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Parish Life

The Dean's Address to the Annual Meeting of the Parish

The following is an excerpt from Fr. Marcus Kaiser’s address to the Annual Meeting of the Parish, given on Sunday, 20 June.

To read the entire transcription, please click the button below.

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This is no easy feat, to transition from a mansion to a ranch. But it is simple. It's very simple. It means thinking of ourselves less, it means focusing on the world around us. It means focusing on the product which is disciples for Jesus Christ. Like the Blues Brothers, we are on a mission from God. So, my beloved fellow ranchers, I have no anxiety, absolutely no anxiety about the future of St. Peter's. I have no anxiety at all. So long as I believe that Jesus is on his throne, I can't. The success of any human endeavor might collapse. I myself might fail phenomenally in every effort. But the success of the one holy, catholic and apostolic church cannot fail.

 It cannot fail.

 If we are part of that kingdom, our success is given by decree by God Almighty, from the depths of eternity in the halls of heaven. He has spoken, the church will advance! Our only option is whether we're going to be part of it or not. The gates of hell cannot withstand the onslaught and march to which we have been called. So, when asked for a mission statement I offer you instead, or as a mission statement, the gospel of Jesus Christ, according to St. Matthew, the 28th chapter beginning at the 16th verse, you may have heard this before. "After Jesus rose from the dead, the 11 disciples went to Galilee, to the mountain to which Jesus had directed them. And when they saw Him, they worshiped, but some doubted,” even perhaps as some might doubt here tonight. “And Jesus came to them and said, 'All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go, therefore, and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you,” including the command to love one another. “And behold, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.'"

 So, let's be a ranch, because Jesus is with us. Amen."

New Vestry Members and Synod Delegates Elected

St. Peter’s Anglican Cathedral held its Annual Meeting of the Parish on Sunday, June 27, 2021, at 6:30 p.m. for the purpose of electing four new members to the Vestry and four parish delegates for the Synod of the Gulf Atlantic Diocese. More than 175 members of the Cathedral attended the meeting in which new Vestry members were elected for the first time since 2018.

 Julie Dombroski, Jerry Ford, Kristina Osterhaus, and Bruce Prevatt were each elected to serve three-year terms on the Vestry.

 DeWitt Miller, Cal Melton, Neal Johnson, and Kel Farris were each elected to serve as delegates to Diocesan Synod.

 The outgoing Vestry members Sam Bennett, Jaimi Wacksman, Katrina Rolle, and Ann Wong were recognized for their years of service and commitment to the stewardship of St. Peter’s Anglican Cathedral.

Vestry Slate for 2021

Vestry Slate for 2021

St. Peter's introduces the 2021 Vestry Slate. Many names were submitted for consideration, and the Nominating Committee, utilizing the criteria for Vestry membership and Godly discernment, are pleased to present these eight individuals to the parish to stand for election to the St. Peter’s Vestry.

  • Julie Dombroski

  • Kel Farris

  • Jerry Ford

  • Neal Johnson

  • Cal Melton

  • DeWitt Miller

  • Kristina Osterhaus

  • Bruce Prevatt

As a reminder of the process and timeline:

What happens to the nominations once made?

  • After confirming that each nominee meets the canonical requirements to be a vestry member, the Dean sends the full list of eligible nominees to the Nominating Committee.

  • The Nominating Committee is made up of the off-going vestry members and the Rector, who is a non-voting member of the Committee.

  • That committee then prayerfully discerns who God might be calling to serve as a vestry member and begins calling those nominees to ask if they will be willing to run.

  • The Nominating Committee will keep contacting nominees until they identify an appropriate number of candidates, normally around two for every seat vacant.

  • The Nominating Committee then submits the final slate of candidates to the vestry for approval.

  • Around two weeks before the Annual Parish Meeting, the church office will publish a final slate.

The timeline:

Vestry Candidates for Election

Julie Dombroski

Julie is a retired teacher and the widow of John Dombroski. Her daughter, Christine, is married to Sean Jecko in North Carolina, and her son, Matthew, is married to Tori in California. She has three grandchildren; Ann Elizabeth and Jonathan Jecko, and Savannah Sadie Dombroski. She has been a member of St. Peter’s since 2005. She helps with the first grade Sunday school class, and she is a member of both Mary & Martha Guild and Daughters of the Holy Cross. She attends various Bible study classes, Mom to Mom, and the new Grandparents group. She is also a new member of the Cathedral Connections Ministry.

Kelton Farris

Kel has been an in-house attorney for SunTrust Bank and a premium finance company that was owned by SunTrust for almost 30 years, and he and his family moved to Tallahassee in 2002. He has been married to Margaret for 30 years, and they have been blessed with a son and daughter (John and Madison), who attended St. Peter’s until they grew up and left home. Kel and Margaret have been members of St. Peter’s since the Church started in 2005. During his time at St. Peter’s, Kel has been involved in Kairos Prison Ministry, a Men’s Breakfast cooking team (back when we cooked the breakfasts), an 11:15 ushering team and numerous Bible study classes.

Jerry Ford

Dr. Jerry Ford is an ophthalmologist with Eye Associates of Tallahassee. He is married to Cay and they have been members of St. Peter’s since 2005. Together they have three children, Anna Cay (22), James (20), and Lainey (14). Jerry’s participation in ministry at St. Peter’s has included: Usher since 2005 (Head Usher 2009-2018), Finance Committee member, Synod delegate, Vestry, Media Committee, Dean Search Committee, and he recently participated in Avodah Day 2021 at Good Samaritan Village.

Neal Johnson

Neal Johnson has been married to Joanne for over sixty years. Together, they have two grown children and six grandchildren, ages 16 to 33. He retired from AT&T and Bellsouth Telephone where he served for thirty-three years with his last position being Operations Manager for Bellsouth Special Services Operations. He has attended St. Peter’s since January 2006 and currently serves as a Lay Eucharistic Minister and with a Wednesday morning Sexton Team. In the past, he has served on the Vestry, as a Synod Representative, as a Stephen Minister, usher, and as the Family Verger/Representative for funerals.

Cal Melton

Dr. Cal Melton is a Chiropractic Physician in Tallahassee and has been practicing for the past 20 years. His wife, Corrie, and he came to St. Peter's shortly after its formation. They have raised their sons, William and Phillip, here. Most of his immediate family has joined them at St. Peter's including his father, Calvin Melton, who recently joined the church, and his sister, Callie Griffin and her family. His nephew, Seiler Griffin, was an acolyte until he recently left for college.

He has been a member at St. Peter's since 2010, serving as a Verger for the last five years and Acolyte Master since Jamie’s retirement in March. Other areas of service include Discernment Committees, Co-Chair for the 2012 Parish Retreat, Middle School small group leader, and “Dad” of several Dynamos weekend. He has chaperoned two youth mission trips and has been involved with the Children’s, Youth, and Hospitality Ministries.

St. Peter's has been an amazing place for his family. He looks forward to continuing to serve where the Lord directs him.

DeWitt Miller

DeWitt Miller is the President of Miller Glass Company. He has been a member of St. Peter’s since its founding in 2005. He has been active in an Acts Group and men’s ministry, serving as a men’s retreat co-chair. Additionally, he has served as a verger as well as on the Search Committee for our new Dean. He is married to Kathy and has two grown children and three grandchildren.

Kristina Osterhaus

Kristina is a former attorney turned stay-at-home mom. She and her husband Tim have attended St. Peter's since 2008 with their four (now teenage) children - Elizabeth, Will, Anne, and Ian. Kristina's mom, Astrid Reynolds, joined St. Peter's shortly after she moved to Tallahassee to be closer to family. Kristina has taught the preschool Sunday School class for over a decade. She has also served on the Vestry, the Vestry Nominations Committee, and the Children's Ministry Advisory Council, worked as a tribe leader at many Vacation Bible Schools, and volunteered at the English Fayre. Most recently, she served as secretary to the Search Committee.

Bruce Prevatt

Bruce Prevatt is a retired Director of the FSU Center for Employee Assistance as well as a retired Captain in the United States Navy Reserves. He has been a member of St. Peter’s since 2005. His involvement in the parish has included: Finance Committee (Treasurer); diocesan delegate; mission trips to Uganda and Cuba; Stephen Ministry Leader; Verger; Lay Eucharistic Minister; Grandparents Ministry; and a Home/Visiting Lay Eucharistic Minister. He is married to Frances and has six children and eight grandchildren.

Members in Good Standing

Per the St. Peter’s Bylaws, Article I states that a Member in Good Standing is

  1. Baptized;

  2. Over 18 years of age;

  3. A member of the Church for at least six (6) months prior to the date of the vote or election;

  4. Free from ecclesiastical censure;

  5. Regular in his or her attendance at the Church’s services;

  6. A member who contributes his or her time, talents or treasure to the expenses or needs of the Church for at least six (6) months prior to the date of the vote or election; and

  7. Committed to the orthodox doctrine, discipline, and worship of the Church. Orthodox doctrine is defined as the Christian belief that is taught and established in Holy Scripture and stated in the confession of the Nicene and Apostles’ Creed.

Beating the Bounds

Led by Fr. Marcus, we resurrected an ancient English tradition called “Beating the Bounds” on Sunday. Parishioners of all ages circled the property and prayed for God’s blessing and cleansing of our land and buildings. Children were especially enthusiastic in leading this with cowbells and pompoms, while singing ‘We’re beating the bounds, we claim this land for Jesus Christ, we’re beating the bounds!’

The tradition of ‘Beating the Bounds’ occurs during Rogation Days—the three days preceding Ascension Day, which is tomorrow!

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