Steve Hays

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?

Despite working as a consultant on a limited basis since 2014, I have been mentally parked in retirement mode. A few days prior to being contacted about serving on the Vestry, I read an article that really struck a chord in me. The author shared that “retirement” should be experienced as a transition rather than a final destination or identity - affording one the opportunity to re-invent oneself. As a result of that article, when I was asked about serving on the Vestry I was able to immediately agree without the analysis typical of my engineering training and experience. It is clearly the time to serve.

 

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

For the last several years, I have had the opportunity to work with the informal Operations group as we managed to improve our campus utility systems and reduce our water and energy costs. As a result, we gained a deeper understanding of the complexity of our campus and the need for ongoing maintenance. This “unintentional pre-work” prepared us to help define the scope of some of the repairs required during the scaffolding rebuild. As the new systems are completed and commissioned, we will have to repeat the learning process.

 

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?

The Vestry has performed excellently in supporting St. Mark’s Core Vocation and I expect to learn a great deal from the continuing members. I believe the ongoing efforts to anticipate and prepare for future changes in our congregation’s spiritual and financial characteristics will be crucial to preserving our ability to maintain our Core Vocation.

 

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

Deborah and I joined St. Mark’s in 2008 after moving to San Antonio. We became Episcopalians in Corpus Christi in 1983 and then were enriched by belonging to a large church in Pennsylvania and a very small church in Louisiana. The opportunity to maintain our faith in many areas of the country and with a variety of congregations has always been a benefit of being Episcopalian. We have participated in many of the St. Mark’s ministries since joining and I have been a member of the Wednesday night Bible study for several years. I truly enjoy and appreciate the ritual and the spiritual aspects of our religion but ultimately the draw to a particular church will always be the members of the congregation as enhanced by the clergy and staff.