New Spiritual Leadership at St. Peter’s Episcopal Church

by Alan Bisbort

July 24, 2024

“It is with great enthusiasm that I have accepted your invitation to be your next Priest-in-Charge!” said Rev. Maureen “Mo” Lederman in her letter to St. Peter’s Parish in June agreeing to take on the role as its new spiritual leader. 

Though our parish has shown extraordinary strength and resilience during the transition period since the departures of our beloved Rev. Sandy and David Stayner last October, Reverend Mo will now provide a solid grounding as we move forward on our spiritual path together. As she put it in her acceptance letter, “In the past several months I have had the opportunity to worship with you, and I have learned that St. Peter’s is a parish that lives into this call. You have strong leadership – people who are invested in the parish and love the community.”

St. Peter’s was blessed in so many ways to have been led for 20 years by Sandy and David, among whose ongoing legacy is the health and vibrancy of this parish. It is truly a measure of how special our community is that we could so quickly find someone who knows us as well as Rev. Lederman does. She has filled in as guest celebrant on numerous occasions, including our most recent Easter services. In the time we’ve gotten to know her, she has shown herself to be filled with energy, enthusiasm and humor, and has an ability to connect with people of all ages. She is up to the challenge of leading St. Peter’s and finding new ways to reach peopleand connect in a rapidly changing world.

“In my 20 years of ordained ministry,” she said, “I have learned that, while the world may be changing, the needs of God’s people don’t. People are hungry for a supportive community and for Christ’s reconciling love. St. Peter’s is a model of a supportive community that lives into Christ’s love.”

Rev. Lederman’s arrival also initiates a transition for the parish from a full-time to a half-time priest in charge. She has shown the ability to make such an arrangement work in the past, as she has led St. John’s in North Guilford as a half-time priest. With our help and God’s guidance, she will do the same for St. Peter’s.

As she settles into St. Peter’s, Rev. Mo will be meeting with the various groups and ministries at St. Peter’s, as well as individual parishioners “I am looking forward to getting to know all of you in the coming months – hearing your stories, finding out about why St. Peter’s is important to you, and learning how God has called each of you.”

Let’s help support her as she embarks on this new role and embraces her work to guide us as a parish!