Ervin Brown - All Saints, Worcester
Tom Damrosch - St. Paul's, Stockbridge
Dallas Decker - Church of Reconciliation, Webster
Barbara Thrall - St. Paul's, Holyoke

Bringing An Eclectic Background to All Saints, Worcester

Growing up in the Methodist Church in Alabama in the 1940s and 1950s, the Rev. Ervin Brown said he began to feel a calling to a life of ministry. By the time he graduated from the University of Alabama in 1958, he had met and been influenced by an Episcopal chaplain who “had shown great courage and vision in the race riots that shook the Alabama campus.”

It was only after graduate school at Indiana University, after having been confirmed into the Episcopal Church, after having met and married his wife and after a stint as the assistant dean of men at Bowling Green University in Ohio, that Erv gave in to the calling he had felt for the majority of his life.

He attended Virginia Seminary as a candidate from the Diocese of Maryland and fell in love with the area and the school. “I have continued my association with Virginia Seminary, having served recently on the Alumni Executive Committee and the Board of Trustees,” he says.

After having served in many different types of parishes throughout Maryland, southwestern Virginia and Michigan, he retired from ministry in 2002 and settled in Baltimore. But his continued love for parish ministry drew him to an interim position at All Saints, Worcester, which he says, “reminds me of my favorite parish, Christ Church, Detroit, where I served for 14 years.  Both parishes are inner city, large, diverse, committed to urban ministry and with strong music programs,” he says.

Erv also brings diversity to Worcester from his extensive world travel. “I love travel, especially to England and Israel/Palestine, where I have visited a number of times.  I have just returned from an exchange with an English priest, the fourth exchange I have done in that country.

When he’s not traveling and ministering, Erv enjoys reading and needlepoint, as well as spending time with his wife, three children and four grandchildren.

Third Generation Priest Comes to Stockbridge Parish

As with most children in religious families, the Rev. Tom Damrosch did not start out his career as a priest. But as he grew professionally and personally, he began to realize he was growing towards a dream that had always been there, just under the surface. “After a first career as a real estate broker and church organist, I gave in and followed my dream of becoming a priest,” he says.

Born in the Philippines to missionary parents, Tom spent his childhood on the coast of Maine, where he found a deep love of sailing. A passion for music came next, he says, as he “became a professional church musician while attending St. Hilda’s and St. Hugh’s School in New York City.” Now, his passion is focused on ministry, especially, as he puts it, “empowering the ministry of all baptized people, making new connections within and between congregations, and collegial ministry among clergy.”

Moving to the small town of Stockbridge, deep in the Berkshires, Tom has had a sense of homecoming. “Most of my work has been in small towns,” he explains. “I grew up in a small town in Maine, and my first parish was Grace Church in Dalton. I love waking up in a small town,” he continues, “where I can walk to the post office, know the people on the street and visit parishioners in their homes.”

He has been moved by the connections and the enthusiasm of the parishioners at St. Paul’s. “I’m just beginning to learn the depth and possibilities of the ministries that are already ongoing [here],” he explains. “And I am rediscovering that the Berkshires is a place where congregations can readily support and encourage each other in rising to new challenges.  I look forward to being part of this process of mutual growth.”

Living The Pastoral Life Comes as a Happy Surprise to this Interim Rector

Dallas Decker, the interim rector at the Church of Reconciliation, Webster, says that choosing the life of a priest “hit [him] over the head one Easter Sunday” when he was in his early 30s.

Dallas had been brought up in a Christian family, with an uncle who was a minister, but he never really thought that he would be able to live the life of a clergyman. When he had the “Holy Spirit experience,” he spoke to his rector. “His response,” Dallas says, “was ‘I was wondering when you would do that.’ ”

His rector wasn’t the only one who had seen it coming. “I moved with trepidation when I broached the subject with my wife,” Dallas explains. But she had seen it coming too.

The source of Dallas’ epiphany, he recalls, was an article in the newspaper about the George Mercer, Jr. School of Theology on Long Island. “I was determined to go there,” he explains.

He graduated from seminary and was moved across the country to Montana. “I thought it would be a lot different, moving from New York to such a small town, but I found that there is not much of a cultural difference – small towns are pretty much the same everywhere,” he says.

Soon Dallas decided that he would like a half-time, interim ministerial calling. He heard about the opportunity in Webster and, wanting to see if his interim and congregational development skills were as honed as he had thought, he decided to take the job. “They are very supportive and welcoming,” he says. “They’ve shown a great outpouring of love for both me and my wife.” In fact, he adds, his wife may become the church organist.

Dallas has four children and has had 45 foster children over the years. His eleventh grandchild arrived in June.

With such a large family, the half-time, interim position at Reconciliation is perfect to fit his lifestyle. “I also want to help this parish in its transition,” he concludes, “making sure that they are prepared for their new full-time minister.”

New Rector at St. Paul's, Holyoke, Sees God Everywhere

Barbara Thrall, the new rector at St. Paul’s, Holyoke, cannot pinpoint when she knew she wanted to live the life of a priest, but she knew early on that Jesus was calling her to a greater purpose.

“The Holy Spirit, for whatever reason, gave me gifts for ministry, so it made sense to offer my gifts in this way,” she explains, simplifying the question that everyone always wonders about. 

Raised in Chicago, Barbara always felt a draw to religion; she attended Loyola University and received both bachelor’s and master’s degrees in theology and religious education. Moving to New York City in 1980 with her husband, Barbara continued on her journey to the ordained ministry, attending the General Theological Seminary and graduating in 1986.

“I worked as an assistant in a parish in the city for four years and was called to be rector of All Saints’ Church in Littleton, N.H. in 1990.  St. Paul’s was looking for a rector, and I was most impressed by the people, their genuine love of Jesus and their church,” she says. “I am also attracted by the area, and its proximity to a mix of people and cultures.”

The best part of ministry, says Barbara, is the people factor. “Visiting,  connecting, making things happen together, discovering together what God is doing, seeking new paths, serving at important times in peoples’ lives” are all benefits of her job, she says. “I also love Sunday mornings and the opportunity to encounter the Spirit in the midst of the gathered community.”

Barbara wants to work toward the goals of the parish community. “I suspect it has something to do with a renewed sense of energy and excitement, of hopefulness and confidence,” she says. In turn, Barbara says that she hopes to teach her parish about the love and steadfastness of God.