The Venerable William H. Coyne serves as Archdeacon for the Diocese of Western Massachusetts.

A member of the Bishop's staff since 1998, his primary area of responsibility is congregational development - assisting each of the existing 67 congregations in being healthy and mission-focused. His passion and call centers in developing new expressions and communities of faith.

Other responsibilities include oversight of Diocesan missioners, conducting mutual ministry reviews (goal setting and mission discernment) with congregations, serving as Secretary of the Diocesan Convention and Council, and sharing with the Bishop's Executive team in providing oversight, prayer and direction for the Mission.

e-mail Bill: WCoyne[at]diocesewma[dot]org
413.737.4786 ext 19

The Reverend Sarah Shofstall, Canon to the Ordinary, assists the Bishop in the shared oversight of the Diocese in several areas.

She grew up in Nebraska where she practiced law. During her first years as a priest she was bivocational, serving small congregations in Nebraska and Western Kansas while continuing her law practice.

She served for three years in the Diocese of Iowa as chaplain at Iowa State University and vicar of Grace Church in Boone before coming to Western Massachusetts to become the rector of Grace Church in Amherst. As Deployment Officer, she assists congregations who are seeking new clergy leadership.

Canon Shofstall is the Bishop's liaison to the Commission on Ministry, working with the Commission and those who feel called to Holy Orders.

As the contact person for issues of clergy misconduct, she works with persons and congregations who have experienced inappropriate conduct by members of the clergy. She also visits with congregations on request to assist in parish planning, goal setting, mutual ministry review and conflict management.

e-mail Sarah: SShofstall[at]diocesewma[dot]org
413.737.4786 ext 11

Bruce A. Rockwell serves as the Treasurer of the Diocese. He manages the Financial Services Group at Diocesan House and serves as staff liaison to Diocesan Council for financial and human resources matters, and he also serves as staff liaison to Council's Budget and Financial Planning Committee and to Council's Human Resources Committee.

He works with the congregations of the Diocese in the area of stewardship education and development out of his sense that stewardship is an important pathway to a deeper spiritual relationship with God, our creator.  He often meets with vestries to assist them in their responsibilities as stewards of the financial resources entrusted to them.

Working with John White, Missioner for Legacy Stewardship, he invites vestries and people of the diocese to consider the opportunities God gives us to be stewards of accumulated assets.

e-mail Bruce: BRockwell[at]diocesewma[dot]org
413.737.4786 ext 21

Carol LaPlante is responsible for computer Network Administration, Diocesan database management and working with parishes as they implement computerized church management systems and accounts payable as part of the Financial Services team.

She has been working for the Diocese in Financial Services since July 1982. Carol is a member of St. John's Church in Northampton, has served on the vestry and has been Parish Treasurer.

She is one of the founders of Integrity/Western Massachusetts. Carol enjoys exploring genealogy and proudly roots for the New York Yankees!

e-mail Carol: CLaPlante[at]diocesewma[dot]org
413.737.4786 ext 16

Joyce Lewis is the Bishop's Administrative Assistant.

She has worked at the Diocesan Office since April of 1986 and for the Bishop since November of 1998. She has been a member of Church of the Epiphany in Wilbraham for more than twenty years, where she belongs to the Flower Guild, is a Lector and a Eucharistic Minister.

e-mail Joyce: jlewis[at]diocesewma[dot]org
413.737.4786 ext 23

Esther Barker serves as the Diocesan Accounting Manager. She joined the diocesan staff in October 2005 after having served in accounting manager positions in both for-profit and not-for-profit organizations.

She is responsible for the diocesan general ledger accounting and financial reporting and works with the Financial Officer in matters relating to budgeting and the development of internal controls and financial policies and procedures.

She is available to provide advice to parish treasures about accounting and budget matters.

e-mail Esther: EBarker[at]diocesewma[at]org
413.737.4786 ext 15

June Hartley is a member of the Diocesan Financial Services team.

Her responsibilities include all Account Receivables, Monthly Statements, Audits, and Parochial Reports. She also provides administrative assistance for Bruce Rockwell.

A member of Christ Church Cathedral, and also Assistant Treasurer of Christ Church Cathedral, June joined the Diocesan Staff in June 1978. She resides in West Springfield and has two children and four grandchildren.

e-mail June: JHartley[at]diocesewma[dot]org
413.737.4786 ext 17

Susan Olbon serves as Human Resources Manager for the Diocese and has been a full-time member of Diocesan Staff since 1992.

Prior to joining the Diocese, she worked in the areas of pension administration and trust account/investment management. As Human Resources Manager, the major areas of responsibility are all aspects of payroll and benefits administration.

