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Profile of a scrappy little parish
About
Contact
Profile of a scrappy little parish
About
Contact

St. Ann’s has been a fixture on the corner of Woodland Street and South 5th Street since 1882.

About St. Ann’s

St. Ann’s is a medium sized congregation located in the bustling city of Nashville, Tennessee.  Our historic church was established 165 years ago in East Nashville.  The congregation has endured fires, urban renewal, tornadoes, floods, and massive urbanization and yet remains a strong and resilient parish.

Our pastoral size congregation has displayed a deep commitment to social justice and outreach to the local community.  Our Sunday service emphasizes the centrality of the Eucharist, calling parishioners to seek Christ in all persons and to love one another as God loves us.

We strive to greet people attending St Ann’s, as fellow creatures of God’s own making.  We recognize the human struggle each of us experiences as we try to make a healthy and happy life for ourselves and our loved ones.  We believe being a good neighbor calls us to welcome and support all people wherever they are on their journey.  As a people of hope we work to exhibit hospitality along the way. After all we are named for the grandmother of Jesus.

St Ann’s is a caring community of progressive Episcopalians.  We seek to build trust and acceptance between parishioners as well as with the people we encounter in daily life.  We embrace diversity, freedom of expression, and openness while aiming to discern and follow the way of love.

St Ann’s parishioners are passionate about a worship experience that challenges, teaches, and equips us to be a community of faith; we do not demand uniformity or conformity in belief, but work for mutual respect and common purpose. We seek a prophetic preacher who will speak truth to power from the pulpit, even when it is uncomfortable. We are a church that is moved to action and welcomes messages that inspire and challenge us to bring God’s kingdom into our lives and community.

Seeking a shepherd

We seek an open, accepting rector who recognizes that, no matter where we are on our faith journey, we are all God’s children and all deserving of love. 

We seek a compassionate pastor who will lovingly minister to young and old, rich and poor, gay and straight, homeless and immigrant alike.  

We seek a prophetic preacher who will speak truth to power from the pulpit, even when it is uncomfortable. We are a church that is moved to action and welcomes messages that inspire and challenge us to bring God’s kingdom into our lives and community. 

We seek a leader who embraces our passion for outreach and social justice in an effort to realize God’s Kingdom here on earth. We seek a spiritually engaged priest who is committed to the traditions and integrity of The Episcopal Church.

St. Ann’s is a church with strong lay leadership; we are looking for a leader who will come alongside us, nurturing the Spirit-filled work that is taking place and helping us to bring new vision to our work.

We seek someone with the administrative skills and experience to guide St. Ann’s through the next chapter of mission and growth.

 Come walk with us.

Our Mission Statement

St. Ann’s is an Episcopal community that: 

  • Encounters God in scripture,
    tradition, and prayer; 

  • Seeks and serves Christ in all persons; 

  • Works for a just and inclusive world; 

  • Embraces the risks of ministry and leadership; 

  • Celebrates the transforming power of the Spirit.

Our city

It’s no secret that Nashville is hot right now. The city has exploded in popularity in recent years, as a destination for tourists, but also as home to a flood of new permanent residents.

Nashville offers a variety of cultural attractions, major- and minor-league professional sports, a diverse business climate, a rich history and natural beauty. It’s a growing, vibrant metropolitan area of nearly 2.1 million people, with another 200,000 projected to move here in the next five years, according to a recent New York Times article.

They’re drawn by the promise of well-paying tech jobs, driven by the arrival of such industry giants as Amazon and Oracle; a cost of living that remains lower than many other major metropolises; a vibrant music and arts scene; and astonishing natural beauty. Recognized by U.S. News & World Report as one of the 25 best places in the U.S. to live in 2022-23, Nashville has a lot to offer new residents. 

The mild winters and family-friendly environment contribute to its reputation as one of the most livable cities in the country. In addition to the 19 colleges, universities and technical schools that call Nashville home (including three HBCUs), cultural venues such as the Schermerhorn Symphony Center, the Frist Art Museum and the recently opened National Museum of African American Music illustrate why Nashville is also called “The Athens of the South.”

Widely known as the “Buckle of the Bible Belt,” Nashville is home to more than 700 churches. The city’s many charitable and religious organizations, its expanding economy and relatively low cost of living have made it an attractive new home for immigrants, especially refugees. 

Indeed, Nashville is home to the largest Kurdish population in the world outside of the Middle East, and there are also significant Hispanic, Middle Eastern and South and East Asian populations. (Just drive down Nolensville Road, which boasts mile after mile of international eateries.) More than 120 different languages are currently spoken in Metro Nashville Schools, according to the Nashville Area Chamber of Commerce.

It is also, at this writing, a city at a crossroads. 

