Here’s the text of a letter the Vestry sent to all of us this week, announcing that The Revd Arnold Bush has agreed to serve as our Priest-in-Charge. Welcome, Arnold! Our hope and expectation is that we will begin seeing much more of Arnold during the weeks to come, not only around the church and in the community but also on the pages of this site.
Dear friends at Epiphany,
We who serve on the vestry are delighted to report that The Revd Arnold A Bush has agreed to serve as our interim Priest-in-Charge. He and we intend that his service here be indefinite. One of his many goals for his time with us is to help us form consensus on our shared vision for Epiphany and on the kind of priest who should lead us as we work to carry out that vision.
It would be hard to find someone more qualified than Arnold to help us with these tasks. A native of Laurel, Mississippi, Arnold served in the active Episcopal priesthood for more than 40 years, working with parishes in Texas, Mississippi, Georgia, and Florida. He is also practiced as an interim priest; since his retirement from the active priesthood in 2002, Arnold has served as interim priest in four different parishes in Florida and Alabama. He has a proven track record of helping small congregations grow. Arnold and his wife of 51 years Zoe now live in Birmingham, a community they chose to be centrally located to their children and grandchildren (who live in Birmingham, Memphis, Jackson, and Spanish Fort).
Arnold has two passions for ministry. The first is to help lay people in their formation and maturity in Christ. The second is to help congregations develop vitality and growth by practicing effective congregational development, small group dynamics, leadership skills for clergy and laity, and best practices for stewardship. He enjoys preaching, teaching, conducting workshops, and coaching churches. An avid reader, he plays tennis three times each week and loves college football and baseball. If you want to get him started, we invite you to ask him how his Mississippi State Bulldogs will fare now that they’re bowl eligible!
Arnold will maintain a regular weekly schedule as our Priest-in-Charge. He will arrive on Sunday morning and be present (often teaching) in Sunday School and then preside at worship. He will remain with us in the Little House for fellowship and spend time on Sunday afternoon visiting in the homes of church members and prospective members. He will spend Sunday night (thanks to Pam and Eddie Harper for providing the use of their cottage) and work in the community most of the day Monday interacting with church members and local leaders before returning home to Birmingham at the end of the day on Monday.
He will make a special trip down this week to be with us at First Thursday so we can begin a conversation about our vision for the ministry of Epiphany. Please make a special effort to be there (Thursday at 6:30 pm in the Little House). We will enjoy a covered dish supper together immediately afterward.
Arnold looks forward to getting to know all the members of our Epiphany family. Stay tuned to www.epiphanytallassee.org for lots more information about Arnold and the ministry of Epiphany. Please join us in welcoming Arnold and supporting him with our prayers, our presence, our gifts, and our service.
Yours in Christ,
The Vestry
Tom Bray, Junior Warden
Al Cantrell
Mike Edwards
Eddie Harper
Debra McCord, Secretary
Jimmy Weldon, Senior Warden
