STAFF TRANSITION :: A MESSAGE FROM DEVON

Dear St. Paul’s:

Today I announce that Laurie Pierce, our Director for Children, Youth and Family Ministry, will be concluding her ministry at St. Paul’s Indy. Her last Sunday will be September 7, during which we will send her with blessings, gifts, and a celebration of her four years serving the parish. Personally, I will miss her presence and big heart very much and will covet time spent together over the summer.

I asked Laurie to share with me work and ministry about which she is particularly proud. Here are a few things she shared:

• Children and Youth wanting to come to church on their own ; parents telling me it was their kid that dragged them out of bed; teens taking the bus to join Youth Group
• One teenager sharing at Adult Forum in April that the Youth 4 Justice Pilgrimage helped her find belonging in this community and find her belief in God
• Youth Group - even though there's a wide age range - students care for each other, share vulnerably, and have found belonging together
• Helping to integrate more children and teens into worship roles
• Recruiting and maintaining 40 parishioners to tell stories in Godly Play, lead Youth Group, serve as community builders for children and teens, and lead events within Family Ministry
• Helping to lead the first cohort of Sacred Ground at St. Paul’s, which has led to two other circles
• Integrating racial justice education and discussions in Youth Group lessons
• Building a partnership with the MLK Center
• Youth 4 Justice Pilgrimage for two years (Cincinnati 2024, St. Louis 2025) - this past year was with MLK staff and students
• Day Camp this past year - served 53 students in the wider community, also served as a leadership camp for teen counselors

I hope you will join me in affirming Laurie’s sense of call to move on to her next big adventure. I know that she has prayed and thought and discussed and discerned extensively and we can trust her sense of God’s call. Laurie has offered the letter below to the parish.

May God’s Peace be with you today and always, 

The Rev. Devon Anderson, Interim Rector

Dearest St. Paul’s Family:

With a heavy heart, I am writing to share that my last day at St. Paul’s will be September 7. With any leadership transition, they say it’s very common for staff to shift. I knew this reality, while looking around at the other staff members wondering who it would be. I certainly did not expect one of the shifts to be me. But with openings come new reflections, observations and questions. In the past two months, a new question of discernment arose for me. Once asked, I clearly heard, Let go. Trust me first. It’s time to go.

This decision did not come easy for me. I have a knot in my stomach as I write this letter because I love you all. I love this job. I’m so grateful to have walked with you for the past four years. The highlights of my time here have been getting to know the youth, working with parishioner teams and being welcomed into your life — thru the struggles, joys and the day-to-day. Put simply, my calling has evolved during my time here (which is good and healthy) and I no longer fit the job description I signed on to in May 2021.

For clarity, this decision is entirely my own. It does not involve my husband’s career path and Devon did not ask me to leave. I do not know what comes next for me. I welcome your prayers while I take this scary step into liminal space.

I’m so grateful for each of you. I’m grateful for the many ways in which you all show up in this community. What a gift it is to have so many volunteers leading Godly Play, Youth Group and Children’s Chapel. Then, there’s a whole other set of volunteers that help run Family Ministry events and logistics, in addition to Youth Group parents and leaders that chaperone and frequently bring supplies and meals. Each of you have made this ministry happen! In addition, you’ve made my time here so memorable and rewarding. I am grateful to Devon and the staff for their support and faithfulness.

I’m excited to still have three months at St. Paul’s. In that time, we have Cooking Club with the MLK Center — come join us! — Mess Fest on August 17 and a Youth Group Amusement Park trip! Next week, I have the privilege of serving as a chaplain at Waycross for the high school group which includes a few of our youth. I’m hopeful the summer gives us plenty of time to get organized for the fall, so that lay leaders can feel confident in their roles and continue on. I’m confident that you have all the gifts you need in yourself and each other. I am prayerful and hopeful that — through all these transitions — St. Paul’s can ask the hard questions, lean on each other’s gifts and build a more purposeful and stronger community because of it.



Peace be with you,

Laurie Pierce, Director of Children, Youth & Family Ministry

WELCOMING NEW FACES AT ST. PAUL'S INDY

The Rev. Yuri Rodriguez will serve as the Interim Associate Rector at St. Paul's Indy, providing much-needed pastoral and sacramental support to the parish during Beth’s medical leave and Jeff’s sabbatical. If you missed last week's announcement, please click below to read more details:

The Rev. Mary Slenski will be a guest preacher at St. Paul's over the summer. Mary has lived in the neighborhood for over a decade and participates in St. Paul’s activities occasionally with her husband, George. Ordained in 2008, she’s served congregations in three dioceses and six parishes as Interim Rector, including Christ Church Cathedral and Nativity, Indy. 

The Rev. Canon Bruce Gray will be a guest preacher at St. Paul's over the summer. Bruce has served in the Diocese of Indianapolis as Rector of Holy Family, Fishers and as the Canon to the Ordinary under bishops Jennifer Baskerville Burrows and Cate Waynick. He is married to the Rev. Cathy Gray (retired from Christ Church Cathedral) and they have six children, seven grandchildren and one great grandchild. 

Connect with us: