The campus of Hickory Neck Episcopal Church. From left to right: the historic 1744 chapel, the new church consecrated in 2006, and the parish house.       
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Leadership
Worship, spiritual direction, pastoral care, and Christian formation are primary responsibilities of our priests. In addition, all baptized persons are ministers in the Church and we enjoy a strong partnership between ordained and lay persons at Hickory Neck. This passion for leadership thrives in our vestry as well. The vestry is composed of the rector and a group of elected parishioners who administer the temporal affairs of the parish.

Clergy & Staff
The Reverend Michael L. Delk, Rector and Dean of Jamestown Convocation

In his sixth year as Rector, Father Michael remains excited by great growth at Hickory Neck–both in numbers and in spirit–and celebrates the emergence of new ministries and new space to accommodate those moving into our midst.

The Reverend Michael Delk and Family, October 2006
The Reverend Michael Delk and family, October 2006

Fr. Michael came to our parish by way of the Cathedral of St. Philip in Atlanta, Georgia, where he served as Canon for Young Adults and Communications for nearly three years. Prior to that, he served as Assistant to the Rector at Good Shepherd in Lexington, Kentucky. A fan of travel, basketball, and reading, Fr. Michael takes Thursday as Sabbath in preparation of Sunday's great celebration.


The Reverend Lauren McDonald, Associate Rector

Lauren began her ministry with us on July 1, 2008. She graduated in May from Seabury-Western Theological Seminary in Evanston, Illinois, a Master of Divinity. Bishop Buchanan ordained her to the transitional diaconate on February 1 at Bruton Parish. She will be ordained to the priesthood at Hickory Neck on August 23, 2008. This will be the first priestly ordination at Hickory Neck in our 270 year history.

Lauren McDonald

Lauren shares with Michael in preaching, teaching, leadership of worship, and the direct pastoral care of the parish. In addition, she has administrative responsibility over the areas of Pastoral Care, Christian Formation, and Outreach.

A native of Georgia, Lauren received a Bachelor's degree with honors from The University of the South, Sewanee, in 1991. For eleven years she worked as a stage manager with a theatrical production company in Norfolk, before discerning her vocation to the priesthood. Lauren was sponsored for holy orders by Christ and St. Luke's, Norfolk, and the Episcopal Diocese of Southern Virginia.


Dr. H. Edwin Godshall, Jr., Organist/Choirmaster

H. Edwin Godshall, Jr. earned a Master’s Degree in Organ Performance from the University of Richmond, where he studied with Suzanne Bunting. His other organ teachers have included James S. Darling of Bruton Parish Church and Ardyth Lohuis of Virginia Commonwealth University. He has played organ recitals at the Shrine of the Immaculate Conception and Washington Cathedral in the District of Columbia as well as in England and Germany. He has also participated in various organ tours playing historic instruments in England, France, and Germany and was a participant in the People to People program for organists to Hungary, Poland, and the Czech Republic in 1998.

Father Michael congratulats Ed on his first anniversary as Hickory Neck's Organist/Choirmaster
Father Michael congratulates Ed on his first anniversary as Hickory Neck's Organist/Choirmaster

His previous experience as Organist and Choirmaster includes Episcopal churches in Charlottesville and Williamsburg, Virginia, and the Metropolitan Washington DC area. For almost a decade he taught Organ and Piano in the Music Department of The College of William and Mary while also serving as Director of Music at St. Bede’s Roman Catholic Church in Williamsburg.

Ed has a Ph.D. in German Language and Literature from the University of Virginia, with a Master’s Degree in German from Temple University in Philadelphia and a Bachelor’s Degree in German from The College of William and Mary. He has taught introductory German courses at Montgomery College in Rockville, Maryland, The College of William and Mary, Catholic University in Washington DC, Temple University, and the University of Virginia.


Hope Brans, Administrative Assistant

Hope Brans and her grandchild.
Hope Brans and her grandchild.

Hope hails originally from Canada, but grew up in Europe and the US. She graduated from Wheaton College (B.A.) and Columbia University (M.A.). She has worked in museums, schools and law firms. Her passions in life include her daughter, son-in-law and granddaughter, 2 dogs and her love of all things fibre related: needlework, quilting, knitting, etc. She has been a resident of Williamsburg since 2002, and is a member and lay reader at Bruton Parish Church.

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