The Right Reverend George Edward Councell, Bishop of New Jersey 

George Councell was elected the Eleventh Bishop of the Diocese of New Jersey on May 3, 2003, and consecrated on St. Luke’s Day, October 18, 2003 in Trinity Cathedral in Trenton.

Bishop Councell is Vice-President of Province II and serves on the Board of Trustees of General Theological Seminary, the Presiding Bishop’s Council of Advice, and the Joint Standing Committee of Program, Budget and Finance.

More bibliographical information about Bishop Councell can be found  at  our diocese's website.

Reverend Joan M. Pettit Anders, Rector

I love Christ Church. I thank the Lord daily for the opportunity he has given me to do this ministry. I consider it a privilege to serve here as rector.I have been in leadership roles for over 30 years. I lead through example, encouragement and trust, empowering people to do the ministry God calls them to do. I love to preach God's word and reach people's souls by attempting to make it relevant to the lives we lead today. I am so excited by the Vision God has laid before us for this Parish, and it energizes me to walk together with you on this path. Did I say I love my Church?

I am mother to two wonderful boys. Chris owns his own mortgage company and is co-owner of Auto Gear. Clay is an auto mechanic at Saturn of Toms River. My interests and activities usually revolve around family time with my boys, and with my extended family, music & movies.

Education: The General Theological Seminary, NYC, Masters of Divinity, 1998. Rutgers University, Douglass College, BA, 1975.

Last Position: Associate Rector, St. Peter's Episcopal Church, Medford, NJ 8/98-12/02.

 

Reverend Timothy Holder, Assoc. Rector

I serve as Associate Rector joining Mother Joan, our Rector, leading Sundays and week-day celebrations. I feel like I have come home. Christ Church is a place of great Spirit and Love. I enjoy helping with liturgy, preaching and pastoral care.  I look forward to mission and new possibilities for Christ Church.  

Ordained on December 17, 1997, in the Episcopal Diocese of Alabama, I have celebrated mission and new communities of faith in Birmingham, the South Bronx, and Atlantic City.  Liturgy, mission, leadership and philanthropy are among my fields of interest.  I enjoy teaching and writing.  A native of Tennessee, I am a former Deputy Finance Chair for the Democratic National Committee in Washington, D.C. where I enjoyed a career in national politics in the 1980s.

My work in creating and re-building Christian communities has been among the poor and disenfranchised, African American and Latino/a populations, gay and lesbian persons and, most recently, among hip hop generations.  My work among hip hop generations is the subject of "Disciples of the Street:  The Promise of a Hip Hop Church" (Church Publishing, 2008). I learned in Atlantic City that re-establishing and creating new communities for struggling urban churches is a many-year, many-person task. Let us celebrate, Good People of Christ Church, ‘shouting out’ the Love of God for everybody, everywhere, at all times and never, ever stop! 

Education: The Harvard Divinity School , Masters of Divinity, 1997. University of the South at Sewanee, BA, 1977.

Last Position: Rector, Church of the Ascension, Atlantic City, NJ, 7/07-12/09

Reverend John Steed, Chaplain

I retired as in 2004, after 33-1/2 years in the ministry. I was raised in Dayton, Ohio, and somehow picked up five college degrees along the way (none of them doctorates). When football season comes around, you might just discern that two of those degrees are from The Ohio State University. I also served in the USMCR in the 1960's.

I was baptized Methodist and confirmed Presbyterian. As newly weds, we found the Episcopal Church and I became an Episcopal priest. I began my ministry in Virginia, then spent 27 years in North Carolina, before finally coming to New Jersey. The fact that our son and daughter-in-law live in the Philadelphia area is not insignificant! It is a joy to be on Mother Joan's staff, not just to serve, but also to be a part of parish life.

Education: Ohio State Unversity, BA, MA,1964, 1965.  North Carolina Wesleyan College, BA, 1987. General Theological Seminary, MDiv, 1971. North Carolina Central University, MA, 1993.   

Last Position: Rector, St. Stephen's Episcopal Church, Whiting, NJ.

Mary Lou Steed, PHD, Chaplain

I grew up in rural Ohio, raised two steers with my father's help, helped in the field and barn, but not much in the house. For ten years after high school I did secretarial work.As we were looking forward to John's first placement after seminary, he asked me where I would like to live. I said "anyplace with a college so I could audit a few courses." He said "I'm not going to let you do that!" He laughed and explained that he meant I was to go for a degree, assuring me that 29 was not too old to start.

For twenty years I held a faculty position at a liberal arts college in North Carolina. Since our arrival in New Jersey, and until my retirement from the classroom in 2007, I have taught at Temple University, Rider University and at Thomas Edison State College. I still keep active by teaching online courses for adult students at both TESC and Rider. I have always been active in the life of the church. I am glad to be here at Christ Church and to be involved in several ministries.

Education: Atlantic Christian College, BA, 1975. North Carolina Central University, MA, 1977. Duke University, PhD, 1983.
Currentt Position: Mentor in Sociology: Thomas Edison State College

Reverend Walter Hartt, Rector Emeritus

I am retired and currently serving on a part-time basis at Holy Spirit Episcopal Church in Tuckerton. The privilege that was mine in being parish priest for some 16 years at Christ Church was the opportunity to see God's hand show itself repeatedly in the life we shared. Much, of course, was hidden. But in a moment our common enterprise would show itself and be a holy one, filled with Godly surprises and rich opportunity to serve our Lord Jesus. The Church was shown not to be mine but the living Lord's and my best days were those in which I managed not to be in the way. The privilege of witnessing the Spirit's work was second only to the opportunity of preaching the Gospel of God's love for all.

Reverend Emily Holman, Deacon

I was ordained a deacon in the Diocese of New Jersey on October 21, 2010.  A lifelong interest in travel leads me to visit the “edges” of the world and to bring back the stories of those faraway peoples and places.  Thus, my diaconal focus is on the needs of the broader world.  I serve on the diocesan Companion Diocese Committee and the Committee on the Diaconate.

I’m also interested in more local housing issues and social justice issues, and have been involved with Interfaith Hospitality Network, Northern Ocean Habitat for Humanity, and a community project for Heifer, International.  I assist Christ Church with pastoral care, Lay Eucharistic Visitors, and am a volunteer chaplain at Community Medical Center.

Reverend Lew McCrum, Deacon (Retired)

I accepted my calling to the diaconate from Christ Church and was ordained in 1990. I retired in 2008. I had been involved in particular in the coordination and training of chalice bearers and lay eucharistic ministers. I also shared in the visitation of the sick, shut-ins, and hospitalized parishioners. Since retirement I still participate in services when needed.

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