AGM 2022 St Paul's Vestry Candidate Bio Pack

AGM 2022
St Paul’s Vestry
Candidate Bio Pack

                     5 2 S Y M O N D S S T | hello@stpauls.org.nz |   +64 9 373 3268
                     GRAFTON
                     AUCKLAND 1010

VESTRY

The Vestry is our parish governing body. It consists of the following
members:

Non-Elected Members

Vicar’s Warden:		          David Eaton

Clergy:			 Rev Jonny Grant (Vicar)
				Rev Matt Bruns
				Rev Graham Black

Treasurer:			Tbd

Secretary:			Tbd

Elected Members

Synod Reps		 Tbd
				Tbd
Synod Reps are elected for a 3 year term. Our Synod Reps will be elected in 2022.

People’s Warden (1)

Vestry Members (number to be determined at the AGM)

PEOPLE’S WARDEN
 •   A key lay leader of the Parish
 •   A spokesperson for the members of the Parish to the Vestry
 •   Provide leadership in helping the Vestry meet its responsibilities
 •   Support the work of clergy licensed to the Parish
 •   Ensures that the Vestry and the Vicar are properly informed about matters for which they are
     each responsible.

Bridget O’Malley
Current People’s Warden

My family and I have been
worshipping at St Paul’s since
2004. I am married to David
and have three sons – Isaac
(19), Alex (17), and Tombo (13).

We are very involved in the life of the church and love being a part of
the St Pauls community. We have been heavily involved in the Open
(Life) Course over the last 16 years because we are passionate about
encouraging and empowering people to flourish and believe in the
power of the transforming love, grace and mercy of Jesus and the
church.

I have been on Vestry for the past 15 years, including as People’s
Warden for the last 2 years. I love St Paul’s and my desire is to see it
continue to evolve and mature.

I believe in a church where God is glorified and where people are
transformed to live authentic lives centred on who they are in Christ.
A church that is outward looking and welcomes all.

I believe in accountable leadership and good honest governance.

VESTRY MEMBERS
 • The role of Vestry members is to “represent parishioners and provide support and
   guidance to the Vicar and other clergy.”

Les Lohrentz
Current Vestry Member

The world has been going
through significant social,
political and technological
change over the past few
decades. No less so in New
Zealand. St Paul’s is well
placed to provide spirit-
led leadership to positively
address some of the issues
that face our community and
us as a nation.
I have had the privilege of living in three different countries, the
last 29 years in New Zealand. In each country I have had the
opportunity to explore my faith in different contexts and amongst
different cultures. God has blessed me with rich experiences, many
challenging, but each has grown my faith as I have learnt to lean on
Him.

Most of my journey has been shared with Anne, my wife of 38 years.
We have two amazing children and an amazing son-in-law, all of
whom love Jesus. In the churches we have attended, Anne and I have
ministered in ‘kid’s church’, run small groups and served in a variety
of forms. We have been at St Paul’s for 6 years and I have been a
member of Vestry for the past 12 months.

Professionally, I have worked in HR most of my life, across mining,
food manufacturing, local government and health. If you choose to
elect me I hope to use my varied life experience and skills to further
God’s kingdom in our community.

Trevor Starr
Current Vestry Member

It has been an honour to
serve on St Paul’s Vestry for
the past three years. I love
St Paul’s and am committed
to the church vision, and
the move of the Spirit in
and through the church. I
discovered Jesus and gave
my life to Him at age six.
Happily married to Debbie, my lovely wife of 37 years, we enjoy
spending time with our four grown up and married children, and
grandchildren.

I lead a St Paul’s team into Mt Eden prison, to run short services
sharing the gospel of hope. I’m also a part of the River Team, and
love partenring with the Holy Spirit welcoming in The King to reveal
His Kingdom power to the sick, hurting and broken. I know this can
include all of us at times. My daytime calling (and paid employment0
is leading a department at Parenting Place delivering insight, hope
and confidence to parents.

It would be a privilege to continue to serve the church on Vestry.

