2024 Annual Meeting
Meeting Materials
Please either print these out and bring with you on Sunday or bring a device that you can view them on!
Vestry Candidates
Shelley Denison (Full 3-Year Term)
If you ask her about her religious beliefs, Shelley will tell you that she is a Mormon-adjacent, Buddhist-lite, Camusian-existentialist Episcopalian. Shelley and her partner Nathan moved to Gresham from Ohio in February 2020 (which in retrospect might have been questionable timing).
Shelley grew up Mormon. Like, very Mormon. Like, full-time missionary wearing a black name tag and knocking on doors Mormon. However, her 20’s were defined by a gradual but intense transition out of Mormonism. Her first experience in an Episcopal church was, in actuality, an accident. One year, she meant to attend Easter Mass at a Catholic Cathedral but unknowingly went into the Episcopal Cathedral next door. During the sermon on the importance of believing women, she thought, “wow, the Catholics are more progressive than I assumed!”
Shelley has a BA in Philosophy from Brigham Young University and two masters degrees in Public Administration and City and Regional Planning from The Ohio State University. She owns an independent consulting business in which she helps cities all over Oregon with housing and growth planning.
Shelley found her spiritual home at St. Luke’s in early 2022, and she is grateful and excited to be part of this community’s future.
Linda Simmons (One-Year Term)
I came to St. Luke in 2004, and settled into a church family. Because I was still working and traveling a great deal I was mostly involved with sewing for the church and clergy. When I retired I became more involved, Bookkeeper, Treasurer and Finance committee. Eventually joining the Vestry. My main traveling now is time in Mexico with family and my Mission work with Kizimani in rural Kenya. Again sewing being the work I am doing there. As I get older, I am very careful about where I put my energy and time, and my faith is leading the way.
Convention Delegate Candidates
Sarah Feldman
My parents met in Bible college in San Antonio during the big evangelical movement in the late 1970’s. Growing up near Austin, my mom raised us kids going to church every Sunday, first to Presbyterian and later to “loud music” churches. While attending the University of Oregon for my BA in Sociology, I joined and became actively involved with St. Matthews in Eugene. I became a reader, a Lay Eucharist Minister, and considered following a formal Episcopal Church path. Instead, I moved to Portland for my MA and a long break from church followed. Years later I would find myself a cancer survivor, divorced single mother of two, with nearly 20 years’ experience in nonprofit research and evaluation focused on youth education, family crisis intervention and stabilization, as well as culturally specific programs. During the pandemic, I signed up and began reading the St. Luke’s newsletters and sermons, and at the start of lent in 2023 I gathered up the courage to visit in person. From that first day, I knew I was where I belonged. I have served others throughout my life, and alongside this community, I feel supported and able to grow where the Holy Spirit calls me.
Katie Snider
I was born in Connecticut and grew up in Vermont until 2010, when I started migrating west. After high school, I took several years off before attending the Community College of Vermont where I earned an A.A. in Education. I earned my B.A. (2014) in Psychology from the University of Colorado, and my M.A. (2018) and Ph.D. (2023) in Social Psychology from the University of Nevada, Reno in 2023.
I retain a part time position with the University of Nevada, Reno as a temporary research faculty member, but the bulk of my work is done as an independent research and evaluation consultant. My research focuses primarily on evaluating deflection and diversion programs that create pathways to keep people from getting more deeply entrenched in the criminal justice system. I am passionate about understanding the experiences that people and families have interacting with different contact points in the justice system, and learning how those interactions can be improved to create better social outcomes.
I have always enjoyed taking an active role in the community. I am interested in serving as a delegate to the Annual Convention for the diocese, representing St. Luke's. It is important to me to listen and understand what matters to the members of our congregation, so that I can get to know you all better and understand how best to represent this congregation.