St. Paul’s—Why it Matters to Me
Hi all, my name is Jen Hoelzer, I have had the opportunity to serve on Vestry for 6 years, including turns as Junior and Senior Warden, and my family and I have been members since 2011. I would like to share how that came to be. I am originally from Northwest Ohio – I grew up in West Toledo (I found out years later that fellow Vestry member Jerry Martz was actually my neighbor when I was a kid – there’s a story there!), I was raised Catholic, and I have 13 years of parochial school under my belt. I left Ohio (and “organized religion”) for a number of years. Shortly after moving back to this area, my husband Ron and I, having recently become parents, decided to find a congregation where we thought we would be a good fit. I asked Ron to go out to see what churches he liked and when he found one, I would join him at the next service. Ron attended services at a few of the Episcopal churches in the area and based on his reconnaissance mission, we decided to return to St. Paul’s together, we filled out the little card Stephanie Mattoni holds up every Sunday, and the rest is history. We had our daughter Olivia baptized here and have been members since.
Through St. Paul’s, we have been able to worship, to learn, to participate in Inreach like Gifts of the Christ Child distribution, and to be part of “a loving family united in the ministry of Jesus Christ, worshiping, learning, and serving together in the Episcopal tradition.”
Your participation in the Stewardship Campaign—through a pledge or a gift—helps ensure that St. Paul’s is there for families looking for a way to express their spirituality and participate positively in the community. Thank you for prayerfully considering this request.
Jen Hoelzer