From Becky Olbon, Senior Warden:
I am excited to let you all know that we have found an interim rector who will begin on August 1. Please join me in welcoming The Rev. Dr. Col. Patricia Miller. Mother Pat has served at St. Matthew’s before as a supply priest so many of you may have already met her. The vestry asked Mother Pat to put together a letter introducing herself to the parish and you can find it below, and in this week’s newsletter.
From Mother Pat:
The Vestry asked for some biographical information, so here it is from my perspective. I hope that as we share ministry together, we will learn from each other and find out more than just the basic facts.
The formal stuff first, I am The Rev. Dr. Col. Patricia Miller and I grew up in southwest Dekalb County and then entered the United States Air Force as a registered nurse. After discharge from that active duty tour, I returned to Georgia and worked in Augusta at the Medical College of Georgia where I obtained my Bachelors and Masters in Nursing. While I was in Augusta, I found the Episcopal Church and started attending EFM (Education for Ministry) through the University of the South in Sewanee, Tennessee. I also began my discernment for holy orders at St. Augustine’s parish in Augusta.
Next, I got an offer to work at Tulane University Medical Center in New Orleans so off I went to a whole new world in Louisiana. While there I held almost every lay leadership role in the church and continued my journey toward ordination to the priesthood. And finally, I was off to seminary as a sort of “free agent” since many bishops at that time were not open to ordaining women. That is a story for another time.
Graduating from Seminary in 1996, I headed to the diocese of Colorado because I felt God was calling me to that diocese and i was ordained there and served as a curate and later the parish called me as their associate rector. A few years in Boulder Colorado and again God came knocking on my door telling me to move to a parish in Independence, Missouri. So off I went to St. Michael’s where I served for 17 years. It was an amazing partnership of ministry during which I retired from the Air Force Reserves as a Colonel and I also completed my Doctor of Ministry degree. Throughout all those years, I have kept my hand in nursing by consulting for an accreditation group called The Joint Commission. Then God came knocking with a new opportunity to serve as Interim Rector at St. Aidan’s in Milton, GA where I served over a year until they completed their search and called a new Rector in August of this year.
After that interim rectorship, I did interim work at St. Timothy’s in Decatur and then St. Andrew’s in Hartwell where they just completed a successful search and call.
I have been active in Episcopal Cursillo on the local and national level. And Cursillo in the Diocese of Atlanta is currently planning a restart after the pandemic delayed our gatherings.
Those are the highlights from my resume’ and it is my hope that in this time of partnership, we will share goals and aspirations and chart a new path based on mutual discernment and the inspiration of God’s Holy Spirit who continues to knock on all our doors inviting us into new journeys of discipleship. My part in this shared ministry is to equip and empower you for your ministries both as individuals and as a faith community and I can’t wait to meet all of you and to share our gifts and talents together in mission and ministry for God’s kingdom.
By the way, I must admit one short-coming – I am terrible with names and faces until I have been around for quite sometime, so I ask your patience as I learn as fast as I can and during the learning I would hope you would gently remind me of your name so I don’t appear dazed and confused. God’s peace and joy, Mother Pat Miller+