A New Call for the Rev. Neal McGowan

A Message from the Rev. Neal McGowan

Dear St. John the Divine,

I write this email to share my incredible gratitude as I enter a new chapter in my ordained ministry. I have accepted a call to serve as the Rector of Grace Episcopal Church in Georgetown, Texas. Jennifer and I feel so many competing emotions as we have discerned this new call to serve in Georgetown. We are excited about the opportunity to serve in a growing parish in central Texas, but we have also felt sad—sad to leave all of you.

St. John the Divine welcomed our whole family. You treated our children with kindness and grace. Jennifer received so many encouraging words while she was wrangling our kids in the 9 am church service. Don’t let anyone tell you that children are not welcome even in our traditional worship; we have only felt welcomed. We have also seen our children grow and thrive in First Steps Montessori. What a gift beyond what we could ask for!

You welcomed Jennifer giving her the opportunity to join the Daughters of the King and to serve in our children’s ministry with Catechesis of the Good Shepherd. Finally, you have been exceedingly kind and gracious to me. You have helped me become a better priest.

I am also so thankful to have served alongside such an incredible staff. The clergy and lay staff work tirelessly with a deep commitment to the Gospel. I have been blessed to work alongside them and learn from them. The people on staff are not simply colleagues but now dear friends, and we will miss them. I am also grateful for Fr. Leigh; his leadership, mentorship, and support have been a consistent blessing. I know that I will continue to learn from him as we move to a new community.

My last Sunday with you will be on February 16. I hope that in the weeks until then, I have a chance to speak to you in person and say goodbye. One of the greatest gifts that Christ brings us is a new family and new friends in Him. I am above all else grateful to Him for bringing us to SJD and for allowing us to serve alongside you.

Sincerely,
The Rev. Neal McGowan, Associate Rector

A Message from the Rev. Dr. R. Leigh Spruill

Dear Friends,

I wish to follow up on the Rev. Neal McGowan’s gracious announcement that he has accepted the call to serve as rector of Grace Episcopal Church in Georgetown, Texas. This new ministry represents a very exciting opportunity for Neal and the McGowan family. Grace Church is a growing parish with a large vision for a lovely and rapidly expanding community. Neal possesses all the gifts, energy, and leadership to shepherd Grace Church into the years to come. And Georgetown is a great place for Jennifer and Neal to raise their beautiful children. I know you join me in congratulating Neal on his call to this important new ministry.

While occasional clergy transitions are not uncommon in larger corporate parishes such as SJD, that does not make them easy. We will miss the McGowan family very much even as we bid them farewell, confident in their fidelity to God’s call on their lives.

As I have shared before, an aspect of our vision is to be a community helping form leaders – lay and ordained – for the larger church. For years, I have sought to hire associate clergy who not only bless the parish during their tenure but also gain experience and wisdom to go forth to significant new leadership positions. Let us give thanks to God that our congregation has been a community helping prepare Neal for this new ministry in Georgetown, even as he has so faithfully served us.

Still, I am sad to lose Neal to our staff and the McGowan family to our parish. Their leave-taking will create a large hole in our life together as a church family. I will personally miss Neal’s presence, gifts, and friendship very much. I will always be proud to have worked alongside him over these recent years and look forward to cheering him on from Houston into the future!

Information about how we will celebrate the McGowans on Neal’s last Sunday in February will be forthcoming. In the meantime, I ask you to be intentional in expressing your gratitude for Neal, Jennifer, Elizabeth, and Thomas in the coming days. Despite our sadness in saying goodbye, from a Kingdom perspective, this is a very exciting development for the McGowans and our Lord’s church.

Yours in Christ,
The Rev. Dr. R. Leigh Spruill, Rector