Extending Christ's Kingdom in the Anglican Way.
Leadership
Rector
The Rev. Paul Howden grew up in California, the son of a Baptist minister, and graduated from California State University at Long Beach with a B.A. in Political Science. During his high school and college years, he fell away from the Lord. Eventually, the Holy Spirit brought him back to faith, using various people and experiences.
He entered the Peace Corps and served for three years in South America as an environmental sanitation worker in the small village of Quiindy, Paraguay, becoming active in a local Baptist church. After Paraguay, he moved to Buenos Aires, Argentina where he studied two years at the Baptist seminary, and for the third year of his M.Div. studies, he transferred to Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary in Fort Worth, Texas where he graduated in 1987.
After graduation, he was ordained in the Southern Baptist Church, and planted a Latino mission church in downtown Fort Worth. This is when he met and married his wife, Beth. Because of their growing love of Reformed theology, church history, the Prayer Book and liturgical worship, they left the Southern Baptist denomination and joined Good Shepherd Reformed Episcopal Church in Tyler, Texas. Paul was eventually ordained as a deacon in the R.E.C. at Good Shepherd in Tyler, and served first under the Rev. Ray Sutton, who is now the Presiding Bishop of the R.E.C., and then with the Rev. Walter Banek, who is now a bishop in the Diocese of the Midwest.
Upon passing his exam and becoming ordained as a presbyter in 1994, Fr. Paul served as the Rector of St. Luke’s R.E.C. in Santa Ana, California, then Grace R.E.C. in Scranton, Pennsylvania. After that, he became the Interim Rector at Covenant Chapel R.E.C. for two years, then Associate Rector. He was installed as Rector of Holy Trinity Anglican Church in Webster Groves, MO by The Rt. Rev. Walter Banek, Suffragen Bishop of the Diocese of Mid-America, on May 2, 2021.
Father Paul and Beth have just recently moved to St. Louis, MO where he serves as Rector of Holy Trinity Anglican church. They have six children: three sons followed by three daughters, mostly grown up. His hobbies are running, hiking, biking, gardening, playing French horn, sport, and reading.
You can connect with Father Howden via email [paulhowden39@yahoo.com] or Facebook[https://www.facebook.com/paul.howden.184]
The Rev. Paul Howden
The Reverend Paul Howden
Rector
Tel: ((570) 875-7034
paulhowden39@yahoo.com
Mrs. Beth Howden
Music Director / Organist
Our organist Mrs. Beth Howden has a Bachelor of Music Degree in Piano Performance and is a skilled organist, certified with the American Guild of Organists.
In over 30 years as a church musician, she has held positions in Baptist, Lutheran, Methodist, Catholic, and Anglican Churches, as well as teaching and accompanying on the side. She and Father Paul reside in St. Louis.
Presiding Bishop of the Reformed Episcopal Church
The Most Rev. Ray R. Sutton serves as the Presiding Bishop of the Reformed Episcopal Church (REC) and the Ordinary of the Diocese of Mid America. He is also the Dean of the Province and Ecumenical Affairs of the Anglican Church in North America (ACNA), of which the Reformed Episcopal Church is a founding member and special jurisdiction. Bishop Sutton often lectures at ACNA and Reformed Episcopal Seminaries, and is a popular retreat speaker.
A native of Kentucky and a Dallas resident since he was 13, Bishop Sutton received his Bachelor of Fine Arts from Southern Methodist University and his Masters of Theology from Dallas Theological Seminary. From 1976 to 1991, he served as a parish minister. Following this, he pursued doctoral studies in an associated research program at Wycliffe Hall, Oxford with Coventry University, from which he received his Ph.D.
He became the Dean and Professor of New Testament at the Reformed Episcopal Seminary in Philadelphia, and continues as an adjunct professor today. Later, Bishop Sutton functioned as Dean and Professor of Theology at Cranmer Theological House, where he continues to teach. He has also authored four books on theology, his most recent being Signed, Sealed and Delivered: A Study of Holy Baptism.
Bishop Sutton is married to Susan Jean Schaerdel of Dallas, a fellow graduate of Southern Methodist University. The Suttons have seven children and four grandchildren. The Suttons live in Dallas where Bishop Sutton’s residential offices are at the Cathedral Church of the Holy Communion.
The Most Rev. Ray R. Sutton
Presiding Bishop (2016 - Present)
Vestry
Dale Wardall, Senior Warden
Josh Eckhoff, Junior Warden
E.G.Burton, Member / Treasurer
John Williams, Member / Secretary
Val Strode, Member
Ted Watkins, Member
Jim Lembke, Member