CALVARY
Episcopal Church
Indian Rocks Beach, Florida
"To know Christ,...
and to make Him known."
Join us this Sunday
8AM & 10AM
(In-Season Services)
Leadership
"Almighty God, by your divine providence you have brought us into the sacred fellowship of this parish. Help us, we pray, to worship you with such holy worship, to serve you with such unselfish love, and to give so generously for the extension of your Kingdom, that we may become more worthy members of your holy Catholic Church; and that our parish may faithfully fulfill its mission to make known your truth and to convey your love to all; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen"
Parish Prayer c. January 1995
Jesus taught his disciples to go out and make disciples of men. We need to be in a continuous rhythm of selecting and growing leaders of the Church for today and for tomorrow. We are always seeking new ways to grow and through the circles of leadership in the Church we humbly discover our own capabilities, strengths and weaknesses. Volunteering to be a leader is daunting for some but afterwards many will say it is the most rewarding experience they ever had. There are many areas of Leadership at Calvary, many committees and sublevels, but the 'Vestry' remains, per the Canons of the Church, the base of volunteers required to function and assist the Clergy in Leadership. They are elected at the Annual Meeting (last Sunday in January) by the congregation and consent of the Rector.
Our Church is led by the Rector and Vestry. Together they form the Executive order of leadership but there are countless volunteers within all our Great Commissions who lead so faithfully in many capacities. Below are those we have been called, hired or elected to be our chosen executive leaders.
The 2023 Vestry
Commission Vestry Member
Christian Education: Patricia Brady
Connections: Shirley McAllister
Fellowship: Bob Angelo
Leadership: Fr. Roberts
Pastoral Care: Kathryn Powers
Property: Steve Anderson
Outreach: Bob Cannistraro & Clive Burton
Stewardship: Mary Beals
Missions: Connie Curran
Worship: Bob Thacker
Sr. Warden: Bob Thacker
Jr. Warden: Steve Anderson
Treasurer: Rick Schock
Clerk: Lynne Roberts
Clergy
The Reverend Jon Roberts, Priest & Rector
"Father" Jon and his family joined Calvary on October 14th, 2013 as the fifth Rector in its history. He has served churches in Hillsborough, NC, Delafied, WI, Monroe, LA, Venice, Sarasota and Naples, FL. Prior to becoming a parish priest, he was a molecular biologist who worked in both academic and corporate industries at ECU & Duke University and MWG Biotech, Inc.. Working with young people, as a Youth Minister as a lay minister, leading youth and adults to projects in Missouri, North & South Carolina, Florida, Maine, Dominican Republic, Mexico and Canada, missional work deepened his love of being a servant of the Lord. As an ordained minister he built upon his experiences, deepening his pastoral efforts, specializing in age-related dementia and cancer, Fr. Jon is devoted to both Young and Senior life ministries. Liturgically he was trained at Nashotah House, an Anglo-catholic theological seminary in Wisconsin where he learned to practice the Benedictine rule of life. He graduated in 2007 and ever since, his training and experiences have served him well as a parish priest who is often called to do a wide range of duties for the operation of the church. We are blessed that he and his family accepted the call to join our Church family.
Staff
Ms. Lia King, Parish Administrator
Lia joined us September 6, 2016 to become our Parish Administrator. She is a graduate of the University of Florida with a MS in Urban & Regional Planning. Most of her career has specialized in customer service, data management and communications. Her experience includes being a Commissioner for the Cedar Key Water & Sewer District, GeoFocus Inc. Information Systems, Gateway Girl Scouts and a self-owned handbag and luggage store. Lia works directly with all of our major publications and helps us manage the several events and use of space at Calvary with great skill and joy.
Mr. Gabriel Johnston, Organist & Choirmaster
Gabriel joined us October 25, 2022 to become our Organist & Choirmaster. He has been the Organist at Grace Presbyterian, Gainesville and pianist at the University of Florida's Dance department. He is a "Local", graduating from Largo High School and furthering his education at the University of Florida, where he earned his Bachelor of Arts in Astronomy & French Literature, and a minor in Physics, Geology and Music Performance. He is currently in his second year of graduate work, to earn a doctoral degree in Geophysics. His love for music and choir development is parallel to this course as Gabriel studied under Drs. Laura Ellis, and several other acclaimed mentors at UF, where he learned how to master his technique in Organ, Piano and Viola. His church background is Catholic and his special interest is French Catholic music, that he learned when playing at various cathedrals and parishes in Paris during the previous summers. Gabriel enjoys recruitment and development of choir and cantors within and brings this added resource to Calvary by his interconnection with local high school and community college choirs. We are blessed that he accepted the call to be the Organist & Choirmaster of Calvary and we look forward to his gifts of music being shared with all.