Nashville has long been the “blue dot in the sea of red” that is the state of Tennessee, and tensions are heightening between Nashville’s political and community leaders and state officials. Redistricting after the 2020 census divided Nashville among several heavily gerrymandered state senate and congressional districts. And state legislators are in the process of passing a slew of bills intended to further dilute the city’s political power by stripping away local control over the airport authority, the convention center and the sports authority.

Tennessee’s abortion ban, in the wake of Roe v. Wade’s overturning, is one of the most draconian abortion laws in the country, with no exception for the life of the mother, let alone for victims of rape or incest. And new laws banning public drag performances and gender-affirming medical care for minors are of particular concern to our everybody-affirming congregation. 

While the St. Ann’s community struggles with these thorny issues, we do so as a community. Hearing how our congregants and others are working to help bend the arc of history toward justice, we are inspired to do what we can in our own sphere. 

  • Estimated as 703,953 with 2.1 million in the
    14-county Metropolitan Statistical Area (MSA) 2021


    Source: Nashville Convention and Visitors Corp.

  • Median value of owner-occupied housing units (2017-2021): $291,400

    Median Gross Rent (2017-2021): $1,250

    Source: U.S. Census

  • 2021 Median Household Income (in the 14-county Metropolitan Statistical Area): $71,767

    Nashville MSA Unemployment Rate (as of October 2022): 2.7%

    Major industries in Nashville include Health Care Management, Automobile Production, Finance, Higher Education, Insurance, Music Production, Printing & Publishing, Technology Manufacturing, and Tourism.

    Source: U.S. Census

  • 90% of people ages 25 and up are high school graduates (2017-2021); 43.9% have a Bachelor’s degree or higher

    Source: U.S. Census

  • Nashville typically enjoys a mild and pleasant climate with only a few days of the year having either very hot or very cold conditions. Most of the city’s rain is confined to the spring months, but a shower throughout the year is not unusual.

    Source: Nashville Convention and Visitors Corp.

The Rev’d Kelli D. Joyce, Priest Associate, with the Right Rev. John Bauerschmidt during the Bishop’s September, 2022 visit to the church.

St. Ann’s and the Diocese of Tennessee

The Diocese of Tennessee was organized and held its first convention in Nashville in 1829. While originally encompassing the entire state, it now covers just Middle Tennessee, with separate dioceses covering East and West Tennessee, aligned with the state’s three “Grand Divisions.”

Today, the Diocese includes more than 16,000 baptized members in 45 cathedral, parish, mission and chaplaincy churches, as well as two mission stations and other affiliated ministries. It includes urban, suburban and rural congregations. The Right Rev. John Bauerschmidt was consecrated the eleventh bishop of the diocese of Tennessee on January 27, 2007. 

St. Ann’s Involvement Within the Diocese

St. Ann’s members are involved in various diocesan ministries and roles. We have served as members of the Standing Committee, Bishop Search Committee, and more. St. Ann’s enjoys regular membership at the annual convention, and at events hosted by the Churchmen of Tennessee. 

In the past, St. Ann’s has also been involved with events and work of the Beloved Community: Diocesan Commission for Racial Reconciliation –www.episcopalchurch.org/beloved-community – including serving as members of the commission and participating in trainings, and attending the annual diocesan celebration of the Feast of Absalom Jones. 

St. Ann’s has a history of advocating for progressive issues within the diocese and the Episcopal Church as a whole, such as the ordination of women in the 1980s and the full inclusion of LGBTQ+ people, starting in the 1990s and continuing to this day. As a result, St. Ann’s has sometimes found itself out front of the diocese on progressive issues.  

While we have differences with the diocese and disagree about some issues, we maintain a good working relationship with the diocese and with our bishop, who lives only a few blocks from our doors. We work to support diocesan initiatives and “agree to disagree” about such issues as gender identity and marriage equality. 

We have worked hard to manifest mutual respect and support diocesan initiatives such as the Episcopal School of Nashville, which got its start on our campus. We look for ways we can support the bishop while continuing to advocate for our progressive Christian agenda.

Candidates for rector may research the Diocese of Tennessee website to learn about it and get a historical perspective. Find it here: www.edtn.org.

The Diocese of TN

The brick gothic church that opened Christmas Day, 1882

Our history

For the past 165 years, St. Ann’s story has mirrored the fortunes of its surrounding neighborhood. 

On July 29, 1858, 14 men and women met in a schoolhouse on Fatherland Street to organize St. Stephen’s Episcopal Church. On a site on Fourth Street that was donated by Dr. John Shelby, they built a simple wooden chapel. It was only the third “free pew” church in Nashville.

