On Stephanie Chase Wilson's first day as rector of St. Paul's Episcopal Church, she officiated a funeral. It was a sad occasion and a tough way to start a new job, but she knew then her new church home was a friendly, welcoming place.
"I was struck by how very loving they were to each other, to me and to others," Wilson said. "They were so warm to me ... they are extremely kind, generous, faithful people. They live in their faith."
Since that funeral in early December, Wilson has been settling in as senior pastor of the North Andover congregation, living in the rectory next door to the church with her two children. She was officially installed as rector at a service last week, officiated by the Right Rev. Bud Cerderholm, a bishop from the Episcopal Diocese of Massachusetts.
"It's a new beginning," said Nancy Johnson, a member at St. Paul's, as she headed into Wilson's installation service. "I think she's great and will bring a lot of change."
Organ music played as church members and their families sat in St. Paul's sanctuary, built in 1882 with ornate, dark-colored woodwork and beautiful stained glass.
"This is very exciting for us," said Arthur Fundeklian, as he handed out bulletins to people. "Our church was ready (for a new rector). Everyone accepted her and has been very pleased.
"She's very intelligent, very knowledgeable. Her sermons cover the whole gamut of Christianity — she relates the past to the future. She's a good fit. She's young, vibrant, has new ideas and a new perspective," said Fundeklian, a North Andover resident and member of St. Paul's vestry, or lay council.
Susan Johansson, a church member from Salem, N.H., agreed that their new rector has hit the ground running.
"I feel like it hasn't been three months, it feels like she's been here longer," said Johansson with a smile. "She's very easy to work with."
Choir members from St. Paul's and Christ Church of Andover sang at the installation service, and an offering was taken for Lazarus House nonprofit in Lawrence. Afterward, a reception was held in the parish hall, and attendees enjoyed refreshments and congratulated Wilson.
"I liked her immediately. She has a great deal of poise, and she's very warm. I feel myself drawn to her, and I feel others do too," said Celia Brunette, North Andover resident and member of St. Paul's vestry. "We're a small parish, and we needed someone that can help us to grow and is very approachable. We're looking to the future, and she seems to be looking that way too. The timing was just about right."
St. Paul's last rector, the Rev. Alexander Daley, retired in November 2005 after 29 years with the church. The congregation had an interim minister, Dan Crowley, for the two years until Wilson was selected.
Two years is not unusual for an Episcopal church to go without a rector, said Paula Fines, chairwoman of St. Paul's rector search committee. The transition period gives the congregation time to evaluate themselves and decide what they were looking for in a rector, as well as time to "let go" of the previous rector — especially after having a person lead the church for close to three decades.
"A rector job is a very special job, and you want it to be a good fit for the church and a good fit for the person," Fines said.
By the end of the two years, St. Paul's was "absolutely ready" for the new rector, Fines said.
"The interim took us through the transition period, but also got us thinking about change," she said. "We're thrilled with her (Wilson), she's such a lovely person. We're looking forward to a long relationship with her."
Wilson's resume stood out from the many the committee looked through, Fines said, because of her experience and adaptability. She had marketing experience at past jobs and also had built an ecumenical church — one with members from many different denominations — for English speakers while doing missions work in Lithuania.
"She's a good fit for us, and I think we're a good fit for her — it's a good fit for both of us, and that's important," Fines said.
A Tewksbury native, Wilson said she sent her resume to St. Paul's because she wanted to stay close to her family. Prior to applying at St. Paul's, Wilson had been in Lithuania for two and a half years and had worked at two Episcopal churches in Maryland.
Before going in to the ministry, Wilson worked in several fields: as a genealogist, a travel writer and with investments at a securities firm.
During college, the ministry was not her career choice, she said. She wasn't even attending church at the time. While working as a travel writer in Cambridge, she took a Greek class and met several seminary students. It was then she started to feel called to the ministry, she said.
"I wasn't planning on it. God called me. My first answer was, 'No way.' The thought of doing public speaking every week scared me to death," Wilson said with a smile. "Then I started to think, 'I could do this.'"
After that first Greek class, Wilson enrolled at Yale Divinity School. She was ordained in the Episcopal church in 1996.
Stephanie Chase Wilson, the new rector at St. Paul's Episcopal Church in North Andover
r Installed as rector on Feb. 13
r Tewksbury native, her parents still live in the house she grew up in
r 44 years old, divorced, has two children, Duncan, 9 and Emma, 6
r Went to University of Virginia for an undergraduate degree in humanities and Yale Divinity School for seminary
r Was rector at two churches in Maryland
r Did missionary work in Lithuania for two and a half years, starting an English-speaking church
Q & A with Wilson
What has been the biggest challenge for you, coming into a church that had an interim pastor for two years?
All new rectors have ideas that are new and different. The challenge is to pace myself, listen and not just charge ahead with things that aren't in keeping with the people here. Making sure we're all on the same page.
What would you say is your strong point as a rector?
It's funny, because most pastors wouldn't say this, but I'm really good at administration, organization and clarity in communication. Making sure there's cohesion, making sure we're connected, like knowing who the shut-ins are of the church, and organizing who's been visited.
I'm not saying that I don't love hospital visits or preaching, because I love doing that too. Writing a sermon forces me to sit with Scripture, meditate on it and pray over it, learning what God is trying to say to me. That is a gift.
What is the best part about your job?
Getting to know people, and seeing Christ in them. We talk about how we are the hands and feet of Christ. I get to know these people (church members) inside and out. I'm honored to be privy to be part of some of the most intimate parts of their lives.
What is your hope for St. Paul's?
That we remain faithful to God in Christ. That everyone who attends here are able to grow in their spiritual journeys.
What is one thing people would be surprised to know about you?
I can speak German. My mother is from Germany, so I grew up hearing it.
St. Paul's Episcopal Church of North Andover
r Visit the church on the Web at www.stpaulsnorthandover.com
r Membership: about 200 families
r Celebrated its 125th anniversary last year
r Built in 1882
r The French Memorial, which includes the church offices and choir room, added in 1893
r The parish hall, which includes Sunday school rooms and kitchen, was dedicated in 1915
r New pipe organ by the Andover Organ Co. was installed in 1988
