dah happenings
Changes Recommended for Deaconess Anne House
(posted Dec. 2, 2022)
Consultants are recommending the Deaconess Anne House continue its ministry and its connection to the Episcopal Service Corps, but with structural changes to meet the needs of the community, the Diocese, and the young adults participating in the program.
These recommendations are part of a report compiled by Vandersall Collective, a consulting group hired by the Rt. Rev. Deon Johnson, to ensure the DAH program was meeting the needs and priorities of the Diocese of Missouri.
Consultants worked in collaboration with a task force of diocesan members (lay and clergy). The group conducted a financial and programmatic audit of Deaconess Anne House and has now released their report.
The Bishop has asked the Rev. Mike Angell, rector of the Episcopal Church of the Holy Communion in University City, to guide the next phase of this review. He will put together a team to discern the next steps for DAH. They will work in continued consultation with Vandersall Collective and the Bishop's office.
Deaconess Anne House was founded in 2012 as a ministry of the Diocese of Missouri and as a branch of the national Episcopal Service Corps program. For nine years, DAH offered young adults the opportunity to live and worship in community while serving nonprofit organizations in the area. The program has seen a steady decline in enrollment over the past few years, leading Bishop Johnson to put the program on sabbatical for 2022-23 and engage this review.
(posted Dec. 2, 2022)
Consultants are recommending the Deaconess Anne House continue its ministry and its connection to the Episcopal Service Corps, but with structural changes to meet the needs of the community, the Diocese, and the young adults participating in the program.
These recommendations are part of a report compiled by Vandersall Collective, a consulting group hired by the Rt. Rev. Deon Johnson, to ensure the DAH program was meeting the needs and priorities of the Diocese of Missouri.
Consultants worked in collaboration with a task force of diocesan members (lay and clergy). The group conducted a financial and programmatic audit of Deaconess Anne House and has now released their report.
- Download the full report
(78 pages, plus appendices)
- Download an abbreviated report
(17 pages)
The Bishop has asked the Rev. Mike Angell, rector of the Episcopal Church of the Holy Communion in University City, to guide the next phase of this review. He will put together a team to discern the next steps for DAH. They will work in continued consultation with Vandersall Collective and the Bishop's office.
Deaconess Anne House was founded in 2012 as a ministry of the Diocese of Missouri and as a branch of the national Episcopal Service Corps program. For nine years, DAH offered young adults the opportunity to live and worship in community while serving nonprofit organizations in the area. The program has seen a steady decline in enrollment over the past few years, leading Bishop Johnson to put the program on sabbatical for 2022-23 and engage this review.
Bishop Announces Year of Discernment for Deaconess Anne House
For the past 10 years, Deaconess Anne House has been a bright spot in our Diocese, offering young adults an opportunity to live and serve in an intentional community of spirituality and service in Old North St. Louis. As our four current corps members finish up a fantastic program year, leaders in the Diocese of Missouri are looking to the future.
The Rt. Rev. Deon Johnson, Bishop of the Diocese of Missouri, and the Executive Team of the Diocese, in collaboration with the leadership of Deaconess Anne House, have determined that DAH will use the ’22-’23 program year as a time of strategic visioning, and will not host a traditional cohort of corps members during this time.
Instead, Bishop Johnson plans to use the upcoming program year to discern and refine the Episcopal Service Corps’ role in our diocese (DAH is a branch of ESC). “We are committed to the future of young adult ministry in the Diocese of Missouri,” the bishop said. “This is the perfect time to intentionally strengthen the program in our diocese and beyond.”
While the Diocese of Missouri will miss the experience that a cohort of corps members brings to us and to the wider communities of the Old North neighborhood and the St. Louis region, we believe this intentional time of strategic re-visioning is necessary and appropriate for Deaconess Anne House to continue to grow in its mission in a changing world. The long-term effects of the pandemic are only just beginning to be apparent and its effects on the young adults in our applicant pool are significant. We believe that we need this year to understand what this generation of young adults is seeking, and to identify how Deaconess Anne House may best serve and support them.
We ask that you continue to support Deaconess Anne House as we move into this discernment year with your prayers, your financial contributions, and your time. The Deaconess Anne House community is what it is because of your participation. The Diocese of Missouri will keep you informed of what is discerned and how it will affect the future of the Deaconess Anne House program.
For more information about about changes, to share you stories of how DAH has impacted your life, or to suggest ideas for how DAH may adapt and evolve to meet the emerging needs of young adults today, contact:
Janis Greenbaum, Director of Communications
The Episcopal Diocese of Missouri
jgreenbaum@diocesemo.org / 314-651-1843
For the past 10 years, Deaconess Anne House has been a bright spot in our Diocese, offering young adults an opportunity to live and serve in an intentional community of spirituality and service in Old North St. Louis. As our four current corps members finish up a fantastic program year, leaders in the Diocese of Missouri are looking to the future.
The Rt. Rev. Deon Johnson, Bishop of the Diocese of Missouri, and the Executive Team of the Diocese, in collaboration with the leadership of Deaconess Anne House, have determined that DAH will use the ’22-’23 program year as a time of strategic visioning, and will not host a traditional cohort of corps members during this time.
Instead, Bishop Johnson plans to use the upcoming program year to discern and refine the Episcopal Service Corps’ role in our diocese (DAH is a branch of ESC). “We are committed to the future of young adult ministry in the Diocese of Missouri,” the bishop said. “This is the perfect time to intentionally strengthen the program in our diocese and beyond.”
While the Diocese of Missouri will miss the experience that a cohort of corps members brings to us and to the wider communities of the Old North neighborhood and the St. Louis region, we believe this intentional time of strategic re-visioning is necessary and appropriate for Deaconess Anne House to continue to grow in its mission in a changing world. The long-term effects of the pandemic are only just beginning to be apparent and its effects on the young adults in our applicant pool are significant. We believe that we need this year to understand what this generation of young adults is seeking, and to identify how Deaconess Anne House may best serve and support them.
We ask that you continue to support Deaconess Anne House as we move into this discernment year with your prayers, your financial contributions, and your time. The Deaconess Anne House community is what it is because of your participation. The Diocese of Missouri will keep you informed of what is discerned and how it will affect the future of the Deaconess Anne House program.
For more information about about changes, to share you stories of how DAH has impacted your life, or to suggest ideas for how DAH may adapt and evolve to meet the emerging needs of young adults today, contact:
Janis Greenbaum, Director of Communications
The Episcopal Diocese of Missouri
jgreenbaum@diocesemo.org / 314-651-1843
Join us on a Monday Night!
**Stay tuned for more information from the diocese and the strategic discernment committee about when regular programming and opportunities for fellowship will return at Deaconess Anne House!!!**
Every last Monday of the month we invite guests to join us for dinner at 6:15pm and/or worship at 7:15pm.
RSVP here to join us! (All programming is currently on pause).
Every last Monday of the month we invite guests to join us for dinner at 6:15pm and/or worship at 7:15pm.
RSVP here to join us! (All programming is currently on pause).
