A Message from Father John
Greetings my friends,
Let’s pause to remember how the disciples received the gift of the Spirit and were empowered to share the good news with those near and far. As followers, we are invited to do the same, partnering with the Spirit
who weaves us into one another’s lives, forming us into a beloved community.
Allow me to introduce myself; I am Father John Daniels, your newly appointed Priest in Charge. I am delighted to serve the people of this community, especially given the historical significance! The joy evident by the smiles on your faces as we
sing and worship as a multicultural community gives me joy and hope for the future of this congregation and our country.
A lifelong Episcopalian, I grew up in Lambertville, NJ, before moving to the West Coast to attend college and start my career in banking, insurance, and real estate,primarily in Seattle, Washington. My wife Lori and I have been married for nearly 30 years, and we have four adult children. We do not have any grandchildren yet, but we have two Briard dogs named Genevieve (Genna) and Napoleon (Poley). They are a handful and keep us very busy!
My journey to ordination began at our home parish, St. Thomas Media, WA. The then Bishop Vincent Warner, encouraged me to pursue ordination, to which, after much discussion with my family, I agreed. We moved our young family to Alexandria, VA, and I attended Virginia Theological Seminary. During seminary, I was a hospital chaplain for Children’s National Hospital. I continued my chaplaincy work after seminary at Virginia Hospital Center and Community Hospice, along with working as a youth minister and school chaplain in Bowie, Maryland, before being called to Church Farm School in Exton, PA, to serve as their school chaplain,world religion teacher, and community service director. I was there for nine years before accepting a call to be the middle school chaplain and religion teacher at Episcopal Academy. I began serving as priest-in-charge at Holy Nativity Rockledge in 2022!
I live my life believing that God is in control, not John Daniels, so when the diocese approached me to consider a priest in charge ministry, I did not hesitate in responding to the call. And I am so happy that I did!
As I look back over the first month of my ministry here at St. Paul’s, I am mindful of how the Spirit has been at work, weaving us in and out of one another’s lives. Let us continue to trust in God and one another as we build and grow God’s church so that we may continue to worship, sing, praise, and give thanks for the many blessings of this life! Thank you for welcoming me into your community.
Faithfully,
Father John Daniels
Our Services
Our Sunday in-person service is also available via Zoom, followed by our virtual coffee hour for fellowship.
To join in, click the “Watch Live” button at the top of the page.
Family Communion, Sunday 9:00am
Our Family Communion has many kinds of music and uses contemporary language, but has timeless spiritual depth.
Frequently Asked Questions
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Who are you? What is St. Paul’s Elkins Park all about? God has blessed our parish family with great diversity, and so we believe we have been called by God to be an intentionally multicultural church. You will hear many accents here. We love our differences, and we love learning each other’s stories. We have learned that the weeks of our lives can be more joyful, and our burdens are carried more easily when we worship together on a Sunday. We worship using ancient and beautiful Christian traditions, but with our eyes fixed firmly on the issues and concerns of today’s broken world.
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