To all of the parishioners at Holy Spirit, Sutherlin:
(First, I want to say hello again to Donna and Margo and all the other wonderful ladies I met from Holy Spirit at the Women’s Spirituality Day. It was wonderful to meet you and I am really looking forward to the chance to get to know you all better.)
A little bit of biographical data about me. My name is Heather Michele Schwebach Lee (I go by Heather Lee) and I am 35 years old. I have 2 children, a daughter Francis (10) and a son Simon (8). I have been married to (Allen) Shannon Lee for almost 13 years and he is currently living in San Francisco while we financially prepare to pay for seminary without incurring student loans. I have a BS in philosophy from Portland State University and graduated in 2001.
I have been an Episcopalian since 2002 and have attended parishes in four diocese (three were in CA in the course of 2 years.) I am canonically resident in the Diocese of Oregon and have been a member at St. David’s since 2004.
St. David’s is a small congregation. I have been blessed by spending so much of my formative time with this loving and supportive group of Christians. I have been able to experience as many aspects of ministry as I have wanted or needed as I explored a call to the priesthood. Consequently, I am an acolyte and chalice bearer, a lay reader and preacher and a regular contributor to the monthly newsletter. I have helped create liturgies for the Easter season and I am most proud of having helped the Sudanese Fellowship Mission create a liturgy that is Anglican in nature but a joy and comfort for those from a non-liturgical background as well.
I love the supportive, familial nature of small parishes, however, I am aware that without the overarching support of a diocese, many opportunities for small congregational ministries would be lost. Consequently, I am an active member of my convocation, attending Convention as a delegate for the last 2 years, and an alternate the year before. I am also part of a team of Metro-East Convocation Youth Leaders who sponsor and support an ecumenical summer camp for children in Southeast Portland each year.
Of special note is my role as a Trainer for the Anti-Racism Commission here in the Diocese of Oregon. I feel particularly blessed that God has called me to do this work and I have been given many opportunities to draw on organizational skills I knew I had. God has also opened up avenues of personal growth in public speaking and leadership that I did not know were in me.
As for my current plans, I am in discernment now and hope to attend Vocations Conference next spring. I am entering seminary this fall because this is the path that has opened up for my family. It is my hope, after seminary and the ordination process, that I will be able to serve in a small parish outside the Portland metro area, however, God’s plan generally unfolds in it’s own time.
I hope that this letter provides a quick background on me. I am always available to answer any specific questions that might arise. Please feel free to contact me; Donna Anderson has my contact information and I am giving her permission to share it with anyone who would like it.
Peace,
heather lee
st david of wales, portland
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