St. Mark's Episcopal Church

The Staff of St. Mark's exists to facilitate the day to day ministry of the church and its members.

The Vestry is the Board of Directors of St. Mark's Episcopal Church. The name "Vestry" is taken from the room where clergy used to vest (don their liturgical garments) and where the church governing board used to meet.

Reverend Tom began his tenure as Rector (Senior Pastor) on September 1, 2016 after having served as Co-Rector of Good Samaritan Episcopal Church in San Jose, California for several years. Prior to that, he served at St. Alban's Episcopal Church in Albany, Oregon from 2002 to 2009. He holds a BA in Psychology from Humboldt State University and a Master's in Divinity (MDiv) from Virginia Theological Seminary. His passion is helping people become better followers of Jesus through preaching, forums, and small group studies.

Sam joined St. Mark's more than 20 years ago and has served in a variety of capacities over the years. Now Senior Warden, Sam is Vice-Chair of the Vestry, is in charge of all parish business in the Rector's absence, and is the Rector's primary liaison to the Vestry and congregation.

Trevor joined St. Mark's in 2017 and has been an active part of our life together ever since. As Jr. Warden, he is in charge of coordinating building and property maintenance as well as stepping in if the Sr. Warden is unavailable.

TieKara joined St. Mark's as our Administrative Assistant on August 1, 2018 and was promoted to Office Manager on June 1, 2019 and then to Parish Administrator in 2021. Please contact her with any administrative questions.

The Vestry of an Episcopal church is the governing board, responsible for the finances, facilities, and programs of the church. As a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization, St. Mark's conforms to the laws of the State of Oregon and donations to the church are tax-deductible. Officers of the Vestry include Senior Warden (Board Vice-Chair), Junior Warden (Property Chair), Treasurer (Finance Chair), and Clerk (Secretary of the Corporation). The Rector is the Board Chairperson and President of the corporation. Each Vestry member serves a three-year term (expiring in late January of the year noted below) and is required to take a year off before being eligible to serve for another term.

Class of 2021

Joan Fish (Clerk/Secretary)

Sam Freshour (Sr. Warden)

Trevor Thorndike (Jr. Warden)

Jan Martin (Treasurer, non-Vestry)

Class of 2022

Deb Bradley

Catherine Carnes

Francis Plowman

Class of 2023

Patty Casey

Bill Dames

Kathy Garrett

Class of 2024

Natalie Cline (nominee)

Jan Martin (nominee)

Blake Weichert (nominee)

Vestry Lock up see Ministries/Support tab for current schedule

(Please remember that the Vestry member assigned to lock-up duty is the backup counter for each week in the instance of a counter's unplanned absence.)