MEET YOUR VESTRY CANDIDATES FOR 2024 Voting will take place on December 3th during the Annual Meeting immediately following the 9:30 AM worship service.

This year, we have six candidates to fill four Vestry seats in the Class of 2026 (each serving a three-year term from 2024 - 2026) and one Vestry seat in the Class of 2025 (a 2-year term). Our six candidates for these five positions are: Cindy Freeman, Mynn Paige, Ted Alexander, Camille Stell, Elizabeth Lyon, and Suzanne Griffin. At the Annual Parish Meeting on Sunday, December 3, we will invite other nominations from the floor. If there are additional nominees, we will add them to the ballot. The four people who receive the largest number of votes will be elected as the Class of 2026. The candidate receiving the fifth largest number of votes will be elected to the 2-year term available in the Class of 2025. You must be physically present at the Annual Parish Meeting to vote, and (by the honor system) you are expected to be a "confirmed communicant in good standing," aged 16 or older. (This means you have been confirmed in the Episcopal Church, your baptism is registered in our parish registry, and you have participated in Holy Communio at least 3 times in the last year.) Thank you to all these wonderful parishioners for their willingness to serve if elected!

Cindy Freeman I have been an Episopalian all my life, attending large churches and very small ones. I have been on the Vestry of a very small church twice and I was a co-leader in charge of half of the ministries for about a year. I have also been on a search committee and served as a chalice bearer and reader. I am retired from teaching students in a community college to become registered nurses. In my role as an educator I served as chair of the curriculum committee when we converted from quarters to semesters and when we had to reduce credit hours throughout every associate degree program. I think that I am qualified to serve on the Vestry due to my experience with various committees in my working life. Currently I lead the Book Club at St. John's and am a chalice bearer and reader. It would be an honor to serve on the Vestry of St. John's!

Mynn Paige Hi there! I am Mynn Paige.I’ve been a member of St. John’s for 30 years.That seems funny, since I grew up in an Army family, attending 10 schools by the time I graduated from high school! I have been on the Vestry here one time before, prior to COVID. I taught Sunday School when my two boys were growing up. I now serve on the Altar and Flower Guilds, and I work with the Outreach Strategy Committee, including volunteering at the Wake Forest Community Meals site at Hope House. Those roles aside, I stay here because the Spirit moves at St. John’s. There’s room for everyone and all sides of a topic; there are friends I would have never met. Also, my husband’s ashes reside in our peace-filled Columbarium. Thank you for your interest in St. John’s Vestry nominations.

Ted Alexander I have only been a part of the Episcopal Church for a little over 3 years now, so still learning. My wife Jane and I moved to Youngsville in June 2020 to be closer to our son’s family and grandson. We had spent our entire married life in the Methodist Church, but for many reasons felt that we needed a change. We started looking for a new church on-line to see what was out there and we ran across St. John’s website and saw the message, right there on the homepage: “Love God. Love Your Neighbor. No Exceptions.” It was exactly what we wanted to hear. After just a month of listening to Mother Sarah and Father Mawethu’s Sunday messages, we knew we had found a home. Earlier this year, the Ministry Engagement Team asked if I would be interested in leading Hot Dog Sunday. It was the perfect opportunity to contribute and serve, since I love to be in the kitchen cooking, feeding family, friends or planning a large tailgate party. There is just something about fellowship over food, whether it is Hot Dog Sunday, Soulful Suppers, or a meal at Hope House that spreads joy and says you care. Hot Dog Sunday has given me the chance to meet and get to know so many members of our church family. I must admit I was surprised being nominated to serve on the Vestry. Being so new, it feels like this would be a good opportunity to get a better understanding of how our church operates and help addressing issues and concerns. I have 35+ years of experience in Information Technology, the last 15 as Project/Program manager helping lead and develop complex IT business solutions. I currently manage a $10 million+ budget for my department, so I understand how important it is to get the most value out of what we are entrusted. I’m honored to be nominated, if elected, I believe my analytical thinking and management skills, as well as life experiences can be useful in addressing challenges and opportunities our church may face.

Camille Stell I’m Camille Stell and I am excited to run for Vestry at St. John’s and I’d love to tell you a little about myself. My husband Robert and I have been married for 40 years. We have lots of grown nieces and nephews that we love spending time with and we enjoy playing with our 3 great-nieces (ages 8, 6, and 2) and our great-nephew (age 4). I grew up in the Southern Baptist church and remained active in the same church for 50 years. However, in 2016, Robert and I took a faith journey that led us to a new denomination and a new church.  We visited several churches during the spring of 2016 and we found St. John’s during the time the church was searching for their new rector. We loved everything about the church from our first visit and when we left that summer day in July, we knew we had found our new church home. To get to know people better, Robert and I started attending Supper Club just a few months after we joined. Over time, I became involved in other ways. I sing in the choir, I’ve taught a few adult education classes, and have served on the Stewardship Team including serving as Team Leader.  I’m excited to have been a part of the recent growth at St. John’s and I’d love to assist the church in a leadership role during this continuing time of transition.

Elizabeth Lyon I am a long time Episcopalian, having converted to the church from the Protestant Church in New England, where I grew up, at age 14. I was an active member in the Episcopal Church through high school, and was a member of my church’s youth group, an acolyte, and played the handbells. I am currently a reader in the 9:30 AM service on Sundays, and I have been a member of St. John’s Episcopal since the beginning of Advent in 2019. I have served as a charter member of the Library Committee, which revamped St. John’s Church Library over the course of the last two years. I have been an active member of the St. John’s Hiking group, formed during the COVID shutdown. I am an architect with an active private practice and I look forward to bringing my talents to our building and grounds-related ministries. My family includes a fourteen-year-old daughter, Emily, and twin eleven-year-old boys, Peter and Russell (our newest hiker!). I look forward to serving St. John’s in a deeper capacity and to help shape the stewardship of St. John’s mission to serve our parish and the larger community.

Suzanne Griffin I, Suzanne Griffin am honored to be nominated to serve on the Vestry for St. John's. I served on the Vestry for 8 years at St. Andrew's Episcopal Church in Columbia, North Carolina. During those 8 years I was also the Senior Warden. I value myself as a good listener and if elected will work diligently towards the goals and needs of St. John's.