Michelle Young
Current Vestry Member

I’ve been involved with St
Paul’s since 2010, attend
the morning and afternoon
services, and have served
on vestry for the last three
years.

The Church has always been
important to me. I came to
faith when I was young and have grown to deeply love God and his
Church. Part of this journey has been watching my parents faithfully
pastor for 35 years. Central to my life is the belief that God is with
and for his church, working to bring his life to the world.

I currently work at Venn as a Director and Teacher, leading our
Summer Conference and Public Events. My experiences include five
years working for a church, management of a not-for-profit trust,
board service, as well as serving in various ministries: leading pre-
school and university ministries, and being involved with local and
overseas missions.

Tim Harper
Current Vestry Member

Hi my name is Tim Harper
and I’ve been a Vestry
member for the past fi ve
years. St Paul’s has been my
home church since 2004
and is also where I met my
wife, Tali. We have two boys,
Henry (8) and Frank (6).

I’ve spent the past 15 years working in creative direction and
production, including at St Paul’s where more recently I had teh
privilege of creating our new branding and visual identity. In my day
job I’m the Co-Founder and CEO of Glorious, a creative studio
and marketplace that works with some of the world’s finest artists
and legacy institutions to create and sell digital art via blockchain
technology.

I love St Paul’s, its people and its mission to be the ‘light on top of the
hill’ that shines brightly, particularly during these unprecendented
times. More than ever, I believe people are looking for an authentic,
relevant and vibrant church to call home; a place where they can also
contribute their skills and passions.

Natalie Vincent
Tēnā tātou. He uri tēnei
nō Ngāti Pākehā, nō reira
kārekau he maunga. Kārekau
he awa, kārekau he moana.
Engari he uri tēnei i tipu mai
i te one whero o Papakura.
He kaimahi o te hapori
ahau. E tū mai nei ahau, ki
te tautoko, me te atawhai i
te hapori. Ko Natalie tōku
ingoa.

My name is Natalie Vincent. St Paul’s has been my Church home
for almost ten years. I would welcome the opportunity to serve
the Church on Vestry. With many years of experience in strategic
leadership and Governance roles, I believe I have the skills and heart
for service that would add value to the Vestry and Church family. I
am currently CEO of Ngā Tāngata Microfinance, supporting Kiwi
in hardship across Aotearoa to make a positive and enduring change
to their financial wellbeing. I am passionate about social justice,
authentic partnership, and community outreach, serving God to the
best of my ability.

Jess Keating
I’ve been attending St Pauls
since the beginning of 2020
with my husband James and
two young boys, Joe and
Tom. We have received so
much, so when I heard the
invite for women vestry
members, I felt I could give
back in this way. I have not
had a recognised role here
(apart from helping out at Rockets and being the sole clapper during
worship!), but I have held leadership positions in previous churches.

Outside of church I am a partner in the Auckland office of an
international law firm specialising in litigation and dispute resolution.
I understand the function of governance and have advised trustees
and directors. Within the central purpose of upholding the vision and
community of St Pauls, I can identify risks, ask necessary questions,
and advise on a variety of legal issues, but because I am also an
experienced leadership coach, I’m not too intense. I can bring the
fun.

Melanie Woodfield
I am a clinical psychologist
and have worked within
public child and adolescent
mental health services for 18
years. I’m also a researcher at
the University of Auckland,
exploring parent and child
wellbeing, and the best ways
to implement effective
treatments. I have been
married to Paul for almost 17 years, and we have two boys aged 13
and 11 years. We’ve been attending St Paul’s for 13 years, and have
taken up a variety of opportunities to serve – including leading a
home group in the past, delivering seminars for the Counselling
Centre, and one of my favourites (honestly!) – washing dishes for the
Open courses for many years.

