The tallest (by far) member of the diocesan staff, Business Administrator Mike Wellwood, is leaving to become the Director of Finance and Human Relations at the Vancouver School of Theology.

Wellwood served in the position of Business Administrator for almost five years, working with Executive Archdeacon Ronald Harrison and Director of Parish Support Ministries Paul Borthistle as Bishop Michael Ingham’s senior staff.

Previously he had served as the diocese’s elected Treasurer, a volunteer position, and in that capacity as head of the Diocesan Administration and Finance Committee.

He and current Treasurer Jim Stewart were instrumental in guiding the diocese through a difficult period after it lost almost 20 per cent of assessment revenue in 2002 when several parishes refused to send in their assessments, and he served as the treasurer of St. Martin’s, North Vancouver, as members of that parish reestablished ties with the diocese.

He has represented the diocese on the board of the Interspiritual Centre Society of Vancouver, which is attempting to build a shared house of worship in the new community of Southeast False Creek.

Clockwise from top left:  Mike Wellwood, Jennifer Dezell, Stephen Toope and Paige Dampier

Wellwood, a member of St. Laurence, Coquitlam, is to take his 6-foot, 8-inch frame to VST on April 1. The accounting firm of Rolfe Benson has been engaged to handle the search for his replacement (see “Jobs” on the diocesan web site, under “Resources”.)

The newest legal officer for the diocese is Jennifer Dezell of St. George’s, Vancouver, who was appointed Deputy Registrar by Bishop Michael Ingham. She is a member of the law firm Fraser, Milner.

Joining the diocesan staff on March 1 was Paige Dampier, Parish Support Facilitator, of St. Mark’s, Kitsalano. Dampier will serve in a new staff position approved by Diocesan Synod last November that will provide “integrated ministry delivery” out in the field. She will work withStewardship Development, Ministry Resources, Ministry and Congregational Development and Communications/Marketing Committees, and will be a key resource person for the “Get Fit/Keep Fit” program.

And a very prominent Anglican lay person, Stephen J. Toope, is coming to the West Coast – not to a church position, but as president of the University of British Columbia. The former Dean of Law at McGill University served as the lay representative to the Anglican Consultative Council at Hong Kong in 2002, and was one of three lawyers fluent in Canon (church) law on Bishop Ingham’s Legal Commission to look into whether the diocese had the authority to bless same-sex unions, and has also been a legal consultant to the national church. Recently he was a fact finder for the federal government’s Commission of Inquiry into the actions of Canadian officials in relation to the Maher Arar case.

Other changes at the Synod Office: As the office said goodbye to Corliss Maguire of the Church of the Epiphany, Surrey, as Wednesday through Friday receptionist, staff welcomed Wilna Perry into that role on March 15. She is a parishioner of St. Clement’s, North Vancouver and was secretary for the parish.

Clergy Changes: The Rev. Paulina Lee, up until now a priest of the clergy team serving the Jubilee Cluster in Vancouver, has been appointed rector of St. Chad’s, Vancouver effective last month. St. Chad’s will again be on its own; remaining in the Cluster are St. Mark’s, St. George’s, and St. Michael’s.

The Bishop has appointed the Rev. Paul Woehrle of St. David, Delta as the new Regional Dean for the Richmond-Delta Deanery. The new Regional Dean for the Granville-Point Grey will be the Rev. John Stephens of St. Philip’s Dunbar, replacing the Rev. Lynne McNaughton of the Vancouver School of Theology, who is going on academic sabbatical. In Burnaby, the new Regional Dean will be the Rev. Craig Tanksley of St. Alban’s, Burnaby, who follows the Rev. Randolph Bruce of All Saint’s.

News from our partner Diocese of Taiwan: With an outpouring of pomp and good cheer, Good Shepherd Church in Taipei has installed the Rev. Lily Chang as their Rector. Bishop David Lai presided. Chang’s enthusiasm and aptitude for the priesthood was apparent for many years but her response was “not now, I don’t want to be the first woman priest.” In 1993, Elizabeth Lai was ordained as the first woman Deacon in the Diocese of Taiwan. Chang was putting together the bulletin announcement for Elizabeth Lai’s ordination, when God spoke to her again, “See now there is a woman priest. What about you?” This time her response was, “Yes, now.” Chang is the second woman priest to be made rector in the Diocese of Taiwan. Chang has been asked to represent the Episcopal Church USA at the UN Commission on the Status of Women.