Dear St. Stephen’s family,

We are happy to announce that St. Stephen's and St. John's, Leland, have called the Reverend Jennifer Melnyk Deaton as our new rector.

Jennifer has quite an impressive resume. Jennifer graduated from Emory University in 1994 with a B.A. in Religion, and from the University of Mississippi in 1998 with an M.Ed. in Educational Psychology. She earned her M.Div. from the General Theological Seminary in 2004. She served as Curate at St. Paul’s in Meridian, and as Chaplain at St. Andrew’s Episcopal School in Jackson. Jennifer has completed a two-year training in the practice of spiritual direction.

Jennifer currently serves as the Canon for Pastoral care at St Andrew’s Cathedral in Jackson. She has been there since January of 2011.
Jennifer will start her duties at St. Stephen's and St John's on July 1, 2021.

As a reminder, the “Mutual Ministry Position Description” will begin with Jennifer holding Sunday Eucharist at St. Stephen’s each Sunday and at St. John’s two Sundays per month. Pastoral care and any other ministerial needs of both parishes are under her leadership. This will be an ongoing evolving ministry, which the vestry and I are very excited about.

I want to thank the Search Committee for a very diligent and professional search process. Special thanks to Woods Eastland who served as chairman.

Thank you to Reverend Charlie Deaton and Reverend Luther Ott for serving as our interim supply priests during our vacancy and for so diligently filling our pastoral needs. Luther’s last Sunday with us was May 2. He will be at St. John’s on Sunday, May 9.

For the next few months, we will mostly hold Morning Prayer on Sunday mornings.

See You in Church,
David Allen, Senior Warden