The vestry approved a name change from St. Stephen’s to St. Anne’s in 1866, after receiving a sizeable donation from a parishoner named Anne Williams. The letter “e” was dropped at some point later, apparently unintentionally. We have remained “St. Ann’s” ever since. (Note: This account may contain some apocryphal elements; research continues on the history of the name.)

In 1879, the Reverend T. F. Martin arrived from Virginia as rector for the congregation of 80 communicants. Three years after his arrival, Martin helped lay the cornerstone for a new church building on Woodland Street. The red brick Gothic church opened on Christmas Day in 1882 and was consecrated the following June.

By the time Martin resigned due to ill health in 1901, the congregation had grown to 300. However, in March 1916, a massive fire ravaged Edgefield’s tree-lined streets, devouring many square blocks. In its aftermath, Edgefield entered a period of steady decline. Surviving homes were turned into apartment buildings and rooming houses. Still, many St. Ann’s parishioners remained faithful to the church, even if they had moved across the river.

By the 1950s, the interstate highway system and Ellington Parkway were being constructed literally in the church’s back yard. Urban renewal led to the demolition of hundreds of old homes and shops. New apartments designated for the elderly and low-income residents appeared rapidly. St. Ann’s became an inner-city parish. As the parish struggled in the wake of the Civil Rights movement and white flight to the suburbs, St. Ann’s battled racism and poverty, a mission that remains a hallmark of our ministry.

The Reverend William Carson Fraser was sent by the Diocese in 1965 to close St. Ann’s. Instead, under his leadership, St Ann’s started to flourish again. We established a daycare center to help families in East Nashville. We were a founding member of the East Nashville Cooperative Ministry, an interfaith group fighting redlining and working for equity and justice in the inner city. 

Carson accepted a call to Knoxville in 1978, and St. Ann’s called Reverend Frank Robert as rector in 1979. Initially the interim rector, he had served previously as a naval chaplain. He retired in 1982. Subsequently, we called the Reverend Michael Moulden. Under his leadership, we oversaw a renovation of the church, established a singles group for adults, and became involved in diocese youth programs, which Michael sometimes led. And we hired the Reverend Donna Scott as a priest associate. With church support, she established a pastoral counseling service and a spiritual development program—a bold step for a church that was, at the time, still unsure of the roles women should play.

In another bold step, St. Ann’s called the Reverend Lisa Hunt to be rector in 1989. She was one of the first women in Tennessee to serve in such a capacity. Lisa began her ministry proclaiming firmly that at St Ann’s all were welcome, regardless of orientation or ethnicity. The congregation began to reflect the greater community’s diversity, including many gay and lesbian members.

The tornado of 1998 reduced the historic nave of the church to rubble.

The Tiffany window that survived the tornado greets visitors today.

On April 16, 1998, a series of devastating tornadoes ripped through Nashville. One destroyed St. Ann’s historic nave and chancel, even as our priest and her children huddled for safety in the basement. The next morning, while sifting through the rubble, we discovered one large Tiffany stained glass window almost fully intact. This piece is installed at the entrance of All Saints Hall today. Hours later, we crafted a makeshift altar of brick and splintered pews and celebrated the Eucharist.

Holy Name Catholic Church, a neighbor on Woodland Street, offered sanctuary while St. Ann’s pondered its future. After months of careful consideration, the vestry launched a capital campaign to renovate our surviving structures. The 1901 Martin Hall became a flexible worship space. Howe Hall was renovated and new space added to become the welcoming entrance known today as All Saints Hall. A labyrinth was created on the footprint of the old nave. After two years in the wilderness, our community marched home on Christmas Eve of 2000, in a tip of the hat to our beginnings.

Just as St. Ann’s rebounded, so did the neighborhood. Homeowners and businesses replaced blue tarps with new roofs, and remodeled homes with a renewed spirit. A practice adopted by St Ann’s post-tornado was to offer our worship space for community gatherings and events. We hosted fundraising events, neighborhood discussions about developments impacting East Nashville, and candidate forums for local elections. Our rector and some of our members became active in Rediscover East, an organization dedicated to helping revitalize East Nashville.

The quote chiseled on the wall in front of the church reads: “God was not in the tornado, but in our response.”

In 2002, St. Ann’s became a meeting place for what was then known as Freedom School, a summer program under the auspices of the Children’s Defense Fund. Serving mainly at-risk youth from the neighborhood, Freedom School evolved into the innovative East Nashville Hope Exchange program within a couple of years. To this day, we host and support this program, which tutors at-risk children and offers material support to local families.

In 2007, the Reverend Lisa Hunt accepted a call to Houston, Texas. The community’s long history with her required a significant period of adjustment as we searched for a new rector.

