Church
The Rev. Deborah R. Brown Named Rector at St. Philip the Deacon
Submitted by Barbara
Peschiera
Continuing in its 100-year
tradition as a hub for social
activism, St. Philip the Dea-
con Episcopal Church is
pleased to announce that the
Rev. Deborah R. Brown,
ObJN, has been called as
the parish’s new Rector.
The appointment of Rev.
Brown follows the retire-
ment of long-time St. Philip
the Deacon Episcopal
Church Rector, the Rev-
erend Alcena E. Boozer in
2010.
Rev. Brown, who is relo-
cating to Portland from
Rochester, N.Y., will con-
duct her first Eucharist at St.
Philip the Deacon on Sun-
day, September 9, at 9:00
AM. The church is located
at 120 NE Knott Street. All
are welcome to attend the
service.
“We are extremely excited
that the Rev. Deborah R.
Brown has been called to
serve as the new half-time
Rector for the parish,” said
Michael
Montgomery,
St.Philip the Deacon’s Sen-
ior Warden. Speaking on
behalf of the Parish Vestry,
Transition
Committee,
Search Committee and
parishioners, Montgomery
went on to say, “The selec-
tion of The Rev. Brown will
usher in a new opportunity
to build our parish, set
on the firm foundation of a
century in Portland as a
wonderful place of wor-
ship.”
Most recently, The Rev.
Brown served as Assistant
Priest and Director of Com-
munity Ministry at Trinity
Episcopal Church in Gene-
va, N.Y, and had been a
canonical resident in the
Diocese of Rochester, N.Y.
since she was ordained to
the priesthood in December
2009. The Rev. Brown also
served at the diocesan level
as Presiding Youth Mission-
er, and Associate Priest-in-
Charge for St. Mark’s and
St. John’s Episcopal Church
in Rochester, N.Y.
Before ordained ministry,
Rev. Brown taught orches-
tra and general music for
eight years in the Charlotte
Mecklenburg School Sys-
tem and Durham Public
Schools in North Carolina.
She is also a professional
and freelance violist. She
also worked as an addic-
tions counselor in inpatient
and outpatient treatment
centers for two years.
She has a Bachelor of
Music degree from Eastman
School of Music in
Rochester, NY; a Master of
Music Education degree
from Winthrop University
in Rock Hill, S.C.; and a
Master of Divinity degree
from Duke University
Divinity School in Durham,
N.C. Currently, she is pur-
suing a Doctor of Ministry
in Congregational Develop-
ment degree from Seabury
Western Seminary in Chica-
go.
The Search Committee
and Vestry were especially
Page 6 The Portland Skanner
The Rev. Deborah R. Brown
The Rev. Brown developed a
single mothers ministry at
Trinity Church and created a
diocesan youth ministry
interested in The Rev.
Brown because of her
enthusiasm for missions and
ministry, which was demon-
strated when she developed
a single mothers ministry at
September 12, 2012
Trinity Church and created
a diocesan youth ministry.
She enjoys teaching, and
building partnerships and
relationships in communi-
ties that advocate for social
justice. She is a strong and
inspirational preacher, and
has worked in multi-cultur-
al, diverse, and non-tradi-
tional communities. She is
collaborative, energetic,
authentic, intuitive, enthusi-
astic, and possesses a strong
sense of humor. She is a
prayerful priest who strives
to discern the movement of
the Holy Spirit.
Rev. Brown was enjoying
a meal with members of the
Vestry when she learned she
has been called to become
the new Rector for St. Philip
the Deacon. Her reaction
was one of exuberance, joy,
and extraordinary enthusi-
asm.
“This is such a blessing
for me and I welcome this
opportunity to become part
of the St. Philip’s family,”
said Rev. Brown. “I look
forward to moving to Port-
land and quickly become a
member of this wonderful
community”.
Following the church
service on September 9, a
brunch in honor of Rev.
Brown will be held in the St.
Philip the Deacon’s Father
Stone Parish Hall.
In the Episcopal Church,
the process to identify a new
rector is extensive and
includes holding numerous
parish meetings, developing
a Parish Profile, as well as
conducting a comprehen-
sive search; in this case,
a national search. This
process has been underway
since Mother Boozer’s
retirement two years ago.
During the interim, St.
Philip the Deacon has been
served very well by several
Supply Priests, as well as an
Interim Priest. Indeed, The
Rev. Richard Green spent a
full year as Interim Priest,
and was extremely well
regarded by the congrega-
tion.
Citing St. Philip the Dea-
con’s history in this commu-
nity, Montgomery noted
that ‘we were born as an
African American Episco-
pal congregation in 1911,
and have grown into one of
the most inclusive and
diverse spiritual communi-
ties in Oregon” Mont-
gomery added that “having
just celebrated our Centen-
nial Year in 2011, the Rev.
Brown will now serve as
our spiritual leader as we
begin our second century in
this community, and we
couldn’t be happier”,
The Rt. Rev. Michael
Hanley, Bishop of the Epis-
copal Diocese of Western
Oregon met with the Rev.
Brown in July, and
approved her call to St.
Philip the Deacon. He, too,
is very happy with the selec-
tion of Rev. Brown.
The Rev. Brown has also
been named as the half-time
Episcopal Chaplain at Port-
land
State
University
(PSU). Moreover, the
search committee members
for the PSU Chaplaincy are
as excited at the parish-
ioners at St. Philip the Dea-
con upon the arrival of Rev.
Brown.