As rector, the Rev. Anne Bartlett has been leading the parish of Trinity
Church, Ashland with passion and vision since June 2000. Ordained in 1987,
Anne served two parishes in the Diocese of Missouri before moving to Oregon
in 1992 to be associate rector at St. Mark's, Medford. In 1995, Anne joined
the staff at the Parish of St. John the Baptist in Portland, Oregon as
associate rector, where she served until coming to Trinity.
Rev. Anne’s love for the Anglican tradition and passion for preaching
are both evident during worship. At the altar, her faithful, rooted presence
brings life, joy and inspiration to each celebration of Eucharist. In
the pulpit, she delivers intelligent, astute and often amusing sermons,
weaving scripture into present life with an intuitive and powerful directness.
Five of Anne's sermons have been published in the Morehouse series "Sermons
that Work." She frequently serves on staff for the annual Preaching
Excellence Program for Episcopal seminarians. In the Diocese of Oregon,
Anne has been on both the Board of Trustees and Diocesan Council.
She received her Master of Divinity degree from Eden Theological Seminary
in 1984 and a post-graduate certificate of Anglican Studies from Seabury-Western
Theological Seminary in 1987. Anne also holds an M.A. and A.B. in history
(Phi Beta Kappa) from Washington University in St. Louis, Missouri. Before
ordination, Anne was on staff at Care and Counseling, a pastoral counseling
center in St. Louis where she had trained for three years.
Anne and her husband Bill have four grown -- and far-flung -- children
and one Golden Retriever puppy - Murphy. Bill skis, Anne does yoga, and
they both enjoy biking, hiking, and are frequently found at the movies.
Morgan Silbaugh is a recycled parish priest who retired and moved to
Ashland in 2000, got restless after a few years and came out of
retirement in 2005 to serve as Trinity's part-time pastoral associate
with special responsibility for pastoral work and adult education. A
genuine American migrant he was born in the MIdwest in Lancaster, Ohio, finished his growing up in Binghamton, New York, was educated in the Northeast: BA Amherst College, MA in English Cornell University, Bachelor of Divinity Episcopal Theological School, Cambridge, Massachusetts.
He was with Philadelphia Army Air Defense during the Cold War, serving as a clerk and truck driver with an antiaircraft missile unit. Ordained Deacon in 1963 and Priest in 1964, most of his
ordained ministry was in Central New York until he came West in 1990 to serve as Rector of Christ Church Los Altos, California. Community nvolvement and social action have been key parts of his ministry.
In Manlius, New York he helped develop an hundred-and-twenty-unit housing development for the well elderly and was founding chair of an A Better Chance program bringing bright, highly-motivated young women from poor academic settings to a strong public high school where they could prepare for college with the help of resident directors, tutors and host families. An incurable book worm he devours everything from The Far Side and The Joys of Yiddish to the poetry of Robert Frost, George Herbert and W.H. Auden.
He enjoys teaching and preaching and gets satisfaction from proclaiming God's Good News in ways that people can "latch onto." Pastoral work is his joy and contact with a wide variety of people recharges his batteries and refuels his enthusiasm.
He has been married to Charlotte for twenty-eight years and they
were both single parents with three children for five years before
that. Their six children are scattered from Cape Cod to Anchorage and
they have eight grandchildren between them. They live a double life:
for nine months Mountain Meadows in Ashland is home, and every June they drive across country to a summer cottage on a tiny mountain lake in northeastern Pennsylvania, returning in September.
The Rev. Carol Jordan Howser, Deacon, was born and raised
in eastern Oregon, a land where you can see forever, where the wide open
spaces get into your heart and your head, and give you time to be alone
and quiet. Carol graduated from the University of Oregon with a degree
in Education, spent time traveling and then lived in Medford for over
a decade. When at last she moved to Ashland in 1974, it felt like settling
into a soft, well-fitting glove.
Before becoming a deacon, Carol raised three children, a son and two daughters,
and now has 3 grandchildren, much to her delight. For 16 years she owned
a bookstore specializing in books for children and teachers. After her
deaconate training, Carol was ordained in January of 1996 and has been
working as Chaplain and Chaplain Coordinator for Lovejoy Hospice in Grants
Pass since January 1997.
Her special ministry at Trinity has centered on pastoral care, particularly
with Stephen Ministry leadership, and the training and scheduling of Lay
Eucharistic Ministers. Sitting quiet and alone in wide open spaces these
days? Well, only now and then.
Meredith
Ayer Pech
Rev. Pech was born and raised in San Jose, California, and she attended
the University of California at Santa Cruz. Meredith considers herself
blessed to have been a “pioneer,” as a member of the first four-year
class (1965-1969), where she earned her Bachelor of Arts in History with
an emphasis on American Studies. Upon graduation she furthered her education
by spending eight months traveling through Europe and working on a kibbutz
in Israel.
