Click on the images below to find out more about the folks working in front of and behind the scenes to sustain and grow St. John's ministries in the city and the world, shaping each week's liturgies, designing and teaching classes, taking care of our building, caring for parishioners of all ages, giving back to our neighbors, and being involved in our surrounding community in a wide range of ways.
Photos by Kathryn Feldmann and Cara Ellen Modisett.
Clergy
The Reverend Eric C. Long began his service as Rector of St. John’s in August, 2014. Coming to us from St. Christopher's Episcopal Church in Pensacola, Florida, the Rev. Long is a natural leader, talented teacher, and gifted preacher. During his tenure as Rector, he revitalized St. Christopher's into a dynamic, fast growing, multigenerational church. Currently working on his Doctor of Ministry (Preaching) at the School of Theology, Sewanee, he loves the breadth of liturgy within the Episcopal Church. In his words, "it is most exciting when complex truths become real for people and they can see how the richness of the Christian tradition intersects with their own lives." Passionate about outreach, he has established the "The Incarnation Project," an ongoing ministry to improve health care and build a school in the rural town of Le Pretre, Haiti. Early in his career, the Rev. Long was a Missioner and a Church Planter, growing congregations and churches from the ground up. He was the founding priest of St. Mary Magdalene Episcopal Church in Kansas City, Missouri. The Rev. Long also worked as a hospital chaplain in the United States Navy.Father Eric was ordained to the diaconate in June 1999, to the priesthood in January 2000 and is an alumnus of The University of Memphis (BA - Finance, '93), The Nazarene Theological Seminary (Master of Divinity, '96) and The School of Theology at The University of the South (Anglican Studies, '99). The Rev. Long has been married for over twenty years to Shelley Henderson-Long, a special education and remedial reading teacher. They were both raised in Memphis, Tennessee and have two beautiful daughters: Abigail, age 18, a college freshman and Madalene, age 15, a sophomore. The Rev. Long is a private pilot and a scuba diver, but his friendships and family life fill most of his time outside of the church. He describes his home as "a noisy, rambunctious, happy incubator for love," with a busy schedule of homework, guitar and piano lessons, volleyball games and still time for "movies and pizza picnics on the living room floor."Father Eric loves the Church of Jesus Christ and is insistent we first and always be who God calls us to be.