Susan can offer assistance in the areas of payroll, clergy and lay pension plans, medical, dental and life insurance. She is also a contact for questions concerning property, liability, workers compensation and boiler/machinery coverage for each parish.

e-mail Susan: SOlbon[at]diocesewma[dot]org
413.737.4786 ext 20

Karen Warren joined the Diocesan Staff in 2008, and serves as Administrative Assistant to the Canon to the Ordinary and to the Archdeacon.

	A mid-life college graduate, she has over thirty years of experience in administration, mostly in the medical field. She has been a member of the Presbyterian Church for nineteen years, and enjoys choir singing, walking, and reading great literature.

e-mail Karen: KWarren[at]diocesewma[dot]org
413.737.4786 ext 18

E. John White of Ware is the Diocesan Missioner for Legacy Stewardship. He was appointed by Bishop Scruton at the June 2003 Diocesan Council meeting.

Working closely with Diocesan Treasurer Bruce Rockwell, who is also the Assistant to the Bishop for Stewardship, John will oversee the creation of a program on legacy stewardship, more commonly known as "planned giving." John says the Diocese has chosen the term of "legacy stewardship," which he thinks is a great term because people know what stewardship is; the term "legacy" helps them to differentiate their gift from other offerings.

John lives in Connecticut and is married to The Rev. Katheryn White. He is formerly an educator -- first a teacher, and then a principal for two different private elementary schools for 15 years. It was in those jobs that he worked closely with trustees on fundraising.

The mission of the Legacy Stewardship initiative is twofold:

--To educate, inspire and support each congregation in funding their future ministry through the generation of planned gifts.

--To help individuals find ways to plan gifts that will enrich them spiritually, that may provide life income for them, and that will one day provide financial resources for the church.

Anyone who is interested in giving a legacy gift to the church or in starting up a legacy stewardship program in their own congregation should contact John.

e-mail John: ejohnwhite[at]charter[dot]net
860-928-3705 (home)
413.737.4786

(Diocesan Offices)

The Rev. Jill Barton Williams is a graduate of Virginia Theological Seminary where she earned her M.Div degree, and she is very excited to be back in western Massachusetts doing ministry in her home diocese.

Jill's ministry has her sharing half time at St. Francis Church in Holden as curate the balance of her diocesan ministry as Bement Summer Camp Director & Youth Ministry Coordinator. This assignment provides Jill with a place for significant diaconal and priestly formation within a healthy parish community. It will also allow the summer camp work of Bement and year-round Youth Ministry to be creatively 'mixed & matched'.

Jill is working on the emerging Youth Council, the 2008 camp program, and other imaginative offerings.

e-mail Jill: jbarton[at]diocesewma[dot]org
413.737.4786 ext. 24 (Diocesan Offices)

The Rev. Scott Seabury is the Christian Formation Missioner for the Pioneer Valley.

Scott is available to assess needs and deliver resources for Christian formation to parishes in the Valley Corridor. He is also responsible for assisting in administering the Diocesan Resource Center

Scott is Rector of St. Christopher’s Church in Chicopee and has served parishes in Holyoke, Springfield, South Hadley, and Agawam. He resides in Suffield, Connecticut with his wife and daughter.

Email Scott: seabs52@aol.com
413.533.7872 or 860.668.8826

The Rev. Christopher Carlisle has been Episcopal Chaplain at the University of Massachusetts for the last nineteen years, where he also teaches.

He began his work in parish ministry, and has held positions of leadership in the national church. Mr. Carlisle received his B.A. from Columbia University, a Master of Theological Studies from Harvard Divinity School, and a Master of Divinity from Yale Divinity School. He may be contacted at The Ark Episcopal Chaplaincy at UMass.

For more information, visit the Ark website.

e-mail Chris: Carlisle[at]comcol[dot]umass[dot]edu
413.549.5929 (The Ark)

Janice Beetle is the Editor of the Diocesan newsletter, Pastoral Staff.

Janice is a former journalist with 19 years experience as a writer and editor. She worked for several years as a reporter with the Springfield Union-News and Sunday Republican, and she also worked as a writer, and later, as the assistant features editor with the Daily Hampshire Gazette. Janice left her full-time job at the Gazette in 1999 to start her own writing, editing, and graphic design business, called Beetle Press. She was looking for a new challenge in her career as well as flexibility.

Along with editing Pastoral Staff, Janice works in the Public Relations Department for Cooley Dickinson Hospital in Northampton. She writes for newspapers in the region and serves as editor of the Westfield State College magazine, called Focus. She has two daughters, Sally and Molly.

Janice has a bachelor's degree in English from Westfield State College. She is an active member of St. John's Episcopal Church in Northampton, where she serves as a lay eucharistic minister. She lives in Florence with her daughters and she loves reading, running, and spending time with the girls.

Janice welcomes story ideas for Pastoral Staff.

e-mail Janice: jbeetle[at]diocesewma[dot]org