Following her travels Meredith spent a year working a minimum-wage job
and received an entirely different sort of education! She moved to Oregon
and obtained her standard elementary certificate from the University of
Oregon. In September 1972, she took her first teaching job in a fourth
grade class at Slater Elementary School in Burns, Oregon, a culture shock
that taught her much more.
In August 1973, she married Bob Pech. They have three daughters: Margaret,
Tessa and Laura. As Meredith’s partner in ministry, Bob is a model
of quiet service with deep faith. In 1977, the family left Burns and moved
to Ashland. In January 1981, Meredith began teaching at Walker School
where she continues to this day. In her 28 years in education, she has
taught grades 1, 3, 4 and 5. Teaching young children is both her passion
and calling in the world.
Growing up, neither of her parents were regular churchgoers, but she was
always called to be at church! She attended Presbyterian and Methodist
churches as a youth. She discovered the Episcopal Church on Palm Sunday
in 1979 when she walked into Trinity, and knew she was home. At Trinity,
Meredith has worked on education and outreach programs, served on Vestry,
as Senior Warden, reader and Lay Eucharistic Minister.
Meredith feels blessed by the support of the parish in her call to be
a deacon. She attended the Diocesan School for Deacons and was ordained
on St. Andrew’s day, November 30, 1996. “I find great joy in
liturgical service. I am humbled by and thankful for the opportunity to
preach.” She is the principal teacher of the youth at Trinity and
her ministries continue to focus on outreach, in particular through the
school and education.
Son of a Baptist minister, Charles was born in Portland,
Oregon. His life in church music began as a young boy. At age three, Charles
imitated his father's conducting of the church choir from his place in
the congregation and by age four he was one “hot” boy soprano,
singing solos in church, accompanied by his mother and grandmother.
A church musician for forty years, he has served in Methodist, Congregational,
Lutheran, Presbyterian, Roman Catholic and Episcopal churches, and has
directed choir programs involving 15 to 500 choristers. Charles’
numerous credits include directing the Rogue Valley Gay Men's Chorus from
1998 – 2003; and musical director for regular worship and festival
services, choral/orchestra performances, musicals, variety shows and retreats.
He has conducted thirty-five major choral/orchestral performances including
Handel’s Messiah, Brahms’ Requiem as well as The Creation by
Haydn, Gloria by Poulenc, St. Matthew Passion by Bach and Five Mystical
Psalms by Vaughan Williams.
From 1984 - 1994 Charles was a volunteer in service to persons with AIDS
through the Orange County AIDS Service Foundation and St. Mary's Long
Beach Project Ahead. Charles came to Ashland in September 1993 and became
Director of Music at Trinity Episcopal in October 1998.
He holds a Bachelor of Music from the University of South Dakota, a Master
of Music and a Doctor of Musical Arts from the University of Southern
California. His post-doctoral work includes study with Wilhelm Ehman,
Howard Swan, Helmuth Rilling, Sir David Willcocks, Alan Wicks and Frauke
Hasseman. He has also studied advertising, public relations, psychology,
theology, spirituality, and is trained as a volunteer for Rogue Valley
Medical Center Hospice and as a Stephen Minister. He is a member of American
Guild of Organists, Choral Conductor's Guild, American Choral Director's
Association and Royal School of Church Music.
In addition to music, Charles enjoys college football, wind-up toys, Bombay
martinis, cooking, entertaining, travel, Patsy Cline, March Madness and
Bette Davis movies.
(Bio available in next few days)
Huberta Murphy
The Murphys moved to Ashland in 2005 from Spokane, Washington. Her husband is The Rev. Tom Murphy who officially retired in 2000. He continued to do supply and interim work in the Diocese of Spokane until Huberta retired after a 26 year banking career.
Huberta was born and grew up in Spokane. She is a livelong Episcopalian, being formed and nurtured at Holy Trinity Church, Spokane. As a young married adult, she and the family moved to California, later relocating to Seattle. Further moves were to Hoquiam, Washington; Fort Madison, Iowa; and back to hometown Spokane.
As a layperson Huberta’s ministry has included altar guild, child and adult education leader, mission board member, choir member, organist, Lay Eucharist Minister, lector, intercessory prayer group member, lay delegate to convention, Cursillo Secretariat. Huberta is an Associate of the Community of the Holy Spirit.
In addition to her professional education, Huberta is a graduate of the Education For Ministry program.
She and Tom have 6 children, 14 grandchildren and 7 great-grandchildren.