In 2008, St. Ann’s celebrated its 150th anniversary. Current and former parishioners and past priests joined us in celebrating our history and continuing vitality, and the Most Reverend Katharine Jefferts Shori, the first female Presiding Bishop, was invited to attend. This was a time of rancor in the church, following the ordination of the denomination’s first openly gay bishop, and some congregations chose to separate from the national church. Jefferts Shori’s visitation was a statement that we intended to continue to support the mission of the national Episcopal church. St Ann’s was a founding member of the Continuing Episcopalians of Tennessee, a group advocating to stay under the umbrella of the national church. 

After the 150th anniversary, St. Ann’s called the Reverend Rick Britton in 2008. He was the first Black priest to serve as rector in the Diocese of Tennessee. During his ministry, we continued our commitment to the full inclusion of LGBTQ+ people. We became active supporters of Nashville’s Pride Fest. We also worked to reach out to minority groups, hoping to attract more Black and Hispanic members. We helped East Nashville Hope Exchange become a separate nonprofit organization, and we hosted the first incarnation of the Episcopal School of Nashville. It was a juggling act to make room for them while continuing to house East Nashville Hope Exchange. 

After Rick retired in 2016, The Reverend Kira Austin-Young joined us as our interim rector, and subsequently became priest in charge. Kira was instrumental in expanding our LGBTQ+ ministry, working with the Episcopal School of Nashville as chaplain, and, most notably, keeping our community together during the isolation of the COVID-19 pandemic. She upgraded our online offerings, including live-streaming of all services, and moved coffee hour and other fellowship activities to Zoom. We have retained many of these outreach practices, to better minister to homebound parishioners.

In July of 2022, Kira accepted a call to a church in San Francisco. And so we begin another new chapter in the life of St Ann’s.

As Nashville overall becomes a more popular place, St. Ann’s once again finds itself in the midst of urban and neighborhood revitalization. Suddenly the East Bank is a hot spot for new growth, and an urban development plan is in the works, with a hotel under development across the street from the church, the probability of an all-new football stadium, plus a lot more. Facing the pressure of growth and the fast-paced lifestyle of downtown spreading across the river, it feels a bit like the early part of the 20th century all over again.

Our neighborhood is certain to change. Our parish will face a new social and economic environment. Projections for development of the East Bank are astounding in the years to come. But old problems such as homelessness will continue. We will be challenged, as we have throughout our history, to seek new ways to be a faithful presence on our corner.

Today, St. Ann’s draws people from all areas of Metropolitan Davidson County. So with our firm link to our past and a solid footing in the present, St. Ann’s is committed to serving God and God’s people, whatever the future brings.

We are a vital parish, and plan to stay on our corner to witness to the Christian faith in the new Nashville of the 21st century.

Our neighborhood

On the east bank of the Cumberland River, which runs through the middle of our city, East Nashville is an artsy, eclectic, bustling neighborhood. Within walking distance of downtown, its restaurants, bars, boutiques and parks are buzzing with residents and tourists alike. 

The historic architecture of its residential streets is paired with contemporary hotels lining its main thoroughfare. Its bustling shopping and entertainment districts are complemented by the 300-acre Shelby Park & Bottoms, a quiet retreat for people and animals that runs through the Cumberland River bottomland and adjacent hills.  

The neighborhood’s character is progressive and youthful. The housing market has risen dramatically over the past decade, due to an influx of affluent new Nashvillians arriving from many different areas of the country. East Nashville is also home to three public housing projects. The city government is working to incentivize mixed-income developments, and residential density is increasing. Even so, our neighborhood, like the rest of Nashville, is wrestling with the question of how to ensure affordable housing for all residents.

This neighborhood pushed east from downtown beginning in the late 1800s through the 1950s. After a decline in development through the second half of the 20th century, destruction from a massive tornado in 1998 sparked renewed interest and investment. Developers’ interest in the area has increased dramatically over the past decade, especially after another tornado tore through the center of the neighborhood in 2020. 

Looking to the future, the area along the east bank of the Cumberland continues to evolve. In 2022 the city announced a massive urban renewal project called Imagine East Bank, which includes mixed-use developments, updates to subsidized housing, a 70-acre campus for tech company Oracle, and renovation or replacement of Nissan Stadium, which is home to the Tennessee Titans football team and hosts increasing numbers of large-scale concert events. (Selling parking for stadium events is an increasingly important revenue source for St. Ann’s.)

Neighborhood festivals include the TOMATO ART FEST each summer and the MUSIC CITY HOT CHICKEN FEST in a park just blocks from St. Ann’s.

