Loading...Wonderful news!
We’ve created two new part-time positions on the diocesan staff to serve our parishes and worshiping communities in the Episcopal Church in East Tennessee.
Beverly Hurley Hill from St. Timothy, Signal Mountain, has accepted the bishop’s invitation to serve as Lay Ministries Coordinator and the Rev. Robert Hartmans will serve as Canon/Missioner for Congregational Vitality. Robert will also continue as missioner for Project Canterbury Episcopal and Lutheran ministry to students at the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga. Both will begin in their new positions on January 1, 2016.
The functions of Lay Ministries Coordinator and Canon/Missioner for Congregational Vitality (with a little restructuring) were previously included in the responsibilities of Rick Govan who has served as our Deputy for Ministry and Congregational Development. Rick will be retiring as of December 31, 2015. We give many thanks for his years of ministry and service and for his work to ensure a smooth transition. We send our prayers and blessings to Rick as his retirement date approaches!
Bishop Young says he is “absolutely thrilled at Beverly's and Robert's skills, experience, energy, and simply passion for the Gospel that these two amazing people bring to us. We are blessed, and look forward to our life and service together.”
Below we hear from, and about, Beverly and Robert:
Robert Hartmans, Canon/Missioner for Congregational Vitality
I come to this position with a humble hopefulness and a little anxiety, “Canon/Missioner for Congregational Vitality” seems to be a position with gargantuan and ambiguous goals. I grew up at St James, Knoxville, where I fell in love with the liturgy, was embraced by a community, and formed in the unique promises of the Gospel; but what I know is that this is increasingly not the experience of many of our neighbors, community members, and friends. We live in a world that is hungry for the mystery and promise of Jesus but find it difficult to speak our language, engage the rituals, or commit the time that allowed many of us to be transformed by Jesus. What I know to be true is that God is up to something with the faithful, the lay staff and volunteers, the active and retired clergy who are the Diocese of East Tennessee, I know that God is up to something in our neighborhoods, in our schools, in our civic centers, among our interfaith partners, and I am excited about working with the wonderful faith communities of East Tennessee to further identify what that is, and find more ways to creatively and fatefully participate in it.
Born in Knoxville, Tennessee, Robert was baptized at St. James Episcopal Church and was raised in both the Episcopal and Pentecostal traditions. Robert served a short career as a restaurant manager and graduated from the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga in 2007 with a B.A. in History. Next, he received a Master of Divinity from Virginia Theological Seminary. During Seminary, Robert served Grace Episcopal Church in George Town, D.C. as an intern. He was the T.A. for the VTS Dean assisting with a course in Systematic theology.
Robert has been serving as priest for Families and Youth at St. Timothy, Signal Mountain, and has instructed courses for lay persons seeking Lay Ministry Certificates in the Diocese of East Tennessee. He served as an alternate clergy deputy for the 2015 East Tennessee deputation to the General Convention of the Episcopal Church. He is also currently serving as missioner for Project Canterbury Episcopal and Lutheran ministry to students at the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga. You may contact Robert at rhartmans@dioet.org, effective Jan 1.
Beverly Hurley Hill, Lay Ministries Coordinator
I am very happy, admittedly excited about joining the staff and membership of the Diocese of East Tennessee. I am a lay minister, wife, step mother, friend, and child of God. Born in Enterprise, Alabama, I moved to Birmingham soon after that and remained there most of my life. My parents and sister as well as Derrick’s family all live in, or around, Birmingham. Although I was a member of several other Episcopal churches in Birmingham, as an adult I chose St. Stephen’s Episcopal Church in Cahaba Heights. It was there that Derrick and I were married and it was that parish that sponsored Derrick to attend Sewanee’s seminary in 2008.
We moved to Signal Mountain, Tennessee, in March 2015 so that Derrick could serve as rector of St. Timothy’s. We love it here and hope to stay for a long while. I enjoy Tennessee – cool weather, live music, laid back hiking and kayaking, movies, trying new restaurants, hosting guests, playing games (Scrabble, Mahjongg, etc.) and travel.
Derrick and I have two children. Bailey, 24, lives in Birmingham, is a mandolin player, and works in various jobs that support his love of Blue Grass and Old Time music. Olivia, 22, also lives in Birmingham and is completing her degrees in French and International Relations at the University of Alabama next month. Derrick and I also have a dog and cat – Roux and Meriwether respectively. Neither is young, but both hold a very special place in our hearts and lives.
I have a great deal of respect and admiration for Rick Govan and I’m honored to assume a portion of his previous role.
Beverly has a bachelor’s degree in Psychology and Guidance & Counseling from the University of Montevallo. She began working as a project manager in 2000 and was certified as a Project Management Professional (PMP) in 2006. She is currently working on a Certified Professional Facilitator (CPF) designation and expects to obtain that in summer 2016.
Her church experience includes Cursillo, Education for Ministry (EfM); she is trained as an EfM mentor and has staffed a Discovery Weekend and served at East Tennessee’s recent Cursillo #44. Beverly has served as Eucharistic minister and visitor, a reader, junior warden, senior warden, delegate to multiple diocesan and special conventions and has co-led a senior EYC. She has also worked as a counselor at Camp McDowell in the Diocese of Alabama. You may contact Beverly at bhurleyhill@dioet.org, effective Jan 1.
Please join us in a hearty welcome of Beverly and Robert to our diocesan staff!
