Our Assisting Priests
We are blessed to have such talented and faithful priests in our midst. Combined they have roughly 150 years of experience serving in parishes across the country and across the world. Most have retired as paid staff from the parishes they served, however, here at St. John's they continue to preach, teach, inspire and lead vibrant ministries in our community.
I am a third generation Californian. Growing up in Campbell I remember going to Church at St. John's as a child while the family was on vacation in Capitola. I was educated at San Jose State, and Pacific School of Religion and Church Divinity School of the Pacific. In 1961 I married Janet Meckler, another California native. We have three children and three grandchildren. Ordained in the Diocese of Northern California I served on the staff of Trinity Cathedral, as chaplain at Sacramento State, Director of Camp Noel Porter in Tahoe City and Vicar of St. Andrews in the Highlands before returning to central California and All Saints', Watsonville. In 1971 I was Interim Pastor at St. John's until the call of Larry Mickkelsen, and a few years later I was acting Rector while Larry was on Sabbatical Leave. In 1983 I became Rector of Grace Church, Fairfield and served there until retiring in 2000 and moving to my late mother's home in Aptos/Seacliff. In retirement I enjoy foster care for Border Collie Rescue, serving as Docent at Seacliff State Beach, playing tuba in the Cabrillo College Bands and visiting Scotland as often as I can afford. In 2006 I served as Interim Pastor at St. Philip's, Scotts Valley, and these days Janet and I divide our ministry between St. John's, St. Philip's and Episcopal Marriage Encounter. I love Marriage Encounter, music, living on Monterey Bay, and I usually pray the Lord's Prayer in Gaelic.
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Nan and I joined St. John's in 1992. I serve as an assisting priest and spiritual director, Nan is active on outreach and social justice. We met at the Church Divinity School of the Pacific in Berkeley and we've been partners in ministry ever since. Over the last 54 years, I have served as a Curate at St. Paul's in Walnut Creek, as Vicar for three missions in Southern Utah, Associate
Rector at St. Luke's in Monrovia and for twenty one years as Rector
at St. Mary's in Lompoc and Director of its Community Service and Counseling Center.
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I'm Eliza Linley, and I've been an associate priest at St. John's since 2002. I first came to St. John's as an architectural/process consultant to help with the transition to a new building (construction finally starts this spring!). And then I stayed. What can I say? One of St. John's charms is friendliness. My husband, David Richardson, and I have just moved to Aptos full time after years of commuting from Berkeley. I'm delighted to be able to come to church events during the week, and to live where my studio is. I'm an artist as well as an architect, and I'm passionate about the visual arts and arts ministries. The arts are a whole theological language we can use to talk to and about God when words just won't do the job. Here's what I'm interested in exploring in the coming year:
I think people come to St. John's out of spiritual hunger, and stay to be part of God's family where all our gifts are welcome. Communities change, like the old story of stone soup, when new gifts are poured into the pot. If you are looking for a church home, come and help us create community and a vision of the Reign of God.
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My wife and I have been members at St. John's since 2004. I am Rector Emeritus at St. Luke's Church, Los Gatos and for 20 years was Professor of Anthropology at the University of California, Santa Cruz. I lived for many years in the Philippines and Indonesia. I love St. John's for the warmth and excellent spirit of its people, and for the parish's intense commitment to social justice.
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