I love to serve in practical ways, and God has recently been
challenging me to more actively engage in our church community.
I’m also being challenged to better weave together my professional
life and faith life. In my professional life, I’ve served on national and
regional advisory committees, and I’d love the opportunity to serve
on vestry. I’ve been told that I have a calm, common sense, ‘voice of
reason’ contribution to committees, including playing devil’s advocate
at times (might need a different metaphor in this context!), to ensure
that even the most vulnerable in our communities are supported to
thrive.

Dave Donaldson
My name is David, my wife
and I have been coming to St
Paul’s, and calling it home, for
more than 8 years. Since that
time we’ve had 3 boys and we all
come along to the AM services.

Over the last 8 years I’ve been
involved heavily in the Worship
life of St Paul’s, both serving on
the drums as well as being involved in team nights and worship events.
I’ve also been involved in attending home groups and the St Paul’s
Eagle’s Motorcycle club.

I’m a self employed builder and coffee machine technician, and have
run my own business for the last 3 and a half years. I’m passionate
about seeing the christian church across Aotearoa thrive, and seeing
christians become spiritually and emotionally alive.

I would be honoured to be considered for Vestry.

Laurence Fauchelle
My name is Laurence
Fauchelle, and I first
attended St Paul’s
approximately 15 years ago.
Three years later, I went on
an overseas adventure with
my wife, Faith, and son,
Sebastian. While overseas,
we had another child, Jean-
Pierre, and enjoyed visiting
St Paul’s on our regular trips back home.

We moved back to New Zealand three years ago, and our third
son, Samuel, was born just a few months after returning. Since
then, I have been an active member of the church, making coffees
when possible and attending a range of St Paul’s small groups.
I’m passionate about knowing God and see the church as a vital
incubator for growing in the knowledge and love of God. I believe
that at St Paul’s, we meet Christ in one another and experience His
transforming power together.

Millie Vette
Kia ora! My name is Millie, I
am a 21 year old University
student studying Industrial
Design at Auckland
University of Technology.
My first introduction to St
Paul’s was in 2020 through
the young adults group,
Unify, that meets on a
Thursday evening. From
there I very quickly became part of the St Paul’s whānau.

I have loved being a part of Unify as it has grown into what it is today.
It has been significant in maturing me in my faith journey. I have
been a part of the welcoming team since 2020 and also contribute
to the Hive Team that comes together every few weeks to discuss
the culture and direction of the evening service. I have been actively
involved in prayer before the evening service on Sunday and have
really loved seeing how God has spoken in that space and then
watching it come to fruition within the service itself.

By being a part of Vestry I hope to give insight and be a voice from
the culture of the evening service and the young adults within our
congregation.

SYNOD REPRESENTATIVES
• The role of synod representatives is to “represent parishioners and provide support
  and guidance to the Vicar and other clergy as part of Vestry, and represent St
  Paul’s at Auckland Diocesan Synod.”

David Howe
I’ve thoroughly enjoyed
being on vestry as a synod
representative for the last
two terms. This also led me
to serving two terms on
diocesan council which has
been hard work but very
rewarding.

I have been attending St Paul’s for 12 years. My day job is varied, but
mostly it invovles running a national franchise system.

Paul Woodfield
Running for Synod Rep

My name is Paul Woodfield,
I have been married to
Melanie for almost 17 years,
and we have two boys aged 11
and 13. We have attended St
Paul’s for 13 years, and I’ve
been a Christian most of my
life, attending churches from a variety of denominations.

My involvement in the life of the church through hosting and serving
on the Open Course and a member of two small groups. I have a
keen interest in church history, apologetics, and have good existing
relationships with members of the wider Auckland Anglican diocese.
Professionally, I originally trained as a quantity surveyor,
completed a PhD my 30s, and am now an academic in the business
school at AUT. My research interests relate to innovation and
entrepreneurship, and how knowledge is shared across generations
within, for example, family businesses. I am also involved in a national
research programme aimed at building NZs innovation capacity.

I believe that I bring a warm, calm, curiosity to committees and
advisory groups that I’ve been part of. I am excited at the possibility
of representing St Paul’s at Synod and would work hard to inform
about resolutions and decisions made.