Welcome Emily Howard

As you know, St John’s is entering another season of changes to the staff.  Farewell Deonna and Anne.  We love you and will miss you hugely.  (Don’t forget the celebration of Deonna’s ministry on Sunday May 19th.  She will preach and celebrate at both services and we will enjoy a potluck lunch, with presentations, after the 10:30 service.)

This week we welcomed Emily Howard who will be our new full-time Director of Communications.  For the next couple of weeks she’ll be shadowing Constance in that role.  Constance will, in due time, take over from Anne as the Rector’s Assistant, when Anne moves to Birmingham (on an unknown date.)

So, let me introduce Emily to you.  Even better, let her do it herself.  Here she is…

Ever since I worked as a newspaper reporter in the long ago year of 2002 (ah, the olden days…), I have loved telling people’s stories. Stories are how we learn about each other, about humanity, and about God. Jesus taught all of his most valuable lessons via stories. Stories boil everything down to its most simple, compact essence.

It is for this reason and many more that I am so excited to begin serving as the new Director of Communications for St. John’s! I look forward to meeting everyone, learning everyone’s stories, and sharing your church’s story with the community so everyone can know of the wonderful work that you do here.

Speaking of stories, here is a bit of mine!

I am a native of Gadsden, Alabama, and a military spouse. My husband of 22 years works at the Alabama National Guard Headquarters here in Montgomery. My family and I have lived in this area since 2017, after living in Huntsville for 10 years (and lots of other places before that). I have three children: Megan (28), Connor (19),  and Caleb (15), as well as two grandchildren, Harper (8), and Tristen (5). Our rescue dog, Alex Flopsy Scrappy Doo Howard, just turned four years old and is spoiled by absolutely everyone. She is very good at sitting and shaking.

Our family loves movies, music, and games of all kinds! Both of our sons are avid gamers and our older son is going to college at the University of Alabama in Huntsville to become a video game designer. Our younger son is very involved in the Pike Road High School Marching Band, playing trombone and managing their social media pages (a chip off the old block, you might say). Daughter Megan just graduated with her Master’s in Applied Behavioral Analysis and works with special needs kids. My husband, an avid golfer, is currently tearing it up on the Veteran’s Golf Association tour.

I love to sing and play music, and teach piano and guitar lessons to kids in our neighborhood. My mom was an amazing musician who passed away in 2021 and I have been very blessed to be able to pass on her legacy of music to a new generation. I also love to read everything from CS Lewis to Stephen King, and you will never catch me without a book in my bag!

While I started out as a journalist, after my second son was born I felt a call to ministry. I began working on staff at our church in Huntsville and from there began seminary. I graduated with my Master’s in Christian Ministry in 2021 and have since been able to use my skills, learn, and grow as part of missions teams and nonprofits in our area and beyond. All ministries that serve those on the margins–homeless, prisoners, and the LGBTQ community–are those closest to my heart.

I am so very excited to be embarking on this new adventure with St. John’s. I love art, design, and all things creative, and I love the church and God’s people, warts and all. My sincere hope is that I can use the gifts God has given me to help cultivate God’s beautiful kindom here on earth.

I look forward to meeting all of you!