From the Senior Warden:
Dear Members and Friends of St. Peter’s,
I am delighted to share with you the news that upon the unanimous recommendation of our Search Committee, the Vestry voted unanimously to call the Rev. Myrna Koonce as our next Priest-in-Charge. The Rev. Koonce has accepted the call for this half-time position, and we will be welcoming her this coming Sunday, March 1st. She comes to us with considerable experience as an educator, a chaplain, and as a longtime lay leader at St. Paul’s Episcopal Church in Brunswick. Some of us already know her from her time serving with us as a Postulant Intern. I know she is eager to meet with those of you who have joined us since then.
Her arrival before the departure of our rector is part of a new coadjutor model offered by the Diocese of Maine, in which a newly ordained priest works alongside the outgoing priest for a period of time. Father Mousin’s last Sunday will still be April 19th, as previously announced. In his letter that follows, he explains more about how this model will be implemented over the next two months.
During this period, we will also have time to give God thanks and recognize the work of our Search Committee in bringing us to this place. I know you will join me in extending a warm St. Peter’s welcome to the Rev. Koonce. Please pray for our two priests, for our parish, and for all the ministries in which we are serving God and our neighbors.
In Christ’s love,
Anita Chandler,
Senior Warden
From the Rector:
Dear Friends,
As our Senior Warden has shared with you, the Vestry has called the Rev. Myrna Koonce to be the new Priest-in-Charge of St. Peter’s Church. I could not be more pleased with the work of the Search Committee and the Vesty’s decision. As many of you know, the Rev. Koonce served with us as a Postulant Intern in 2023 and 2024, when many of you and I quickly became aware of her many gifts for pastoral and priestly leadership. I look forward to working with her over the next two months.
While it is often the case that parishes engage in a lengthy discernment process after the departure of a priest, with an interim priest serving until a new priest is called, we are engaging in a new model here in the Diocese of Maine. The Vestry agreed to consider this model when the Search Committee was commissioned to begin its work.
The intention of this model is to allow for a newly ordained priest in the diocese to work alongside an experienced priest for a limited amount of time. Such an arrangement can be invaluable for the new priest and create a smoother transition in pastoral leadership.
The Rev. Koonce will start her new ministry with us on March 1st while I am still serving you. We will serve you jointly until my last Sunday of service, April 19th. She is your new Priest-in-Charge, and I will continue to serve you as Consulting Priest until I leave in April. Together, we will share in the liturgical, pastoral, and administrative responsibilities of leading the parish. She and I both will be available to answer questions you may have, even as we will be eager to hear about your hopes for what lies ahead for St. Peter’s.
As our Senior Warden Anita Chandler wrote, we will have time in the weeks ahead to give thanks to the Seach Committee and the Vestry for their faithful work. Throughout this time may we move forward trusting that with the guidance of the Holy Spirit, Jesus Christ will be made known in our midst in ways that continue to help us share God’s love with the world.
Faithfully,
Fr. Tom