Jane Williams

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?

By the time Mark and I started visiting St. Mark’s in 2015, we had searched in several denominations to find the place where we felt we belonged. After just a few visits, the beautiful music, the thoughtful and challenging preaching, and the friendliness and openness of the parishioners made us know that our searching was over. Since that time, I have experienced spiritual growth and received many blessings from my involvement. Serving on the Vestry is another way that I can say “thank you” to God and to the parish for the gift of having found my spiritual home.

 

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

Since joining St. Mark’s, I have completed the four-year course Education for Ministry, serving for three years as the co-mentor; I joined the Altar Guild in 2018 and served as Assistant Chair and now Co-Chair for the group. Most recently I was Co-Chair of the Come and See Rededication Weekend. In the community, I completed the year-long course with the Masters Leadership Program, which prepares individuals to take positions on not-for-profit boards. I served on the Children’s Museum Board of Directors for six years during the time we built The DoSeum, and as a docent at the McNay Art Museum for eight years, talking to children about art. Professionally, my degree is in Medical Laboratory Science and I worked for 20 years for a global medical diagnostics company, specifically in marketing, sales, and market research.

 

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; AND FEEDING THOSE WHO ARE HUNGRY FOR BEAUTY AND CREATIVITY.” HOW DO YOU ENVISION THE VESTRY WORKING IN SUPPORT OF THIS VOCATION?

Part of my attraction to St. Mark’s is the Core Vocation and the fact that it is not just a motto that hangs on the wall on the fourth floor of the Parish House. Our parish lives and breathes its vocation. Now that we are emerging from the restrictions we faced during the pandemic and the restoration of the Parish House, we should examine again how we embody our core vocation. Given that habits and needs have changed during the pandemic, what should we do additionally or differently now?

 

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

Mark and I transferred our membership to St. Mark’s in 2016 and have become increasingly engaged since then. The aspects of St. Mark’s that are most compelling to me include the opportunities to learn, to be challenged spiritually, to serve, to meet wonderful people, to experience worship in a very majestic and meaningful way and to hear inspired words from the pulpit every Sunday.