"And we know that for those who love God
all things work together for good,
for those who are called according to his purpose."
- Romans 8:28
Greetings to our St. Margaret's family,
Grace to you and peace. Today brings joyful news.
Your Vestry has unanimously elected The Reverend Andrew Butler to serve as our Rector starting August 1, 2020.
Fr. Andrew joins us from Riverdale, Bronx, New York where he has served as Rector of Christ Church Riverdale for six years. His time at Christ Church is distinguished by profound preaching, robust outreach bringing church music to the community, the establishment of a transformative mentoring program for immigrant youth, deep involvement in inter-religious relations for the diocese, and thoughtful leadership in healing strife. Prior to Christ Church he served as Rector of St. Johns, Montclair, NJ and as Assistant Rector, Church of The Redeemer, Bryn Mawr, PA.
He is deeply loved by his parishioners and brings a lightness and joy to every encounter.
His degrees are from Union Presbyterian Seminary and Princeton Theological Seminary. He also holds a certificate in Anglican Studies from Virginia Theological Seminary. A lifelong musician, his undergraduate degree is in Voice Performance.
As a single parent he raised three children to adulthood.
St. Margaret's is a joyful congregation which believes in the transformative power of the Spirit. Today's announcement marks the culmination of a year-long process ably led by Margo Baxley, Ed Rainey, Bob Leo and Karen Hathaway, with Rita Saari serving as Chaplain. Guided by the Diocese of San Diego and Bishop Susan Brown Snook, diverse and thoughtful members of this parish came together in self-assessment and reflection. They brought clarity to who we are as a faith community and a vision for the bright future of St. Margaret's.
This rigorous national search prevailed through the virus pandemic and drew everyone involved to a place of singleness of heart and mind around Fr. Andrew. For that we are exceedingly grateful to God.
In this time of profound change we are deeply and prayerfully thankful to Pastor Kathleen Kelly, who has served us so wisely and so well as Interim Rector. Upon Fr. Andrew's arrival, Kathleen will need to focus on her re-election campaign for Palm Desert City Council, after which she will rejoin our Resident Clergy.
Fr. Andrew and his British fiancé, Olly, will be moving to the desert in July.
We all have a part in welcoming these wonderful men to the St. Margaret's family. We feel blessed. Alleluia and Amen!
We are pleased to have Fr. Andrew bring greetings to the parishioners of St. Margaret's in this link
here
Yours in Christ's Love,
Jan Romerdahl, Chris Davidson,
