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A Welcome to our Membership Coordinator!

Thanks to a three-year grant from the Diocese of Texas, Ms. Fay Jones was hired by St. John’s as its new half-time staff person to help coordinate the integration of newcomers and visitors into the life and ministries of the parish.  Fay will also assist in contacting those regular attendees of the parish who have not yet transferred their letters of membership to St. John’s.  And that’s not all she’s going to do.  She will be the staff liaison to various parish ministries, including the Greeters and Ushers and the Communications Ministries, plus other ministries, which have to do with hospitality and the welcoming of visitors to St. John’s.   Fay prefers to call them, “guests.”  Fay was selected from among three very well qualified candidates who made the selection committee’s short list.

Fay comes well equipped to do this new job.  Up to mid August, she held a similar position at Calvary Church, Bastrop and left that position when her then rector, the Rev’d Matt Zimmerman, left Calvary to take on an a new church in Lawrence, Kansas.  When I contacted Rev. Zimmerman to inquire about Fay, he said, “You can’t go wrong with Fay.  You just point her in the right direction and she goes to work creatively and energetically, and with a great commitment to evangelistic growth.”

Fay Jones is a life-long Episcopalian, and recently lost her husband, Richard Jones, a retired Episcopal priest who assisted at Calvary.  She and her husband had been quite active in the Katrina related recovery efforts in Mississippi.  She is native Texan from Nacogdoches, and has a mother and two married daughters living in Austin.

Fay Jones

I am a “cradle” Episcopalian with a deep sense of tradition enhanced by an eagerness to see the church move into the future. Growing up in a large Episcopal Church in Shreveport, Louisiana, I was a member of the choir until I graduated from high school, and I was also a member of the Junior Altar Guild.  I have served as Delegate to Council in Louisiana, Mississippi, and Texas, and as such have participated in the election of 3 bishops.  I have served on vestries in Indiana, Mississippi, and at Calvary, Bastrop, where I was Jr. Warden.  Other areas of service to the church include Lector, Lay Eucharistic Minister, Choir, Director of the Altar Guild, Acolyte Trainer and other youth programs.

I am the proud mother of two daughters, Erica (42) and Heidi (40) and the grandmother of three gorgeous children, Samuel (11), Hope (9), and Anna (9).  They all live in Austin, as does my mother and 2 of my 3 sisters.  I am also the “step” mother of a son and a daughter, 3 grands, and 3 great-grands!  My primary interests are my family, reading, travel, and the outdoors (this summer has just about beaten me!)  Ask me about my trip to Montana!

My late husband, who was an Episcopal priest, and I have been very active in Calvary Episcopal Church in Bastrop, Texas, since 2004.  When he died in June, 2007, I was offered the position of Lay Ministries Coordinator at the church.  I was tasked with “creating” this new position, which included the assimilation of new members.  I am very excited to apply the principles and techniques I have learned to the challenges and possibilities here at St John’s!  It is my desire and expectation to work within the ministries already functioning here, and introduce others, to welcome guests and invite them into active membership.

I lead by example and motivate by touching the passion in another’s heart.  I believe that there is a generation of young people out there who are hungry for what the Church has to offer, and we must welcome them and help them feel a part of our community.  I also believe that many older people who have left the Church are missing that spiritual side of life, which is so necessary for aging gracefully.

Thank you for welcoming me into your midst.  I am anticipating great things at St John’s and look forward to the opportunity to be a part of your exciting future.

Fay Jones

Membership Coordinator