The Rev. G. Palmer Pardington, III, Class of 1966, died peacefully on Wednesday, July 27, 2017 at home after a lengthy illness. He was 78. Fourth in a line of clergymen, he was born July 12, 1939 in Mobile, Ala., and grew up in Houma, La., where his father, the Rev. George Pardington, was the rector of an Episcopal church, and his mother, Mary England Pardington, helped in every aspect of parish life. Read more...
Category Archives: Alumni
Scott MacDougall ’07 Named Co-Editor of Anglican Theological Review
Dr. Scott MacDougall, Class of 2007, has been appointed Co-Editor in Chief of the Anglican Theological Review, effective September 1, 2017.
MacDougall is Assistant Professor of Theology at the Church Divinity School of the Pacific. Along with his M.A. in Theology from General, he has a doctorate in systematic theology from Fordham University. He serves as Secretary of the ATR Board. MacDougall’s research centers on ecclesiology and eschatology, and he is the author of More than Communion: Imagining an Eschatological Ecclesiology (T&T Clark, 2015). Read more...
A New Call for Melanie Lemburg ‘04
The Lemburgs: Mary Margaret, Melanie, David and Jack.
The Rev. Melanie Dickson Lemburg, Class of 2004, has been called as the new Rector of St. Thomas Isle of Hope, Savannah, Georgia. She follows the Rev. Richard Nelson who retired earlier this year. Her first Sunday will be August 6.
A lifelong Episcopalian, Lemburg earned a BA in English Literature from Rhodes College in 1998. On graduation she worked for Stewpot Community Services, where she created and directed an adult enrichment day program for senior citizens and adults with mental disabilities in Jackson, Mississippi. Read more...
In Memoriam: Omar Pitman, Jr. ‘57
The Rev. Canon Omar William Pitman, Jr., Class of 1957, died Monday, March 20, 2017 in San Antonio, TX at the age of 83. He was surrounded by his beloved wife, Mary Ellen, loving family members, and close friends. Pitman was the oldest of two children born to Omar William and Daphne Bernice Barnes Pitman in Big Spring, Texas in 1933. His dear sister, Nancy Pitman Lohner, preceded him in death. Read more...
A New Call for Sheelagh Clarke ‘05
The Rev. Sheelagh Clarke, Class of 2005, has been appointed to the position of Interim Coordinator for Youth & Young Adult Ministries on the diocesan staff of the Diocese of Newark, according to an announcement from the Diocese. Effective August 6 she is stepping down as Rector of St. Stephen’s, Millburn, NJ, where she has served for the past six years. She will assume her new role on September 1. Read more...
Kevin Brown ’07 Elected 11th Bishop of Delaware
The Rev. Kevin S. Brown, Class of 2007 was elected 11th Bishop of Delaware at a special convention on July 15, 2017. He was elected on the fifth ballot at St. Anne’s Episcopal School in Middletown, according to a news release issued by the Episcopal Diocese of Delaware.
Brown has been the Rector of Holy Comforter Church in Charlotte, NC since 2010. He previously served as rector of Grace Episcopal Church in Paris, TN. Read more...
A New Call for Adam Shoemaker, ‘07
The Rev. Adam J. Shoemaker, Class of 2007, has been called to serve as Rector of St. Stephen’s Episcopal Church in Charleston, South Carolina.
He has most recently served as rector of Holy Comforter in Burlington, N.C. since 2011. While at Holy Comforter, Shoemaker supported the launch of a thriving partnership with a nearby Title I elementary school and helped the parish open a bilingual preschool to serve children in the wider Burlington community. Read more...
A New Call for Rick Robÿn ‘07
The Rev. Richard Robÿn, Class of 2007, has been called as rector of St. Mary’s-In-Tuxedo Episcopal Church in Tuxedo Park, N.Y. He has been serving as rector at Trinity Church Oxford in Philadelphia, and previously at Church of the Resurrection in Manhattan.
While at General, Robÿn served his seminary internship at the Church of the Transfiguration, where he helped organize a mission trip to New Orleans to help in the Hurricane Katrina clean-up efforts. Read more...
Travis Smith ’05 Leads Parish to Financial and Missional Stability
The Rev. Travis Smith, Class of 2005, after three years as Rector of Grace Church in Elkridge, Maryland, has led a turnaround in the parish’s financial and missional stability. Grace is made up of two properties, the Historic Stone Church consecrated in 1911, and a new facility, built in 2002 to house an Early Childhood Center. When he arrived in 2013, he found a $91,000 operating deficit and their bank calling the remaining $700,000 on the loan taken out to create the school. Read more...
