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I'm delighted to tell you that our deacon, The Reverend Mawande Mzongwana, has been called to be a full-time Associate Rector, beginning immediately. For the time being she will be serving as a deacon, but the plan is that she will be ordained a priest early in 2026.

I am also delighted to tell you that Mawande's addition to the staff of St John's has no bearing on the ministry of the Reverend Mark Waldo. It has been a joy to serve with Mark, and I'm pleased to say that he will continue as an Associate Rector at St John's. So, we now have three clergypeople! I'm thankful to God for creating this amazing opportunity, and to you - the faithful members of the parish who pledge - who have made it possible.

-The Rev. Dr. Duncan Johnston

Please read the following from Mawande:

It was in the Summer of 2016, in the beautiful vineyard-surrounded student town of Stellenbosch, South Africa, where I first received news of my acceptance to Yale Divinity School. I was ecstatic and felt a little vindicated by the acceptance. You see, my parents had not been very pleased with my decision to study theology straight out of high school nineteen hours away from home. My dad had made a poignant claim: “Why should you go study theology so far away at double the cost of what I’d pay at a Bible School?” 

There I was, an eighteen-year-old searching for every Sunday school answer that I could think of to justify and convince a man who had taught Shakespeare at college level, served as a Vice Chancellor of a college during the apartheid regime, and was now the Superintendent of our school district, I had no chance! My mom on the other hand surrendered all ideas of having me do what she wanted-- she suspected that God’s will would prevail for my life and hoped that it would be good. 

All odds were stacked against me - distance, choice of study, and costs. 

BUT for the mercy and grace of God! My parents did the good ol’ Hebrew Bible priestly, Urim and Thummim. This refers to an item God instructed Moses to place on the attire of the high priest in Exodus 28:30. These were cube-like stones placed on the breastplate/garment of the High priest and covered with an ephod. One stone would be associated with a “yes” while the other would be a “no.” It was to be used by the high priest Aaron in miraculously determining the will of God for God's people in particularly difficult situations. Some have likened this to the “casting of lots” by the apostles to determine who would take the place of Judas in the Book of Acts (Acts 1:26).

I’m sure this may sound very similar to praying and rolling dice, but I like to think of it as having been more about entrusting God with the very detailed affairs of one’s life more so than the actual process of rolling a cube (umim thummim) or casting a lot.

I share this because it pertains to my journey of faith, from childhood to young adulthood and full adulthood. The tough decisions that my parents have had to make are a reflection of their faith in a faithful, loving, and forgiving God. Similarly, my learned faith from the Scriptures and my community is essential in who I am today and what I seek to accomplish. 

I am a woman who stands for the affirmation of the human dignity of all people on the bounds of justice and the Gospel of Jesus Christ. That is because of the power of the gospel of redemption presented to the world in and through Jesus Christ. I believe that God is a just God and believe that this is epitomized in the person of Jesus Christ (Colossians 2:9; Ephesians 3:19). I seek to be a woman who seeks out the good and that which is just in all with the hopes that the love of Christ is revealed in my small, humble and persistent acts of obedience. 

Now, what does this mean for you St John’s? Well, I think it means that God providentially willed that this community of faith (St John’s) call me into ministry. I think this call is to love you as I grow in the love of God and the love of neighbor; to serve you and to help in leading the congregation along with its present and future spiritual leaders into a life where we get to know God more truly in our service of the other--including God’s creation which sustains us daily in the air we breathe and the water we drink, the poor, the prisoner, the foreigner, the widow and the orphan (BCP p. 827: prayer for Knowledge of God's creation). 

I am sure that I will make mistakes (for which I ask for your patience in advance), but I am even more sure of my determination to devoutly serve God alongside you and alongside the community of Montgomery. Furthermore, I would like to thank you for your welcoming of me and my family. I imagine that we will continue to need you all as we undertake this ministry! 

I pray that we continue to graciously welcome all who walk into our doors. Lastly, I pray for the Lord's grace for our leaders in the dioceses of Alabama, particularly in this time of transition, that we may seek to be more courageous in our pursuit of the Kingdom of God. 

I thank you. It truly is a pleasure to be in your midst. 

Mawande Mzongwana

Deacon (Transitional)