〰️

Neighborhood festivals include the TOMATO ART FEST each summer and the MUSIC CITY HOT CHICKEN FEST in a park just blocks from St. Ann’s. 〰️ Neighborhood festivals include the TOMATO ART FEST each summer and the MUSIC CITY HOT CHICKEN FEST in a park just blocks from St. Ann’s. 〰️

“Y’all” means ALL

In 2017, the first historic marker in Tennessee to honor an LGBTQ+ activist, Penny Campbell, was erected in East Nashville. Like St Ann’s, the neighborhood has been a welcoming space for the queer community for many decades.

Worshiping together

Corporate worship lies at the heart of St. Ann’s ministry. It is a colorful fabric woven of our work, our prayers and our relationships with each other and with God. With it we embrace our St. Ann’s family and surround those in our community with love. We have historically offered two services on Sundays during the program year and one service during the summer months. Currently we offer a single service each Sunday morning due to constraints on our supply priests’ time and on congregational resources. Our liturgy comes primarily from the Book of Common Prayer, with supplements from Enriching our Worship and other sources.

Many parishioners actively participate in our worship services. They serve as greeters, oblationers, acolytes, lay eucharistic ministers, lay readers, chalice bearers, and members of the bread and altar guilds. Church youth members serve alongside our adults as acolytes, greeters, and oblationers.

Throughout St. Ann’s long history, parishioners have strongly valued music and especially, congregational singing. In the early 1900s, St. Ann’s received one of the 4,100 organs Andrew Carnegie donated to American churches in the early 20th century. That organ catalyzed St. Ann’s music-making practices into a healthy music program and a strong singing congregation. Unfortunately, the organ was a casualty of the 1998 tornado—its console crushed by the east wall and its pipes lying twisted among the rubble.

In the 20 years following in what we initially perceived to be a temporary space, the piano became our source for music and accompaniment. However, the piano’s inability to support congregational singing, the community’s desire to hear organ music, and other factors led us to adopt a new instrument. We currently use a Hauptwerk organ, which is a digital instrument comprised of sampled rather than digitally constructed sounds. The result is a convincing replica of a traditional pipe organ which can be fully transferrable to a new space when needed.

Director of Music John Lucianno at the Hauptwerk organ.

(Video) St. Ann’s is fortunate to have musicians such as violinist Sarah Cote in the parish who are willing to share their gifts. This is Music City, after all.

While the 1982 Hymnal is our bread and butter, St. Ann’s draws from other music sources in an effort to be culturally responsive. These sources include but are not limited to, Wonder, Love, and Praise, Lift Every Voice and Sing, and Voices Found. Other resources include the Episcopal Musician’s Handbook, Liturgical Music for the Revised Common Lectionary, Anglican Chant Psalter, Synthesis (an online Episcopal resource for hymn selection), and the St. James Music Press.

Although only seven singers make up St. Ann’s choir, their voices provide remarkable support in worship. 

Lyn and Nathaniel, long-serving members, prepare for the Easter Service.

Our choir currently consists of seven members, three of whom are paid singers. COVID-19 has been particularly hard on the vocal world. While we are actively working to bring our choir back to its former size, our current choir more than adequately supports our corporate singing and inspires us in worship.

St. Ann’s is a multigenerational, caring, supportive place for all families to learn about God’s grace and loving kindness through outreach, art and the Word. 

Although we are a small church, St. Ann’s is home to a vibrant and close-knit group of families. From game nights to hikes to Sunday School classes, our parish offers a variety of activities for our families. 

We pride ourselves on fostering intergenerational relationships. St. Ann’s does not “wall off” our children and youth community from the rest of the church, and our youth actively participate in the full life of the congregation. 

Exploring our faith

ADULT PROGRAMMING

Adult Forum

Adult forum is offered during the education hour, while children and youth Sunday School is operating in other classrooms. The forum’s mission is to provide adult education to parishioners on topics ranging from scripture study, to church history and theology, to world religions, to ethics and moral theology, as well as reflections on current events.

The format is wide open. Anyone can suggest a topic, and anyone can present or organize a program, as long as the vestry or priest in charge consents. We have done series on religion and science, the prophets, Judaism and Islam, as well as homelessness and public education. Presenters have included parishioners and outside experts. Topics are typically offered for two to six weeks, and draw parishioners based on interest. In most cases, the topics are presented in short lectures followed by discussion sessions.

Currently the forum is on hiatus. It was suspended during the pandemic, and remains on hold as the rector search committee uses the adult forum space for its Sunday planning meetings. The program will resume when the parish calendar and volunteer availability permit.

