Welcoming Our New Rector

Dear Calvarians:

On behalf of the Vestry, we are thrilled to announce that the Rev. Christopher Cole has accepted our call to serve as the 14th Rector of Calvary. 

Chris is coming to us from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, where he serves as Rector of St. Andrew’s Episcopal Church. Previously, he served as Senior Associate Rector at St. Mary’s Episcopal Church in Arlington, Virginia, and at parishes in Athens and Atlanta, Georgia. His interests include spiritual formation, outreach and cultivating religious dialogue. 

We are looking forward to welcoming Chris, his wife Alex, and their chocolate lab, Riley, to the Calvary campus this spring. The Cole family plans to move into the Rectory in early May and will spend their first few weeks settling in and getting to know our congregation. We anticipate Chris’ first Sunday with Calvary will be June 4. 

Chris is a Christ-centered, approachable and collaborative leader who is ready to help us build on our momentum and capabilities. The vestry was impressed with his thoughtful approach to ministry, his humble presence and gift for preaching. Under Chris’ leadership, we are confident that Calvary will continue to grow and be a place for congregants to experience God in a loving and accepting community. 

A native of Western North Carolina, Chris is a graduate of UNC-Charlotte and Virginia Theological Seminary. When he is not working, he enjoys the great outdoors, fishing, traveling, and gardening. He is a baseball enthusiast (go Braves!) and an aspiring grill master. Alex is a talented interior designer and the U.S. Managing Director for an international firm that focuses on hotel, restaurant and multifamily projects. She travels a lot for her job, but always enjoys being involved in the flower guild at their parish.

We are so grateful to the Rev. Melanie Barbarito and the Rev. Canon Michel Belt for serving as our Interim Rectors over the past three years, providing invaluable guidance during a challenging period. Also, we want to recognize the Rev. Carrie Cabush for her ongoing leadership. These three clergy members, with support from our amazing staff, have brought our parish together and rejuvenated our many ministries.

We also express our gratitude to the Diocese for their support and guidance during the discernment process, especially Canon Margo Clark, who spent many hours with prospective candidates, the Discernment Team, and the Vestry.

Lastly, we want to thank the Discernment Team and the entire Vestry for their time and dedication to this search over the past year. It was truly a labor of love, but we could not be happier with the result, and we are so excited for Calvary to begin this next chapter

In Christ,
Bebe Lee, Senior Warden, and Susan Favate, Junior Warden