Lissie Rhoton was called as our Rector in October 2024. She moved here to Petersburg with her husband, son, and their three cats. She grew up in Georgia and spent most of her adult life in Texas before coming to Virginia.
Rev. Lissie felt a call towards ministry early in life, growing up in the United Methodist Church, attending George W. Truett Theological Seminary at Baylor University and receiving her Master of Divinity, before finding her home in the Episcopal Church in 2015.
She attended Seminary of the Southwest to receive her diploma of Anglican Studies in 2020 and was ordained that same year. She served two large parishes in Texas and Virginia as Associate Rector before accepting the call from Christ & Grace in 2024.
Rev. Lissie is passionate about biblical studies, liturgy, and life-long formation. She enjoys spending time with her family, fiber arts (quilting, crocheting, embroidery), and reading.
Timothy Hall is Organist and Choirmaster at Christ & Grace Episcopal Church. He returned to Petersburg following thirty years in Savannah, Georgia and joined the church staff in October 2021.
In Savannah, he began as Director of Music and Organist at Wesley Monumental United Methodist Church and later served as Organist and Choirmaster at Christ Church (Episcopal), “The Mother Church of Georgia.” At Wesley Monumental, he founded the Monumental Music Concert Series, which featured internationally known performers. His Chancel Choir toured England, Scotland, Austria and the Czech Republic, performing concerts and services in cathedrals and parish churches. The choir was featured in two episodes of the BBC’s “Songs of Praise ” television series, performing hymns in commemoration of the 300th anniversary of the birth of Charles Wesley. At Christ Church, he began The Joy of Christmas: Carols for a Cause, the church’s annual fundraiser for Emmaus House Feeding Ministry. Active in the musical life of the community, he served as Chorusmaster and keyboard performer for The Savannah Symphony Orchestra, Artistic Director and Conductor of Savannah Choral Society, Conductor of Savannah Children’s Choir, and was a member of the Board of Directors and Adjudicator for The American Traditions Competition for Singers, Faculty and Festival Committee member for Savannah Voice Festival and Dean of the Savannah Chapter, American Guild of Organists.
Hall received his early musical training under the tutelage of Pauline Dowman Williams in Petersburg. He holds both the bachelor’s and master’s (with distinction) degrees in Sacred Music and Organ from Westminster Choir College, Princeton, New Jersey. His principal teachers at Westminster were Joan Lippincott, Eugene Roan, Erik Routley, John and Helen Kemp, Joseph Flummerfelt, Frauke Haasemann, Allen Crowell and Dennis Shrock. He did post-graduate study in Organ under the auspices of The French Organ Music Seminar at the Conservatoire Regional in Paris, France.
He and his partner, Damon Lee Fowler, are thrilled to be living in Petersburg, where they love spending time with two adult daughters and five grandchildren.
Robin Magee is the Parish Administrator for Christ & Grace having joined the church and staff in October 2023.
In 2003, she moved from Yonkers, NY to the Tri-cities area with her daughter.
She has worked in church administration since 2013 starting as a volunteer in one of Petersburg’s most historic churches, St. Stephen’s Episcopal Church on Halifax Street where she attended for nearly twenty years.
Robin served in many ministries, including being the head of the altar guild and ECW treasurer, and eventually became Parish Secretary.
She finds that working in a church office puts her at the HUB of the church, where she can be a part of the action and help Christ & Grace thrive.
In her free time, Robin enjoys an NFL Football game or scouting for treasures at area thrift stores.
Our vestry is a body of lay leaders, elected by the members of the congregation at the annual parish meeting, to work in partnership with the clergy and staff to attend to the practical matters of the work of the parish. They are the rector’s right hand in attending to the temporal matters of the church. These dedicated persons are confirmed communicants of the parish who serve for three-year terms.
The vestry is the legal representative of the parish in all matters pertaining to its corporate property. The presiding officer of the vestry is the rector. We have two senior lay leaders, called wardens. The senior warden leads the parish between rectors and is a support person for the rector. The junior warden has responsibility for church property and buildings. Our treasurer is not a member of the vestry, but is an important part of our commitment to wise and careful use of our resources.
The basic responsibilities of the vestry are to help define and articulate the mission of the congregation; to support the church’s mission by word and deed, to select the rector, to ensure effective organization and planning, and to manage resources and finances.
That may sound a bit daunting, but in reality, we learn, we pray and we do what we believe is God’s will for this special parish, and we actually have fun doing it!