A New Call for Rosa Brown ‘94
The Rev. Rosa Brown, Class of 1994, has been called as an Interim Priest by Christ Church Cathedral, Indianapolis, IN.
Originally from the Diocese of Costa Rica, Brown worked as the Administrative Assistant to the Bishop prior to accepting her call to the Priesthood. She has previously served parishes throughout the country, including St. Paul’s in Paterson, NJ, St. Philip’s in the Hills in Tucson, AZ, and Church of Our Saviour in Cincinnati, OH. Read more...
A New Call for Austin McGehee ‘15
The Rev. Austin McGehee, Class of 2015, has been called to serve as Rector of St. Paul’s Episcopal Church, Meridian, MS. He has been serving at St. Bartholomew’s Episcopal Church in Atlanta, GA as Associate Rector for Youth and Young Adults.
With a music scholarship to play the trumpet in the Ole Miss Band, McGehee obtained his Bachelors in Political Science. After college, Austin served as an AmeriCorps member, tutoring and mentoring at a children’s residential psychiatric treatment facility. Read more...
A New Call for Matt Dayton-Welch ‘15
The Rev. Matthew Dayton-Welch, Class of 2015, has been called as Rector of St. Alban’s Episcopal Church, Newton Square, PA. He has previously served as Associate Rector at St. David’s in Wayne, PA.
Dayton-Welch also serves as a trustee of the American Friends of the Episcopal Diocese of Jerusalem and has directed pilgrimages to the Holy Land. Before entering seminary, he had served several years in the Foreign Service as an officer for the State Dept. Read more...
Gene Robinson ’73 named to two Chautauqua Institution posts
Bishop Gene Robinson, Class of 1973, has been appointed Incoming Vice President/Senior Pastor and Chair of President’s Advisory Council on Faith in Society at the Chautauqua Institution in Chautauqua, New York.
In anticipation of the departure of Director of Religion the Rev. Robert Franklin at the conclusion of the 2017 Chautauqua Institution season, President Michael E. Hill has announced plans to reorganize the Department of Religion with an eye toward shaping a national dialogue on faith in society. Read more...
In Memoriam: Peter D’Alesandre ‘69
The Rev. Peter J. D’Alesandre, Class of 1969, died Tuesday, May 16, 2017, at the Philip Hulitar Inpatient Center in Providence, RI at the age of 73.
Father Peter’s ministry began at Grace Church in Delavan, WI, and included All Saints Church in Kansas, City; Christ the King Church in Huntington, IN; St. Barnabas Church in Warwick, RI; St. Matthew Church in Ashland, OH; St. Mark’s Church in Storrs, CT; and St. Read more...
A New Call for Nancy Hagner ‘14
The Rev. Nancy J. Hagner, Class of 2014, has been called to serve as the twelfth Rector of Trinity Episcopal Church, Concord, MA beginning October 1, 2017. Hagner has served as the Associate Rector of Trinity Church in Princeton, NJ since the summer of 2014. She also currently serves on the Diocese of New Jersey’s Committee for Lifelong Formation.
Prior to being called to ordained ministry, Hagner was the Director of Development for the Institute for Christian & Jewish Studies in Baltimore MD for five years, and had an earlier career in the business world including time as a Vice President of Wealth Management at Bank of America. Read more...
In Memoriam: Lynn Edwards ‘66
The Rev. Lynn Chester Edwards, Class of 1966, died on Monday, June 5, 2017, at the age 76. Beloved son of the late Chester and Eleanor M. (Cutler) Edwards; partner of Barry R. Horton, Father Edwards recently celebrated his 50th anniversary as a graduate of General as well as his ordination to the sacred order of Priests.
Edwards had many years of faithful service to the Diocese of Pittsburgh, including membership on the Standing Committee and ministry at Christ Church, North Hills, All Saints in Brighton Heights, Good Shepherd Church, in Hazelwood, PA, St. Read more...
A Contemplative Approach to Sexuality and Spirituality
Few topics provoke such heated debate as sex, sexual orientation, and gender identity—particularly in faith communities. The Episcopal Church is developing resources to help navigate potentially difficult conversations on the subjects of sex, sexuality, and spirituality, as well as the impact of a shifting theology of marriage. Recently, General Seminary professor Westina Matthews received a grant from The Episcopal Evangelism Society to develop a program and workbook that uses contemplative practices to explore issues of human sexuality. Read more...