Welcome, Father Ken
& Reverend Linda
Fr. Ken and Rev. Linda have officially joined our team here at All Saints’, and wanted to take this opportunity to introduce themselves:
The Rev. Ken Howard
Dear All Saints’ Folk,
I want to take this opportunity to introduce myself to everyone participating in the life of All Saints’: old and new, member and non-member, in-person and virtual.
While I wish it were under more auspicious circumstances, I am happy to walk alongside you on the Way of Jesus from January to June. A mentor of mine once said that when followers of Jesus meet each other on the journey of faith, it is never a coincidence but it is always a God-incidence. Whenever God brings Christ-followers together along the Way, whether the experience is one of joy or pain, God’s grace is always present, and it is our calling to seek out and embrace that Grace.
As Rev. Linda said in her sermon last Sunday, because of the circumstances and aftermath of the unexpected resignation, the pace of time seems “off” for all of us. Indeed, some of us feel an urgent need to move on, some of us feel a need for more time to heal, some of us are angry, some of us are sad, ALL of us are wounded. And we all heal from a breach of trust in our own way. But I promise you, God’s grace is present even in this, and God will help us to discern it.
A little more about me. I grew up Jewish, became a Christ follower in my early 20’s, and after much searching, I joined the Episcopal Church because it had the most Jewish feel of any other church I could find. That is a story for another day (a bit longer than space allows here), but let just say the Anglican liturgical theology and practice is closer to the Jewish roots of Christianity than any other tradition. And for me Anglican trinitarian lens of “Scripture, Tradition, and Reason” feels like Midrash to me.
As you may know, my proverbial “day job” is being the executive director of The FaithX Project, whose mission is to “Help congregations survive and thrive in challenging times through data-grounded discernment.” In our work we have gained an understanding that congregations cannot be fully vital unless the actively seeking to carry out Jesus’ command to love our neighbors (and out neighborhoods) as much as we love ourselves – but we cannot love neighbors who we don’t know and cannot know them unless we engage with them as our partners in God’s work (whether they know it or not). And we can’t engage them unless we understand that everyone with whom we come in contact and every person who walks through our doors have something to teach us about seeing God’s hand at work both in our midst and in the world around us. In other words, God is always asking if we love our neighbors enough to learn from them. And learning always requires a willingness to be changed.
Along the lines in my inaugural meeting with the Vestry, I shared with the Vestry my thoughts about how we might best navigate the six months we will be together. The first is that we follow these three watchwords in all that we do: Clarity, Transparency, and Collaborativity (more on this in another eblast). The second is my desire that we discern 1 or 2 key goals for us as a vestry and as a community to have as a goal in our time together. One of the things I suggested was an intentional effort to identify our vitality strengths and weaknesses as a congregation, and the missional opportunities and challenges in the neighborhoods we serve. This would enable us to discern how we can best leverage our strengths to effectively engage those opportunities and challenges. And it would help All Saints’ to select the right interim, and ultimately, your next rector. Your input is welcome. Watch this space…
Well, that’s enough for now (it’s alway a challenge for preachers to talk without preaching). But I am sure we will have ample opportunities to learn together and from each other and the world around us in the months to come.
If you need to reach me, you can do so by calling the office on Tuesday and Wednesday, emailing me at khoward@allsaintsmd.org, or schedule an appointment with me at kenhoward-asec.youcanbook.me.
Blessings and prayers,
Ken+
The Rev. Dr. Linda Kapurch
Rev. Linda comes to All Saints from a variety of Interim-Priest positions since 2018 when she moved to Annapolis to be near her (now) 100-year-old mother. Originally from New England and retaining her great fondness for Cape Cod and a slight but unmistakable accent, Linda was formed for the ordained ministry in the Diocese of Virginia—where she held Associate-Priest positions in a number of large parishes. It was while she was serving as Interim Associate in her home-parish, St. George’s in Arlington, that she was called to move to the Diocese of Pennsylvania where she served from 2006-2018.
Linda received her Doctor in Ministry Degree from Wesley Theological Seminary, Washington, D.C. in May 2016, with a focus on Life Together: Spirituality for Transforming Community. One of the ways she applied this focus was as Chaplain for the YMCA of Greater Brandywine—a post that she held until moving to Maryland. She is a graduate of the Shalem Institute for Spiritual Formation and The Virginia Theological Seminary, receiving her M.Div. cum laude in 2002. While at VTS she was privileged to be chosen as one of the first participants in the inaugural ‘Seminarians’ Course’ for clergy-in-training from throughout the Anglican Communion—which was held in the summer of 2001 at Canterbury Cathedral.
Prior to ordination, Linda was a Human Resources’ Officer, Trainer, and Analyst for a variety of Federal government agencies, both in New England and Washington, D. C. She quickly became immersed in the world of acronyms and can still speak that language. Speaking of languages, her Bachelor’s Degree in Psychology, from the College of New Rochelle, N.Y, includes a Minor in German. While at New Rochelle, her life-long love of languages and travel began with a semester in Vienna, Austria, at the Institute of European Studies. Prior to earning an M. S. in Counseling and Personnel Services at the State University of N.Y. at Albany, she was awarded a Fulbright Teaching Assistantship, allowing her to live and work in Germany—where she has returned many times since.
In addition to her love of travel and discovery of new places, Linda likes art museums, classical concerts, and trying out exotic restaurants. She also enjoys hiking all of the latter off in regional parks and on the local trails. Most importantly of all, she is the proud ‘soccer aunt’ for her wonderful nephew and four nieces–cheering them on at school, in the band and on stage, and on the field—and one great-niece. She also speaks the language of the SEC: Go, Dawgs/Roll Tide!
