Beth Hawkins

Each of the Vestry members were asked to reflect on the following questions:

 

WHY DO YOU FEEL CALLED TO SERVE ON THE VESTRY OF ST. MARK’S?

I answered the call very quickly with a resounding “yes!” because I am ready to serve St. Mark’s that has fed me spiritually for so many years.

 

PLEASE DESCRIBE YOUR PARTICIPATION AT ST. MARK’S AND/OR IN THE COMMUNITY, INDICATING EXPERIENCES THAT YOU THINK WILL BE HELPFUL FOR THE VESTRY.

When my children were young, I taught Godly Play and led the children’s service a few Sunday’s a month at St. Mark’s. Today, I serve as a Lector and as co-facilitator of our Community of Hope chapter. I recently participated in St. Mark’s Sacred Ground series, leading me to want to volunteer in more ways, including working as a volunteer at Abode Contemplative Care for the Dying, and I am beginning to serve our diocese’s Immigration and Refugees Ministries. Additionally, I volunteer in various libraries, participate in monthly bird-counting hikes that provide research for science, and serve families as a bereavement doula when they have lost an infant.

 

ST. MARK’S CORE VOCATION IS FEEDING SAN ANTONIO WITH THE BREAD OF LIFE: FEEDING THE HUNGRY WITH REAL FOOD; FEEDING THOSE WHO ARE HUNGRY FOR KNOWLEDGE AND MEANING; FEEDING THOSE WHO ARE HUNGRY FOR BEAUTY AND CREATIVITY. HOW DO YOU ENVISION THE VESTRY WORKING IN SUPPORT OF THIS VOCATION?

I’m a life-long learner and just finished my Master’s Degree in Library Science. So, at my core, I want to help people find what they are looking for. I think it’s important that we remember that we are not telling people what they need and want, but helping them find what it is they are seeking, and loving and supporting them through every part of that journey.

 

WHEN DID YOU JOIN ST. MARK’S AND WHAT CONTINUES TO DRAW YOU TO THIS COMMUNITY?

I joined St. Mark’s with my husband and family in 2009 after my grandmother, then choir member, Patti Young, moved out to the country with us. Almost ten years after her passing, we continue to make the long drive to St. Mark’s because we value the loving and inclusive church family that works hard to take care not just of themselves, but of those in the surrounding community in need of our love.