OUR RECTOR

Dear St. Francis Family,

The Vestry is very pleased to announce that we have a new part-time Rector, the Reverend Mary Kay Brown. She and her husband, Mark, recently relocated from Ashburn, Virginia to Emerald Isle and have been attending Saint Francis regularly. They both love the sense of community they are feeling and the very open, friendly reception they have already received.

Reverend Brown seems to be an ideal fit for Saint Francis and we truly feel this call has been led by God every step of the way. The congregation shared with the Search Committee back in January what you were looking for in your next rector. She seems to embody all the characteristics you requested:

1.  Believing scripture is God inspired and not dictated, she fully embraces the Episcopal three-legged stool of scripture, reason, and tradition. She makes every effort to prepare her sermons relevant to life today and believes in preaching on scripture and never politics. Humor is a tool she is very comfortable using. The Search Committee observed this in the many services they watched online.

2.  Describing herself as very compassionate and people oriented, she has a passion for pastoral care plus a hospice and social work background.

3.  Adult Christian education is a love of Mary Kay’s and she has a track record of creating engaging programs.

Mary Kay retired from full-time parish leadership at St. David’s Episcopal Church and School in Ashburn, Virginia in 2022, and since then has completed some of the Ignatian Spiritual exercises as well as training to be a spiritual director. Prior to entering ministry, Mary Kay worked as the director of a hospice program in Alaska where she was privileged to learn about native Alaskan spirituality. This helps us understand her deep interest in pastoral care.

In her cover letter to the Search Committee, she stated “My passions in ministry are preaching, teaching, pastoral care, and formation. I deeply value work that is vibrant, relevant and transformative. I love talking with people about God and how God is working in their lives, the church, and the world. Building disciples, deepening relationships, listening, and looking for where God is at work and then following – this is church.” In closing her letter, she stated “this particular opening at this particular time and place is tugging at my heart.”

We hope you can see from this summary why our hearts and prayers have led us to call Reverend Mary Kay Brown as our next part-time Rector at Saint Francis by the Sea.

Reverend Brown will be starting her ministry with us on October 18, 2025. She will be part-time and plans to be in the office or making visits on Tuesdays and Wednesdays and preaching most Sundays. She will be away one month of the year and one additional Sunday every other month.

Mary Kay looks forward to getting to know the entire congregation once she joins us October 18th.

Pam Ball

Senior Warden