ‘Company Not For Profit’ – an Independent Diocesan School under the

patronage of St. Mary Magdalene. In 2015 we will be able to apply for funding from the Department of

Education – to begin in 2016 at the level we were at in 2014!

A school badge is being designed, and a school song composed – all very exciting!

It has been wonderful to have St. Dunstan’s College come alongside us after a visit by the Heads of

School and some of their staff. Really good and comforting to know that as we grow – they will be there

to advise and assist in many ways – governance being a priority. It has been great to have classes visit us

and interact with our children, and parents have been so generous! We look forward to our older

‘sibling’ walk this path with us!

Property

The application for re-zoning of the property (to educational) was submitted over a year ago. I believe it

is a lengthy process – we can but await the outcome!

Since the purchase of the property, we have sought ways of resolving the situation of the occupants of the

‘White Building.’ They, as well as the occupants of the 42 houses on our property did not see the need to

pay for the water they consumed, and an extremely large water bill had built up. The matter was taken to

various levels with the authorities, and it has been the City Manager and our local Ward Councillor who

have assisted in negotiations which have resulted in the White House occupants being relocated to shacks

on land adjacent to the houses, where water is now provided for them by the Council. This is a tempo-

rary measure, but has meant that the immediate surrounds of the school and safe houses can be secured

by a perimeter fence, and in addition we have security guards on duty 24 hours a day.

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Plans for Grades 1 and 2 classrooms and ablution facilities were submitted some time ago – however

have still not been passed. The dolomite division required a geotechnical report which meant a borehole

had to be drilled, soil samples studied and a report submitted which has taken time. The report showed

no danger of subsidence – the plans have still not been passed! Unfortunately this presents us with a

problem for the beginning of the new school year in January as we will be 2 classrooms short – possibly

having to use the church building for the first term.

Funds for this phase of the building have been provided by a funding Trust in the U.K. and the potential

sale of Annalaura House in Springs. A grant secured through St John’s in Washington D.C. from a Foun-

dation in the U.S.A. means that we could consider building a third classroom early in 2015!

Another priority is to “refurbish” the little church building so as to provide the College with a worship

space in what will be the College Chapel. The architects are busy with plans and once we have a cost

from the builder, there is the chance that Chapel-of-the-Cross in North Carolina might assist with this

project! Then there is the “White Building.” At the moment there is just a shell – but the plan is for it to

be our School Hall and administration centre in the future. There is also a plan for a possible clinic facili-

ty, which if funded, could provide people from the settlement with access to basic health care facilities,

counselling etc.

Visits and Visitors

At the very generous invitation of these two churches, a group visited them in May. As always on

these visits – the friendship, love and hospitality we received was phenomenal! The two young boys, Za-

mane and Brandon will never forget the acceptance and generosity they experienced – it was a life-

changing experience for them. Carol Beetge, Michael-Jon and I likewise appreciated re-connecting with all

those people who have become very dear friends over the years, and who have such special places in our

hearts and lives, and at Kwasa!

It was a joy, later on in the year, to host Vanessa, Jamie and Aiden – three delightful young people from St.

John’s, and in December, Tony Turner.

From the U.K. – Jan and Phil Hancock, Rich, Annie, Ben, Becky, and Jess Benton, Claire, Jon and Dom, and

Simon Cooke.

Also unforgettable have been the visits of others to Kwasa: Assupol for their Mandela Day observance;

ABESA; Heads, Teachers and pupils from St. Dunstan’s College, Staff and pupils from Veritas College, Julie

Aspris and her family and friends; Lynette Naaidoo and her family and colleagues, Cargo Motors, The Lion-

esses from Edenvale, Morgan from C2C and Jody, Alan Keartland, whose stunning photographs featured in

Southern Anglican, and many, many more who have helped to make 2014 such an unforgettable year!

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Vestry and Staff

Vestry

Hilary West, Junior Warden

Mike Becraft

Carrie Garland

Fernando Hermoza

Marilyn Jenkins

Wande Johnson

Frank Klotz

Michelle Mangrum

Richard Metzger

John More

Avo Reid

Brian Schoeneman

Holly Sukenik

Krista Becker, Treasurer

Virginia Bader, Assistant Treasurer

Michael Jones, Secretary

Christopher R. Wall, Parish Counsel

Head Usher

James H. Czerwonky

The Parish Staff

Hayden G. Bryan

Executive Director for Operations

Evangeline Gravina

Operations Assistant

Betsy Heine

Financial Secretary

Serina Freeman

Communications Coordinator

R.J. Gravina

Program Coordinator

Victor Obregon

Sexton

Glynnis Bryant

Assistant Sexton

Prosper Daziorlor

Assistant Sexton

Dora Genovez

Housekeeper

St. John’s Church, Lafayette Square

1525 H Street, NW

Washington, DC 20005