Welcome Rev. Greg
The Rev. Greg Williams
We are very excited to welcome the Rev. Greg Williams to St. Barnabas!
Over the last year, Rev. Jane and our vestry have been working to find a new assistant priest. As our congregation grows, having additional clergy to support our community has been a priority and part of our 5 year strategic plan. Greg’s many gifts and his enthusiasm for ministry impressed us and we are eager for him to begin his ministry with us on July 1st.
Greg has recently graduated from Virginia Theological Seminary and is already ordained as a deacon. He will be ordained to the priesthood on Thursday evening, July 24th right here at St. Barnabas. Before seminary, Greg had a background in IT recruitment. He is a graduate of Hampden-Sydney College in Virginia with a Bachelor of Arts in Philosophy. For fun, he enjoys sports, live music, board games, gathering with old and new friends, and good food. I know you will enjoy getting to know him this summer!
He wrote this letter to our St. B. community:
Dear People of St. Barnabas,
I am so excited to be joining your community in just a few weeks. I had the opportunity to visit St. Barnabas a while back and met with Rev. Jane and a few other folks, and I enjoyed hearing the story of where God has brought you so far, where you are walking with Christ now, and where the Holy Spirit may be calling you to go next as a church.
As a recent seminary graduate, I’ll be joining your clergy team as a Curate. This means that part of my responsibility is to learn from you and with you, and I look forward to undertaking that holy process with all of you.
Before seminary in Virginia, I lived in Cincinnati for 7 years and I am looking forward to returning to the area. I look forward to meeting and getting to know you over lunch (I can’t wait to have a cheese coney again), over coffee (I’m a big fan of Deeper Roots), or around St. Barnabas.
Over the next few weeks, I’ll be moving and settling back into the area. I will continue to pray for all of you at St. Barnabas, and I hope you will pray for me too as I prepare to officially join you on July 1st.
In Christ,
Rev. Greg Williams
A Little More Information:
What is a curate?
The word curate comes from the Latin word “cura,” meaning “to care.” This is the work of a clergy person - to care for their congregation and community with the love of Christ. Over time, the word curate in English, came to mean a member of the clergy engaged as assistant to the rector, or parish priest. In many cases, a curacy is a training period for newly ordained priests, providing them experience and guidance under the supervision of an experienced priest. We look forward to learning and growing together with Greg!