Centering Prayer

The Centering Prayer group at St. Ann’s is a small but dedicated group who meet weekly for silent prayer along with time for reflection and mutual encouragement. The group is motivated to deepen relationships with God, to receive renewal for continued ministry, and to be transformed year by year into instruments of God’s love in the world. We welcome newcomers and those who are curious about the contemplative Christian traditions. On Sunday mornings we meet in the church basement and can hear the life of the parish all around us: Sunday School teachers making copies, volunteers setting up for hospitality, the choir practicing. It feels like an honor to hold space for entering God’s presence in silence at the heart of our church.

Progressive Pilgrims Book Study

This lay-led group grew out of a Companions in Christ group and has been gathering for more than 10 years. The group switched to Zoom during the pandemic and has found that the virtual format allows participation from people who otherwise would not be able to make it to a meeting on a weeknight.  The group (8-12 individuals) selects books on a variety of faith topics and gathers for digital fellowship and an often lively discussion of about a chapter a week before closing with Compline. A selection of books include The Practice of Prayer (Margaret Gunther), The Cross and the Lynching Tree (James Cone); several books by Rachel Held Evans; Accidential Saints (Nadia Bolz-Weber); Jesus: One Man, Two Faiths (Ron Messier-a colleague of one of the members); and First Paul (Marcus Borg and John Dominic Crossan).

Mr. Ken reads “Desmond and the Very Mean Word” (By Archbishop Desmond Tutu) to some of St. Ann’s younger students.

CHILDREN’S EDUCATION

Sunday School is held weekly from 9-10 a.m. We generally offer three classes: one for younger elementary school students, one for upper-elementary/lower-middle school, and an upper-middle school/high school class.

 In our youngest class, children make crafts and discuss picture book versions of common Bible stories. The middle-school class reads the Gospel and does an elaborate craft project. From making baskets to applying fake leprosy spots, art projects are a core part of connecting our youth to the love of God. 

The oldest class participates in a variety of activities designed to connect God’s love to social justice issues. Some of their favorite activities have been writing a congregational anti-racism statement during the pandemic, and discussing indigenous Christianity. Our teenagers engage with God’s mission of justice from all different angles. “I really appreciate how my Sunday School teachers tie religion to current events,” said one teen parishoner. “They are very creative!”

Anti-Racism Statement

This winter, our upper-level class went on a retreat to Rock Island State Park. Four teens and three adult leaders stayed in a log cabin, enjoying hiking, exploring the woods, playing games, meditating, and learning about methods of reducing stress. As one of the youth said, “I loved the experience of learning about God and meditating out in nature!”

St. Ann’s is blessed with an active Children and Youth Committee, made up of parents, Sunday School teachers and vestry members. This committee meets monthly to plan the Sunday School year, provide multigenerational community-building inreach and outreach opportunities, and support families with children in the parish. In the absence of a consistent Children and Youth Director, this committee has effectively captained all children and youth affairs for the last several years. Currently, this committee is in the process of hiring nursery workers for Sunday mornings. 

The older students enjoyed a retreat to Rock Island State Park in January.

Youth also have opportunities to help lead church services. Starting in middle school, preteens may serve as ushers and assistant acolytes. Teenagers may also serve as lectors. All youth acolytes are paired with an adult mentor who teaches and serves with them. This is one of many ways our parish builds intergenerational community. 

Once a  year, St. Ann’s hosts Youth Sunday, when the entire service is led by our children and youth. Younger kids pass out hymnals and serve as ushers, while older kids read the prayers and lectionary or serve on the altar, and a high school senior delivers the sermon. This service allows our congregation to emphasize the presence and power of youth in our parish.

Youth were joined by others from St. Ann’s marching at the MLK March this year.

Before the pandemic, St. Ann’s offered Children’s Chapel during the sermon and prayers of the people. During this time, kids read an excerpt from the Gospel, discuss its meaning and how to apply it to daily life, talk about the liturgical seasons, pray, and learn songs. Many of our parents are interested in reviving this service, because it provided such a rich opportunity for their children to learn about the liturgy and God in an age-appropriate way. Advent and the Christmas season are an important time for all our families. The first Sunday of Advent, St. Ann’s families gather together to make personal Advent wreaths. They take home their wreaths plus an Advent service booklet so they can have a mini-service at home every night. A few weeks later, families participate in the Hanging of the Greens, decorating the church for Christmas. Some of our youth say this is their favorite church event of the year.

On Easter, we host a brunch and Easter egg hunt during the regular Sunday School hour. Teens and parents hide eggs, and then the younger children race to find them. It can get quite competitive once the 8-11-year-olds join in the hunt! 

Expressing our faith in the community

East Nashville Hope Exchange wrapped up its summer program with a socially distanced dinner in the parking lot. 

