Our New Assistant
I am pleased to announce the appointment of the Reverend Hamilton (Ham) Fuller as our new assistant, beginning in mid- January. He will assume many of the duties formerly assigned to the Reverend Tom Hughes, including participation in the worship services, pastoral care visits, home communions, and occasional teaching in the adult Christian education program. He will also participate fully in funerals, weddings, and baptisms with the other clergy on the staff.
Ham retired last year after eight years as rector of Emmanuel Church in Bristol, Virginia, and he and Lynne decided to move to our area. Lynne also retired after many years as a teacher. He has served parishes in Jacksonville, Florida; Wilmington, NC; Tampa, Florida; and Montgomery, Alabama. I have known Ham and Lynne for over 25 years since our time together at seminary in Sewanee. Their son, Vann, is a graduate of Christ School.
Prior to his ordination as a priest, Ham served as the Headmaster of Holy Comforter Episcopal School in Tallahassee, Florida. He earned his Bachelor’s degree from Florida State University, a Master’s from Stetson University, his Ph.D. from the University of Florida and his Master of Divinity from the University of the South in Sewanee.
Ham brings a wealth of experience to the position, not only in parish ministry, but through his work in the larger church and the Anglican Communion and he will be a great addition to our staff and our parish family. His first Sunday will be January 20. Since he and Lynne have attended church here numerous times over the past year, many of our parishioners have already had the opportunity to meet them. Please welcome the two of them into our parish.
Learning about Church Our new Intern
Trinity Church is one of those wonderful places where all sorts of activities occur, both during the week and on Sundays. In other words, it is a perfect “learning center” for someone to gain more knowledge and experience about parish life from the staff and clergy point of view.
Several months ago, Stefanie Pearson, the new interim Youth Director for the diocese and also the new Camp Henry Director, joined our parish as a parishioner when she assumed her new duties. She is also in the process for Holy Orders as she explores the possibility of ordained ministry at some point in the future.
A portion of this process, as she works with the bishop and the Commission on Ministry, is her assignment as an intern to a parish in order to learn more about the ministry side of how a church operates. We are thrilled that Stefanie has been assigned to Trinity Parish. Over the next four months, Stefanie will be involved in all facets of our parish life as we totally immerse her in “the ministry experience”.
Hello! My name is Stefanie Pearson and Bishop Taylor has assigned me to work at Trinity as an intern. This is part of the discernment process in our church for people wishing to become ordained. I have spent the last six summers on staff at Camp Henry and just recently was named the new director. Since August, I have been working on the diocesan staff as the interim Canon for youth, college, and young adult ministries.
I have a passion for ministry and have spent most of my life working in that capacity. I was a Young Life leader in college and spent time teaching Sunday School and volunteering with the youth at Trinity Cathedral in Columbia, SC. This past May, after I graduated from the University of South Carolina, I went to Zambia, Africa, for 17 days to educate the youth and the church leaders about the AIDS epidemic. International missions and youth seem to be where my heart has led me so far, but I am anxious to learn about and participate in all types of ministry.
I grew up in Asheville, attending Reynolds High School, and am thrilled to be back in the mountains. I have three siblings; Tyler, who resides in Greenville, SC, and plays in the Greenville County band, Alex, who is currently fighting with the army in Afghanistan, and Page, a freshman at USC-Spartanburg. My parents, Erich and Liz, now live in Simpsonville, SC.
I am happy to be joining Trinity and look forward to meeting and working with all the people here.
