Getting to Know Us

Our Rector  |  Director of Music  |  Office Manager  |  Vestry  |  Committees

OUR RECTOR

Since 2007, our rector has been Father Franklin P. Schuster III, called Rocky since his early childhood.

Coming to Taos from Niles, Michigan, where he served eight years as rector of a small, historic church, Father Rocky returns to the Southwest environment and culture. He grew up in El Paso and graduated from Texas Christian University with a BS in Business Administration. After a short stint as a stockbroker in the mid-70s, Rocky entered the ordination process of the Episcopal Church, working as the youth minister at Church of St. Clement in El Paso and then continuing on to seminary at Seabury Western in Evanston, Illinois. He made his first return to the Southwest, serving as curate at the Cathedral in Albuquerque and then back to St. Clements in El Paso, where he led the outdoor education program for the parochial school and the church. Father Rocky served as a team rector for three churches in the Wichita, Kansas area during the mid-90s. While spreading his ministry among the three small congregations, Father Rocky somehow found time to complete class work for the Doctor of Ministry program in congregational development at Seabury Western.

Father Rocky brings his own interests to the Taos congregation. “I enjoy music of all kinds and anything outdoors in any season.” He’s also a film buff, and admits to being a bit of a computer nerd. He and his wife, TJ Patton, have a “family” of sled dogs and cats.

DIRECTOR OF MUSIC

Currently vacant

OFFICE MANAGER

Currently vacant

THE VESTRY

The members of the St. James vestry are active volunteer leaders, elected to overlapping three-year terms at the annual parish meeting each January.

The primary responsibilities of an Episcopal Church vestry are to oversee parish finances and buildings and to give leadership in parish programs, ministry, and worship. The vestry of St. James meets monthly, on the third Sunday after worship services, and consists of the rector, a Rector’s Warden, a People’s Warden, and seven members.
Also present at vestry meetings are the treasurer, who reports on current financial conditions, and the clerk of vestry, who takes the minutes. Parishioners are welcome to attend vestry meetings.

Current vestry members, and their ministry liaisons, are:
Marilyn Farrow: Rector’s Warden
Jess Heald: People's Warden and Stewardship
Mary Ann Boughton: Outreach

Jock Fleming: Worship
Elizabeth Halley: Education
John Cain: Communications
Anna Mae Patterson: Membership
Jack Nottingham: Buildings & Grounds, Technology

Angela Pacheco: Outreach

COMMITTEES

St. James is expanding in both physical size and membership. With its expansion comes a corresponding growth in programs, especially in areas of outreach into the community. Most of our programs are coordinated by an active set of committees, with talented and committed volunteers. We welcome new committee members. One special committee, Leadership & Volunteers, has the mission of matching the talents of parishioners to the volunteer activities they are interested in. This committee deepens the value of volunteerism by making good use of the leadership abilities of our members and keeping the membership of committees active.

For more information about any of our committees, or to volunteer, contact: (position vacant). Or make direct contact with committee chairs or vestry liaisons to the committees, shown below. Or click here for a PDF form that you can fill in and mail, deliver, or fax to us.

The Education Committee coordinates programs of study and educational fun for adults, children, and youth. Contact: Position vacant

The Outreach program has many self-starting operations. Among them are the Food Pantry, the Prescription Assistance program, the Giving Tree, Emergency Assistance, and the Taos Youth Music School. Each program has its own coordinator. Contact: Angela Pacheco, 575-737-0714or locoelk@yahoo.com, or Mary Ann Boughton, 575-737-5938 or mapb@taosnet.com

The Episcopal Church Women of St. James coordinate two rummage sales and a holiday bazaar each year, to raise money for outreach programs. Contact: Heather Liebman, 575-751-7419 or hlieb35@taosnet.com

The Pastoral Care Committee meets each month to coordinate serving the needs of parishioners who are sick or confined at home or in hospital. Contact: Mary Burns, 575-776-8728 or mhburns@newmex.com

The Newcomers Committee helps new members and visitors feel at home, ensuring that they have information and access to the offerings of the parish. Contact: Bambi Sturbois, 575-776-5739 or sturbois@taosnet.com

Boyz and Girlz in the Hood is a group of dedicated volunteers who meet regularly to put on their gardening gloves or toolbelts and take care of maintenance needs at the church. Contact: Tom Knapp, 575-751-3059 or tknapp@aol.com

The Communications Committee makes sure that the newsletter gets out each month and coordinates the public and internal distribution of information to and among parishioners. Contact: Jess Heald, 575-758-8125, healdoftaos@msn.com

The Technology Committee manages the hardware and software needs of the parish, and keeps the equipment systems in good shape. Contact: Jack Nottingham, 575-751-7323, nda@taosnet.com

The Stewardship Committee handles the annual pledge campaign, fundraising, and grant applications. It also has responsibility for ecological stewardship, leading the parish toward good stewardship of our property and the community and planet we inhabit. The Green Committee works within the stewardship program. Contact: Jess Heald, 575-758-8125 or healdoftaos@msn.com

The Building and Grounds Committee has responsibility for improvements to the physical plant—for construction and remodeling, furnishings, interior design and acquisitions, memorials, and architectural planning. Contact: Jack Nottingham, 575-751-7323 or nda@taosnet.com

The Facilities Management Committee entails the leasing and upkeep of our rectory and casita spaces, actual uses of the church nave and parish hall, coordination of events, maintenance and sexton activities, and exterior landscape maintenance. Contact: Mike Dobbs, 575-758-9825 or dobbsiemg@aol.com or Marilyn Farrow, 575-758-7276, mbfarrow@qwest.net