August 16, 2023

Dear All Saints Family,

On behalf of the Vestry I am elated to announce that after two years of fervent prayer, discernment, dedicated work, and seeking God’s will, the Lord is calling a new Rector to All Saints Church!  The Rev. Dr. James L. Pahl, Jr. will assume the leadership of our parish next month, and we are extremely excited to see how God’s Spirit will lead, transform, and grow us under Fr. Jamie’s wisdom and direction.  

Father Jamie will officially join us on Sunday, September 24, and he will preach at both the 8:30 and 10:30 services.  We will worship together that morning at a blended 10:30 service in the Nave with a welcome reception immediately following.   

Father Jamie grew up in Raleigh, NC.  He is a lifelong Episcopalian, and much of his early faith formation occurred at St. Michael’s Church in Raleigh.  He received a Bachelor of Arts in Communications from North Carolina State University in 1995, and prior to being called into ministry, he worked at Quintiles where he was involved in the budgeting and planning processes of pharmaceutical drug studies.  

After feeling a call to ministry, Fr. Jamie attended Virginia Theological Seminary (VTS) where he earned a Master in Divinity degree in 2005.  His first call to ordained ministry was as Assistant Rector at St. James Parish in Wilmington, NC.  Jamie was next called as Rector of St. Stephen’s Episcopal Church in Oxford, NC.  While there, he earned a Doctor of Ministry degree from VTS in 2018.  In 2019, Jamie was recruited back to St. Michael’s, Raleigh (his home parish), to serve in the senior assisting clergy role in the areas of staff and administration, adult and children formation, parish life, and outreach and mission.

Jamie met his wife, Susie, at NC State University, and they have been married for 27 years.  They have four children: twin 23-year-old boys, Henry and Jonah; Caroline (20); and Eliza (15). Father Jamie and his family are very excited to join the All Saints family and we are blessed and excited to welcome them as Fr. Jamie becomes our new Rector! (Please see full bio, below.)

As you know, discerning God’s will is not always easy, and the task of calling a new Rector required a lot of hard and faithful work by our Vestry members over the past 2 years.  I want to thank each of them for their individual and collective contributions throughout our demanding search process: Cynthia Bryant, Dan Buckingham, Carrie Carlson, Liza Cole, Catherine Eshelman, Eric Fedowitz, Phoebe Miles, Edward Neufville, Mark Pelesh, Michael Petrucelli, Chris Robinson, Bob Roop, Beryl Scott, Lori Shore, Jennifer Sirangelo, and Hugh Webster.  I would especially like to thank Susan Awad and Tony D’Emidio, my predecessors as Senior Warden, who devoted inordinate amounts of time, energy, thought, and prayer in leading the Vestries through this search.  I am deeply indebted to them for the faithful path they charted.   

I would also like to thank Fathers BJ and Matthew and the entire All Saints Staff for their leadership, determination, faithful ministry, and outstanding work during this leadership transition.  While many parishes diminish during such times, we have grown spiritually, numerically, and financially due to the gifted and dedicated staff God has used to bless All Saints Church. There was so much work – both boldly outward-facing and quietly, behind the scenes – that went into moving All Saints forward during this period.  My sense is that most of you have only seen glimpses of the hard work our staff does on a weekly basis.  God has truly blessed us, and on behalf of the Vestry I want to express our sincere gratitude for all their dedicated efforts.

Finally, I would like to thank all of our parishioners.  We are blessed and strong because you are here.  I know that you have faithfully prayed for God’s guidance for a new Rector; given of your own time, talent, and treasure for the sake of His Kingdom; and encouraged our Clergy, Staff, and Vestry these past two years.  Your continued support of the Gospel mission and the worship and ministries of All Saints Church is evidence of God’s Spirit working within you.  Thank you for all you have done and are continuing to do here.

Week after week, I continue to be moved by the gracious bonds of affection our parishioners routinely extend to one another and – through our various mission ministries – to the world beyond.  In that same loving spirit, please join us in welcoming Father Jamie on Sunday, September 24.  It will certainly be a time of joy and celebration!  Until then, may God uphold and encourage you and your loved ones.

Sincerely,

Kevin Wrege

Senior Warden

The Rev. Dr. James L. Pahl, Jr. (Jamie)

Born in Winston Salem, NC, in 1971, Jamie Pahl was the first of six children born to Larkin and Alice Pahl.  Eventually growing up in Raleigh, NC, he graduated from North Carolina State University in 1995.  Jamie’s spiritual home was St. Michael’s Episcopal Church where he was involved in the youth group, choir, mission work, and served as an acolyte.  St. Michael’s was pivotal in his faith development, and it was the church that launched him into ministry in the late 1990s and early 2000s.

Jamie met his wife, Susie, at NC State and they were married in 1996.  Currently, Susie is the assistant to the financial director/CPA at Christ Episcopal Church, Raleigh.  She hopes to continue her work remotely for as long as it is possible.  They have four children:  23-year-old twin boys — Henry and Jonah, — recent graduates of NC State University, who are still living at home and looking for jobs; a 20-year-old daughter, Caroline — a Junior at UNC-Wilmington; and a 15-year-old daughter, Eliza — a rising 9th grader who will attend Bethesda-Chevy Chase (BCC).

Before ministry, Jamie worked briefly with his father in some investment opportunities overseas, and eventually at Quintiles in the Research Triangle Park,  in North Carolina.  He was involved in pharmaceutical drug studies, and specifically the budgeting and planning process.  Part-time mission work to Guatemala was a big part of his ministry for many years, serving several different orphanages.  

Jamie attended Virginia Theological Seminary (VTS) where he earned the Master in Divinity degree in 2005.  Bishop Michael Curry ordained him as Deacon in 2005, and he was ordained as Priest by Bishop Clifton Daniel on behalf of Bishop Curry in January 2006.  His first call to ordained ministry was as Assistant Rector at St. James Parish, Wilmington, NC, in the Diocese of East Carolina.  Following this formative time, Jamie was elected and called as Rector of St. Stephen’s Episcopal Church, Oxford, NC in the Diocese of North Carolina, where he served for over eleven years.  In 2013, while in Oxford, Jamie began work on a Doctor of Ministry degree from VTS. He successfully defended his doctoral dissertation in 2017, earning the degree in 2018.  His thesis is titled, Community Backyard Relationship-Building: A Partnership between the Church, Government, and Local Stakeholders.  For many years, he has served on several community and diocesan boards which focus on the faith community, government and local stakeholders partnering together to address numerous issues.

In 2019, Jamie was recruited back to St. Michael’s, Raleigh (his home parish), a corporate-sized church to serve as Vicar in the senior assisting clergy role.  This reflected his many years as a priest, but also as rector of a parish. His focus was staff and administration, adult and children Christian formation, parish life, and outreach and mission, among other ministries.

In addition to his ministry, Jamie is a guitarist/singer/songwriter who loves spending time out West, in the mountains, and at the coast, playing tennis, and collecting historical manuscripts and artifacts.  He also very much enjoys time with family and friends. He has a real call to leading pilgrimages to the Holy Land, having completed two life-changing pilgrimages in 2018 and 2022.  Jamie already has a trip planned for September 2024, partnering with St. Michael’s, and he looks forward to bringing the opportunity to All Saints!

Jamie and his family are excited to join the All Saints family, and he is honored to be called as Rector.  He looks forward to serving in ministry with parishioners, staff and clergy... following the Holy Spirit in leading the parish forward!