Friends in Christ,
We write to announce a transition on our staff team. Katie Forsyth, our bi-diocesan Canon for Evangelism and Networking, has accepted a call to join the staff of the Episcopal Diocese of Southern Ohio as Canon for Communications. She will conclude her ministry with our dioceses at the end of June, transitioning to her new role on August 1st.
Canon Forsyth is currently our longest serving staff member of both dioceses, having joined the staff of Eastern Michigan in 2013 as Director of Communications and Public Engagement. In early 2018, she joined the staff of Western Michigan in an expanded role as Canon for Evangelism and Networking, going beyond the execution of communications to include capacity building for our communities’ approach toward invitation and welcome and to support the development of our New Episcopal Communities, namely the AuSable Inclusion Center, Plainsong Farm, Order of Naucratius, and Holy Hikes Great Lakes. She was our first staff member to bridge both dioceses.
Katie has been an integral part of our diocesan life and it is difficult to imagine our dioceses without her. She has been a huge support to the Joint Standing Committee during not only this time of transition but in the many transitions prior; to say we will miss her is an understatement. She has shown us through her ministry that the ministry of communications goes well beyond applying technical skill. We are grateful for the many years she has spent digging down through the “how to” of digital communications into the deeper “why” of evangelism.
In her resignation letter to the Standing Committees, Katie writes, “I am so grateful for how these dioceses have called, supported, invested, and encouraged me in ministry. Thank you for the way in which you call all people to the table, understand church work as a team-based sport, and the ways you are calling the wider church forward into the future. I am proud to have been raised and formed in the future Episcopal Diocese of the Great Lakes.”
The Standing Committees and Joint Personnel Committee will be in conversation around how our dioceses will move forward with this position on our diocesan staff and will share more when details are available.
All in the dioceses are invited to a going away open house on Monday, June 17th from 5-7pm at St. David’s Episcopal Church in Lansing to celebrate Katie’s ministry and wish her well on her way. Please RSVP so we can plan for food.
Please join us in offering our gratitude for Katie’s service amongst us. If you’d like to send her a personal note, her email addresses are kforsyth@eastmich.org and kforsyth@edwm.org, and mail may be addressed to her at the Western Michigan office at 1815 Hall St SE, Suite 200, Grand Rapids, MI 48506.
Yours in Christ,
The Standing Committee of Eastern Michigan:
The Rev. Donald Davidson
St. Paul’s, Flint
Jelecia Geraghty
St. Paul’s, Flint
Neil Hargrave
St. John’s, Dryden
Barb Ilkka, President
St. John’s, Saginaw
The Ven. Linda Crane
Grace, Port Huron
The Rev. Jerry Lasley
St. Christopher’s, Grand Blan
The Standing Committee of Western Michigan:
The Rev. Valerie Ambrose
St. Mark’s, Grand Rapids
The Rev. Molly Bosscher
St. Andrew’s, Grand Rapids
Freya Gilbert
St. Paul’s, St. Joseph
Carole Redwine
St. Philip’s, Grand Rapids
The Rev Anne Schnaare, President
Grace, Grand Rapids
Ellen Schrader
Grace, Traverse City
Fred Skidmore
St. Andrew’s, Grand Rapids
The Rev. Eileen Stoffan
St. Paul’s, Muskegon
