The following four people will be presented as a slate of nominess for acceptance by vote at the Annual Meeting on Sunday, December 2 at 10:00 AM. If elected, they will serve on Vestry, our governing board, through 2021.
PHILLIP CANTONE
I feel called to serve on the vestry because I love Christ Church and want it to grow and flourish. I want to help in any way I can. I have the time to give back at this point in my life. I am a people person and enjoy working with others who want to move Christ Church forward. I am continually motivated and impressed by the leadership and promise of Shirley, Richard and Darren.
Briefly tell us about your family:
Married to Connie Cantone for 43 years and the father of 4 grown sons Nicholas, Michael, Daniel, and Andrew. We moved to Henrico County in 1989 from Mount Vernon, New York.
What brought you to Christ Church and kept you here? I was the elementary school principal of Paul and Bernadette’s children. Connie and I were searching for something more meaningful in the form of worship and fellowship in our lives. We found that and more in Christ Church since 2006.
How do you see us living into our vision currently, and how would you like to help us grow
stronger?
I have witnessed first-hand how Christ Church Episcopal invites us into a relationship with Jesus Christ and with others, helps us live and grow in those relationships. I believe that serving on the Vestry is an opportunity to serve God and our neighbors. I am honored to not just go to church but BE the church. I truly want to live and love more like Jesus every day. I am a good listener and a problem solver and will strive to help us grow stronger in all of our present ministries and new ones as they arise.
Which ministries have you been part of at Christ Church?
I have been a part of the 10:25 groups since their inception. I served on the Stewardship Committee for two years and the Candle Ministry for 3-4 years now. I also volunteered at George Mason Elementary in the first grade reading program and ice cream social. My wife and I helped prepare and serve meals for Caritas.
What leadership roles have you held at Christ Church and/or other organizations?
Before retiring, I was the principal of nearby Colonial Trail Elementary School. Currently I plan and arrange luncheons for Retired Henrico Elementary Principals and Central Office staff six times a year. I also recently served as a neighborhood representative for the HOA in the Wellesley community. Last year I was a University Supervisor for JMU, supervising 11 student teachers and working closely with the cooperating teachers.
What skills would you bring to vestry service?
Administrative planning and organization; Community and Public Relations; Creativity; Excellent communication, motivational, interpersonal and leadership skills.
KAY HOLMES
I have been asked several times to serve on the vestry but for many reasons I didn’t feel I could dedicate myself to the work. I had been considering serving and was about to set up a meeting with Shirley to ask if she thought I would be a good fit for vestry. Before I took that step, I was asked to consider serving.
Briefly tell us about your family:
Bob and I have been married for 27 years. We are both retired so we get to enjoy traveling, the arts and volunteer work for various organizations. We moved to the West End in March of 1991. My son Kyle Doebler, is married and lives near Columbus, Ohio where he serves as an associate pastor at Liberty Presbyterian Church.
What brought you to Christ Church and kept you here?
I learned about the plans for a new church plant while attending St. Matthew’s and thought it was an exciting opportunity to be involved in a church community from the very beginning. I participated in meetings with Paul Johnson and people interested in what would become Christ Church. I found a wonderful community of believers and Christ Church has been home ever since.
How do you see us living into our vision currently, and how would you like to help us grow stronger?
I see and feel new energy at Christ Church. I see new and different opportunities for involvement of both Christ Church members and people in the greater Richmond community. Partnerships have formed linking Christ Church to other faith communities, schools and service organizations which allows us to “Be The Church”.
Having served on other boards, I understand the importance of following through on strategic initiatives, yet staying flexible to take advantage of opportunities as they present themselves.
I would like to help us grow stronger by supporting our clergy and other leaders serving as a sounding board for ideas while keeping the big picture and long term strategic goals in mind. Having been involved from the beginning I will bring perspective and important institutional memory to the table.
Which ministries have you been part of at Christ Church?
Choir, Altar Guild, Worship Committee, Pastoral Care, Stewardship, Music Advisory, CARITAS, Mission and Outreach, Lay Eucharistic Minister, Reader, Women’s ministries
What leadership roles have you held at Christ Church and/or other organizations?
Active in The Episcopal Church Women (ECW) Diocese of Virginia, have held several offices on the ECW board, currently Vice President of Administration.
Delegate to Convention
Delegate to ECW Triennial Convention
Served on the board of St. Andrew’s Episcopal School; served as chair of the development committee. Education Committee.
Served on the board of Firehouse Theatre, served as president for 3 years. Chaired the annual “Fireball” fundraising gala 2 years.
Chair of Worship Committee
Served on the first vestry of Christ Church.
What skills would you bring to vestry service?
Good working knowledge of nonprofit organizations, including board development, fundraising, succession planning and board cultivation.
Through my involvement with ECW I have learned about the role of the Diocese and the many resources available to Christ Church. I have also been involved at the province and national levels which gives me a broader view of the Church.
Organizational skills, meeting/event planning.
GRAYSON JOHNSON
I have derived a lot of comfort from our interaction with clergy and the Christ Church family, and I would like to have the opportunity to give back and help CCE as much as I can.
