The Revs. Stephen and Beth Pessah | Photo courtesy St. Mark’s, Cocoa (Background Photo Attribution: St. Mark’s Episcopal Church in Cocoa, Florida by Ebyabe is licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0. To view a copy of this license, visit Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 Unported.)

St. Mark’s, Cocoa, has called the Rev. Stephen Pessah as its new rector. He began his new ministry on Aug. 1.

The parish has been without a rector since March 2022. “Our previous rector left in March 2022,” explained the Rev. Nancy Oliver, who serves the church as deacon. “We had an interim priest, Mother Sara Oxley, from August 2022 until June 2023. After that, we had a wonderful group of supply priests: Rev. Joy Williford, Father Tim Rutherford, Rev. Christina Jillard and Rev. Susan Davidson. Our parish has some retired priests, one of whom is Father John Bender, who officiated at parish funerals. We were praying for the right person to come. We are ready for our priest.”

Pessah is also excited about his new call. “When I think about my new ministry at St. Mark’s in Cocoa, I get excited about meeting and getting to know a new church family,” he said. “I believe this is essential to discovering opportunities for ministry both within the church and the community.”

He is also excited to begin this new journey at St. Mark’s with his wife, the Rev. Beth Pessah, who is also an Episcopal priest. “Beth has been the associate priest at Holy Comforter Episcopal Church in Tallahassee and the chaplain at Holy Comforter Episcopal School for six years,” he said. “Her assistance with the school’s [St. Mark’s Episcopal Academy’s] chapel services will be very helpful. We are both looking forward to working together, especially in this context.”

Father Stephen has a vision for spreading the gospel in Cocoa. “As I get to know the people of St. Mark’s and they get to know me, we will eventually work to discern how together we can bridge into the community in ways that are authentic to who we are and effective for spreading the gospel,” he said. “In my experience, there is no shortcut to sharing the good news. It requires taking time to discover our gifts and talents and also being intentional about building strong and trusting relationships with our neighbors. This process of mutual discovery enables us to go into our community with confidence.

“Knowing the needs and attitudes of those in our community makes meaningful connections possible,” he added. “It is in the context of these healthy connections that questions of faith are asked. The fact that we take the time to build relationships means that we are not sharing our faith with strangers but rather with those whom we have come to know and love. I believe this takes at least some of the fear out of bearing witness to a God of love and hope.”

Father Stephen was born and raised in Kirkland Lake, Ontario, Canada. “My parents provided me with a lens through which I began to discover and explore the wonder of God within the context of the Anglican Church,” he said. “I suppose my ‘formal’ Christian journey began when, at the age of 6, I committed my life to Christ at a Vacation Bible School just down the street from where I lived.”

His spiritual journey eventually led to a call to ministry. It initially found its expression in the Church Army in Canada (now Threshold Ministries), best known for emphasizing evangelism and social outreach. After 15 years of active service, he discerned a further call to ordained ministry and began studies at the University of Toronto’s Wycliffe College, where he received a Master of Divinity in 2005. He was ordained that same year and has enjoyed several ministry opportunities in various Ontario locations, both in the Diocese of Algoma and the Diocese of Toronto.

In 2015, the Pessahs discerned a call to Florida, which led Mother Beth to Holy Comforter Church, Tallahassee. Father Stephen became rector of Christ Episcopal Church, Monticello.

The Pessahs have two adult sons: Matthew and Nathan, who is married to Lena. Father Stephen’s celebration of new ministry service will be held on Sunday, Sept. 15.