Dear Christ & St. Luke’s,
I write with some exciting news this morning: I am glad to announce that The Rev. Jared Grant has accepted our call to come and serve among us as our new Associate Rector.
Originally from Asheville, NC, and a graduate of Appalachian State University and Virginia Theological Seminary, Fr. Jared, his wife Jenny, their two boys, Harrison (3) and Noah (6 mo), and their dog, Bella, currently live in Hickory, NC, where Jared serves as the Associate Rector at the Church of the Ascension.
In our search process, Fr. Jared stood out for his thoughtfulness, kindness, curiosity, and breadth of experience. We believe he will be a wonderful addition to our team. As a lay leader and priest, he has over a decade of ministry experience in a wide array of pastoral settings. In addition to parish ministry, Fr. Jared also served for two years as an Episcopal missionary in the Episcopal Young Adult Service Corps. He was stationed in Lesotho and Rome, Italy and has a passion for helping others see where God might be calling them out into the world. In this he is joined by his wife Jenny who works for The Episcopal Church as the Officer for Global Relations and Networking.
It has been a joy to get to know Fr. Jared and share with him some of the Spirit that is so palpable at Christ & St. Luke’s. I am deeply grateful to the staff and wardens for their support in this search process. I also had the benefit of working with the stellar advisory committee of Lee Ann Avery, Jo Ann Short, Joe Painter, AJ Nolan, Dave Cass, and Frances Dille. I am deeply indebted to them for their efforts and appreciated all the help and feedback they offered.
Fr. Jared’s first Sunday with us will be July 2. Stay tuned for ways you can help welcome him and his family and make them feel at home here at Christ & St. Luke’s. But for now, I share his own greeting to you all:
“Greetings to all of you at Christ & St. Luke’s! Jenny, the boys, and I are very excited to be joining you in Norfolk this summer. In my early interactions with your community up to this point, I have been blown away at your generosity, dedication to ministry, and willingness to walk the way. I look forward to getting to know you and the community better as I begin this new position. Know that I am praying for you all as this transition takes place, and I would ask that you hold us in prayer as well.”
That we certainly do!
Yours in Christ,
Fr. Noah