Briefly tell us about your family:
I am married to Revere Johnson and have three adult sons, H. Grayson II, C. Afton and Christopher. Our sons all live in the area. They are married to Nicole, Melissa and Elizabeth, respectively. We have four grandchildren and one more due in December! I have a wonderful family and am very proud of all of my children, daughters-in-law and grandchildren. Revere has been a great wife these past 42 years and has been supportive in good times and bad.
What brought you to Christ Church and kept you here?
We were members at Fork Episcopal in Hanover for many years and decided to move our membership to Christ Church approximately 10 years ago. We were driving a long distance each week to Fork Church, so we visited Christ Church and were very impressed with Paul Johnson. We felt welcomed from the very beginning and felt that Christ Church, with all of its programs, music, preschool, etc, would be attractive to our family. That has proven to be the case, and that is why we have continued to attend Christ Church.
How do you see us living into our vision currently, and how would you like to help us grow stronger?
I would like to see us grow the congregation-I think the potential to do so is great. We have a good ministry team in place, the music program is excellent and we certainly are in a good position geographically.
Which ministries have you been part of at Christ Church?
Revere and I have participated for several years on the usher team. Also, I have served on the Stewardship Committee and the Men’s Group.
What leadership roles have you held at Christ Church and/or other organizations?
At Fork Church, I served on the vestry and as Junior Warden and Senior Warden. Also, I served on the Search Committee and served as Chair of the Stewardship Committee and Every Member Canvass. I have served on a number of Virginia State Bar committees, including several terms on the State Bar Council (the governing body of the VSB). Also, I have been involved for many years with youth sports in the Rockville community, including the Rockville School Park Foundation.
What skills would you bring to vestry service?
I believe that I am a good listener and am able to see both sides of issues and am able to facilitate reaching common ground.
LAURA LAFAYETTE
Having had the humbling privilege to serve on the relatively new Missions & Outreach Leadership Team, I have learned a good deal more about Christ Church, her people, and myself. I feel called to serve my fellow CCE members and the vision of Christ Church more deeply by working within vestry to continue to strengthen our resources, our organizational structure, and our culture so we remain vibrant, relevant and therefore faithful to God, one another, and our neighbors.
Briefly tell us about your family:
Michael and I have been married for 26 years and have three children: Kate, 23 years old, a graduate of the University of Richmond and living in Richmond; Kristen, 20, a third-year student at UVA; and Jon Michael, a 17 year old senior at Deep Run.
What brought you to Christ Church and kept you here?
I have always viewed the Episcopal Church as a tradition that more often than not takes a “big tent,” inclusive approach as well as proclaiming that God is a God of love. I wanted to raise our children in that kind of environment. When we chose Christ Church, I was looking for excellent preaching and my husband was wanting not to have to wear a tie on Sunday—both of these conditions have been met and upheld throughout the years at Christ Church. We remain at Christ Church because Christ Church seeks to remain relevant—to those who worship within its walls and to the larger community it seeks to serve. Compassion and service are hallmarks of Christ Church and that’s the kind of faith community I want to be a part of.
How do you see us living into our vision currently, and how would you like to help us grow stronger?
On a daily basis, through the strategic use of our campus, we offer radical hospitality—whether to scouts or recovery groups; we are the hearts and hands of Jesus through feeding, sheltering, clothing, reading, etc.; and we nurture spiritual formation through small groups, worship services, and informally but deeply connecting with one another. I would like to help us grow stronger by thinking very intentionally about how our campus and the use of it might evolve over the next several years to best meet the needs of our neighbors. Additionally, like all faith communities, I believe Christ Church will need to continue to ask what “church” and “worship” and “living our faith” means to the various age cohorts within our congregation and how we can continue to be welcoming to all and create meaningful service opportunities for all.
Which ministries have you been part of at Christ Church?
Sunday School
Habitat for Humanity
CARITAS
Lay Worship (Reader, Chalicer)
Missions & Outreach Leadership Team and Network
What leadership roles have you held at Christ Church and/or other organizations?
Chair, Missions & Outreach Leadership Team
Former Chair, Richmond Metropolitan Habitat for Humanity
Immediate Past Chair, Better Housing Coalition
Chair, Evictions Work Group of the Virginia Housing Commission
Vice Chair, Housing Virginia
Chair, Homeward
Chair, Maggie Walker Community Land Trust
Coach, Glen Allen Youth Athletic Association
CEO, Richmond Assoc of REALTORS and Central Virginia Regional MLS
What skills would you bring to vestry service?
I hope what I would bring to vestry service is the desire and skills to serve in collaboration with others. Most of my life’s work has revolved around seeing challenges, seeing opportunities to address the challenges, and then galvanizing people to creatively address the challenges. I enjoy strategic thinking and planning, working towards consensus, and then getting good work accomplished. I enjoy connecting talented people with one another to accomplish shared goals; so if asked to do so, I would gladly make Christ Church connections with other partners in our region. I will seek to ask good questions; because good questions enable other voices and viewpoints to be heard and better results to be had. I would hope to a passionate ambassador for the missional work of Christ Church both within and beyond the walls of our church.
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