St. Ann’s is committed to living our baptismal covenant through service to our neighbors. Our recent congregation survey indicates that living out our faith in service is important to most parishioners and our community involvement is a point of pride. Many of these projects, brought forth by one or a couple members, have grown and are maintained through lay leadership. (See graphic.) 

East Nashville Hope Exchange

One of our most notable programs of community engagement is East Nashville Hope Exchange. What began as a summer site for the Children’s Defense Fund program has developed into a flourishing independent nonprofit with a focus on literacy for vulnerable students in East Nashville. The program includes a holistic focus including providing support and coaching to parents/families, tutoring throughout the school year, and a robust six-week summer program that is offered at minimal cost to the families.

St. Ann’s booth at Nashville’s Pride festival last year.

St. Ann’s provides space for events throughout the year, including afterschool tutoring, family events, parent empowerment presentations, and the annual wine tasting fundraiser. Parishioners provide volunteer support throughout the year including preparing and serving meals; being reading buddies and/or teachers during the summer program; serving as board members; donating money; and assisting with fundraisers. 

Pride Festival

Each year, St. Ann’s has a booth at Nashville’s Pride Festival. Volunteers from the congregation sign up for the shifts at the table, where we have information about the church, give away handouts (like bubbles to short and tall “kids” alike) and sponsor a raffle for a stack of books about faith and identity. St. Ann’s often participates in the parade. This event is an important way that we share the love and joy of our community with others—whether or not they ever set foot in our doors.  

Members enjoy a walk down Broadway in the Pride Parade.

Room in the Inn

Room in the Inn is a Nashville organization, founded in 1986 by the priest at our neighboring Catholic church. Room in the Inn now includes 200 Nashville congregations that provide shelter to our unhoused neighbors through the winter months. Prior to the pandemic, St. Ann’s hosted six-eight men at our church one night a month-providing a hot meal, conversation, and a warm place to sleep from November to March. Additional grant funds have supported the development of a clothing and personal care supply closet for the guests. Over the last couple of years, our work has shifted to packing 60 bags of personal care items and 60 food bags. We hope to return to hosting overnight guests again in the future.

Kris (left) and Nancy work to fill 60 bags with personal care items for the guests of Room in the Inn. Socks, gloves and hand-warmers are particularly appreciated by Nashville’s unhoused population.

Stephanie works the assembly line of non-perishable food items that will be provided to Room in the Inn.

Nashville Organized For Action and Hope

St. Ann’s is a member organization of Nashville Organized for Action and Hope—an anti-racist faith-based coalition that is multiracial, multigenerational, and interfaith comprised of congregations, community organizations and labor unions. NOAH organizes around four key issues: education, affordable housing, criminal justice reform, and economic equity and jobs. 

Direct Assistance and Rooftop

As an urban church with a reputation of caring for others, people in need come to the church. Office staff serve these individuals with a listening ear and assistance, such as hygiene bags, hotel vouchers, and gift cards. St. Ann’s is also within the Rooftop Network of churches which provides utility assistance to people living in underserved ZIP codes of our city. As one of these sites, church staff/volunteers help people complete the intake process.

Members enjoy a late summer hike at Nashville’s beautiful Beaman Park.

Having fun together

In addition to our regular programs, St. Ann's parishioners frequently organize events that foster fun, community and fellowship. These events are particularly valuable in helping connect people across generations and ministries. Many of our regular activities were reduced during the pandemic, and we are excited to be gathering in person again, integrating some new COVID-era favorites into the mix. 

Supper clubs are small groups that gather for meals about once a month (in restaurants or homes, at the group's discretion) to form deeper relationships over meals. 

Hymn, pizza and beer nights have also been a favorite, inviting people to join for an informal meal and singing of favorite hymns. 

During COVID, outdoor activities became a staple of our fellowship, allowing us to connect while keeping each other safe. These involved meeting in local parks for bike rides, walks and hikes. In the last year we have also added game nights, which attract people of all ages to play board and card games together. At the heart of these is a desire to be a community that connects, finds joy and spends time together. 

Game nights have been a fun intergenerational activity,

Any excuse to eat!

“Hospitality” is defined as generous and friendly treatment of visitors and guests. St. Ann’s hospitality looks different from Sunday to Sunday, as well as season to season. It is intended as a time of fellowship for parishioners, as well as a time to welcome visitors. We hope that visitors will find us to be a friendly community and come back to see us again. 

To me, the most important aspect of hospitality is the facilitation of personal fellowship following the worship service.  

– Kris Dixon

The late Charlsie Holmes (92-years old at the time of this photo) can be seen here at right, ensuring all plates are filled at the annual Easter Brunch. To measure success of hospitality, one merely needs to ask, “What would Charlsie do?”

St. Ann’s can always be counted upon to have a contingent of members at the annual gathering of Episcopal Men of Tennessee.

