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The Vestry

From the Latin word vestire, meaning to clothe, or to put on. Originally the word referred to the room where the priest would vest. In the early days the local lay leaders would gather with the priest as he vested to discuss the affairs of the parish. Later, the word came to refer to the leaders instead of the room. The vestry is the governing board of a local Episcopal parish and consists of the rector, the wardens, and lay members. In many parishes, the rectors, wardens and the treasurer form an executive committee and will often meet separately from the whole vestry between vestry meetings. Unlike some denominations, the Episcopal Church uses a representative form of government modeled after the U.S. goverment's structure. The vestry is the group elected by the individual members to make the basic decisions about the church budget and manage the temporal affairs of the parish.

The Vestry

The Rev. Peter Faass, Rector

Lynn Winkelman ('13), Senior Warden

Christina Rouse ('14), Junior Warden

Patricia Burgess, Treasurer

Ioana Moldovan, Clerk

Nancy Cooke ('14)

Rose Anne Grasty ('14)

Mary Jo Groppe ('13)

*Class year indicates the year a term expires.

David Gray ('13)

Linda Lehman ('15)

Mischelle Lohr ('15)

Michael Miller ('14)

Nancy Morrow ('15)

Lem Stewart ('15)

Jordan Swaim Fox, Youth Member

Martha Towns ('15)

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Lynn Winkelman ('14)

Senior Warden
Lynn has been a member of Christ Church for 18 years. She and her husband Marc have two daughters, Anne and Mary. Lynn is a graduate of St John College where she received a B.S.N. She practiced nursing until the birth of her two children. While raising a family, Lynn became involved in children’s formation at Christ Church. She was by Leslie’s side when the case was made to offer the Catechesis of the Good Shepherd, a formation program that draws on the work of Maria Montessori and Sophia Cavaletti and requires rigorous training of the catechist (Sunday school teacher). Lynn jumped in with both feet and has been training, studying and making materials ever since. She attended a refresher course in Pittsburgh last summer so that she could better teach the Level III children who are in her spiritual care. As a member of the Vestry keeping the needs of the child in the church is her highest priority.

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Christina Rouse ('14)

Junior Warden

Christina Rouse joined the Christ Episcopal Church Vestry in January 2011 and will serve through 2014. An Episcopalian for 30 years, Chris attended Grace Episcopal Church in St Mary’s, WV, as well as Good Shepherd Episcopal Church in Athens, OH, and Trinity Cathedral in Cleveland, OH, before coming to Christ Episcopal Church in Shaker Heights. A resident of Cleveland for 20 years, Chris was born in Marietta, OH and attended Ohio University where she earned her Bachelor’s, Master’s and Doctoral degrees in Computer Systems. She is the Chief Architect and owner of Incisive Analytics LLC, a software development consulting company. Chris and her spouse, the Rev. Melanie Sunderland, live in Cleveland Heights with a cadre of felines.

Patricia Burgess

Treasurer

Patricia is a cradle Episcopalian and has been a member of Christ Church since moving to Shaker Heights in 1994, when she married John Shelley. Patricia is a former university professor (Ph.D. in History and Urban Planning; faculty positions in Illinois, Texas, and Iowa) and a retired attorney (Thompson Hine, Tax Practice Group), and now serves on the boards of several non-profit organizations. She has previously served on the Vestry of Christ Church, and before that on the Vestry of St. John’s in Ames, Iowa. For the past few years she has chaired the White Spire Fund Committee for Christ Church, and since 2003 has devoted time to sorting, organizing, and indexing the church’s archival documents. Patricia is also presently serving on the Christ Church Strategic Planning Committee.

Nancy Cooke ('14)

Nancy has been a member of Christ Church for about 12 years. Since her husband Nat has been active on the Vestry TWICE; she figures it’s time for her to give it a go! Her activities at Christ Church have included membership in the choir, performing violin and piano, lay readership; joint presentations at the Adult Forum, participation in the Community Meal Program and, with Nat, Friday bread delivery. Nancy is a retired musician who still does a little teaching and occasional gigs. She loves the chance to be part of the musical scene at Christ Church, as well as having opportunities to participate in a variety of church activities.

Rose Anne Grasty ('14)

Rose Anne is a cradle Episcopalian. She lived in Cleveland 10 years ago prior to moving to Avon, IN, when she retired. We welcome her return to Cleveland and Christ Church! Rose Anne is a retired social worker and community college and university educator and administrator. She is a native of Chester, PA, where she was baptized and confirmed. Rose Anne served on Vestry at Christ Church, Vineland, NJ, and St. Mark’s, Plainfield, IN.

She is most interested in the spiritual lives of seniors and the financial health of the church. Rose Anne received her Bachelor’s degree from Beaver College in Glenside, PA, before going on to achieve an M.S.W. from the Howard University School of Social Work in Washington, DC, and an Ed.D. from Virginia Tech in Blacksburg, VA.

David Gray ('12)

David has been a life long member of the Episcopal Church, having been baptized and confirmed at the Trinity Pro-Cathedral in Monrovia, Liberia, West Africa.

A forty year resident of the State of Ohio, he was a member of several Episcopal Church congregations in Lake and Cuyahoga counties before becoming a member of Christ Episcopal Church eight years ago. He has a Bachelor's of Science degree in Management, and is a Toll Plaza Supervisor with the Ohio Turnpike Commission. He and his wife Annie reside in Oakwood Village.

Mary Jo Groppe ('13)

A cradle Episcopalian, Mary Jo has been a member of Christ Church since moving to Shaker Heights in 1970. One son and three daughters were choir members, and she was active in Font Roll, Women's Council, Altar Guild (She particularly remembers being Wedding Chairman.) and various committees; most notably the Library Committee for ten years.

Mary Jo served on various PTAs and has volunteered in many areas for the Association of Continuing Education, CWRU. She taught English and social studies years ago and retired as librarian from the Shaker Historical Museum in 2006.

Michael Miller ('14)

Mike Miller and his family have been members of Christ Church for two and a half years. Mike grew up in Cleveland Heights, graduated from Baldwin-Wallace College, and has been a musician with the Cleveland Orchestra since 2005. Before moving back to Cleveland Heights, Mike lived in Charlotte, NC, where he met his wife, Eppie. Their first two children, Zachary and Ivy, were born in Charlotte. Their son Nicholas was born in Cleveland and baptized at Christ Church. Mike is currently serving on the Church Health Team, the Christ Church Foundation board, has been an IHN volunteer and is a frequent musical participant at Christ Church services. At his Charlotte parishes Mike was a mission trip leader, a confirmation mentor and a Room in the Inn volunteer.