Monthly Men’s group

In the fall of 2022, we announced a men’s group to be held once each month at the church. The format allows for informal discussion time, accompanied by wine and non-alcoholic refreshments plus a simple meal like soup and salad. Between six to 12 men have attended over the past few months. We have been meeting the third Thursday of the month at 6:30 p.m. for about two hours. 

This social time generates deeper personal connections and helps us to know one another better. This experiment seems to be
well-received and will continue into the future.

Newcomers to the church are welcomed during an afternoon social. Here, they have an opportunity to chat with some parish veterans.

Another opportunity for young and old alike to join together at the church: the “Un-hanging” of the Greens. The Christmas tree and decorations that had been enjoyed during Epiphany are packed up and returned to storage.

A frequently seen sign on Sundays during the Tennessee Titans’ football season.

Being good stewards

Balance Sheet:

Over its 165 years, St Ann’s has shown financial resilience in the face of natural disasters and economic recession. At present, the parish enjoys a stable budget built on consistent pledging, a well-managed endowment and income generated through the sale of parking for events at nearby Nissan Stadium. St. Ann's owns its building mortgage-free and carries no debt.  

St. Ann’s is blessed with an endowment of $2.4 million, which is managed by an endowment committee in coordination with a professional financial advisor. The parish has additional savings of $481,034, of which $41,000 is designated to restricted gifts and $35,000 is in cash on hand.  

Operating Revenue

Pledged and non-pledged income in 2023 is projected to be $181,200, from 55 pledging households. This amount is consistent with past years. Primary expenses in 2022 were for personnel and an unexpected plumbing cost of $30,000, which fell under Building and Grounds.  

Parking Revenue

St. Ann’s is less than two blocks from the 70,000-seat Nissan Stadium. This venue is home to the NFL’s Tennessee Titans, the Tennessee State University Tigers and an increasing number of concerts each year. For most of these events, St. Ann’s volunteers sell spaces in the parish’s upper and lower parking lots. This has become a significant income source for the parish—last year’s parking sales totaled $97,000. 

Oversight

St. Ann’s is audited regularly, and its form 990 is prepared annually by an outside tax firm. In addition to vestry oversight, St. Ann’s has a finance committee that meets monthly.   

Growing into our future

Listening for our call

Our scrappy little parish, which sits in the middle of East Nashville’s development boom, is pretty impressive. 

We know you will agree.

We believe St Ann’s is full of vitality and ready to serve Christ in all persons. We know belief calls us to action. We know our story is compelling, and that it provides context for our encounter with the Nashville of the 21st century. We know we must practice humility in coming years as we discern the just and proper use of our gifts and talents.

Discerning our call will follow from our understanding of ourselves as pictured in the Congregational Vitality Survey, but not that alone. For we know the God of Love delights in surprise, and the future we think we see may be much different than what we get. 

St Ann’s is aware of multiple challenges facing our parish as East Bank development surges. We face physical challenges related to parking and the squeeze of new construction. We must be open to new ways to welcome our neighbors, both new and old. We face the imperative of strengthening our connections with one another and with the East Nashville community. 

We believe we have a powerful role to play in the future of the diocese and of Nashville. We expect to be at the table for joyful worship for the foreseeable future. We expect to practice St. Ann’s brand of hospitality in our daily lives. We will continue to advocate for justice for the marginalized, whether this be with the homeless, children at risk, or with our LGBTQ+ community.

How this expectation is realized and what actions we are called to join are matters for God, this parish and our new rector to faithfully work out together.

We look forward to the challenges God lays before us, and we hope and pray for a rector who understands servant leadership and is willing and able to join us on our corner at Fifth and Woodland.

In the months since Mtr. Kira left for California, the members of St. Ann’s have intentionally prayed for support, guidance and wisdom in this effort of choosing a new rector. Each worship service, as well as other church meetings, includes this prayer:

Almighty God, giver of every good gift:
Look graciously on your Church,
and so guide the minds of those who shall choose a rector for this parish,
that we may receive a faithful pastor,
who will care for your people
and equip us for our ministries;
through Jesus Christ our Lord.
Amen.

Please review this information and let us know if you are interested in exploring whether you might be a good and fruitful fit as our rector. 

A portion of our regular attendees pose in front of the church on the labyrinth.
Note: Never schedule group photos on the morning following the return to Daylight Saving Time.

Location

419 Woodland Street
Nashville, TN 37206

Sunday Hours

Christian Education
9:00 am — 10am

Holy Eucharist 10:00 am

Social Time 11:00

Contact

Tom Hardin
615.598.5313
hassell3@gmail.com

Cate Faulkner
faulkner.cate@gmail.com