PHOTO PROVIDED BY CHURCH OF THE INCARNATION
The Rev. Tom Morgan Phillips, far left, will be ordained to the priesthood on Sunday, March 25, at Canterbury Retreat & Conference Center in Oviedo.To Phillips’ right is his son, Luke; wife, Julia; and daughter, Anna
Just six months after being ordained as a transitional deacon, the Rev. Tom Morgan Phillips this weekend will take the next step in his ministerial journey.
Phillips will be ordained to the Sacred Order of Priests in Christ’s One, Holy, Catholic, and Apostolic Church at 4 p.m., Sunday, March 25, in the St. Paul’s Room at the Canterbury Retreat & Conference Center, 1601 Alafaya Trail, Oviedo. The Right Rev. Greg Brewer will ordain Phillips.
Clergy are asked to red stoles. A reception with cake will follow the ordination.
The ordination actually will serve as a double celebration of sorts as Phillips also is being called to serve as the priest-in-charge at Church of the Incarnation in Oviedo beginning Easter Day, Sunday, April 1. He will conduct services along with the Rev. Beth Passah.
The church’s search committee and vestry on Sunday, March 18, made the announcement of Phillip’s call to be priest-in-charge. The six-person search committee of Lydia and Charlie Pierce, chairman; and Eric Andres, Lorna Miller, Erick Perez and Reid Whitacre, along with vestry liaison Tendai Mafarachisi, made the decision after interviewing Phillips and his wife, Julia, several times.
“With Tom, we have a proven leader with great energy,” Charlie Pierce said. “He is a biblical scholar, he loves Jesus and all people. He is grounded in his Christian beliefs. From his long experience leading Emmaus, we discovered he relates fully to young adults and teenagers – the future of the church.
“We were struck by the depth of the partnership between Tom and his wife, Julia,” Charlie Pierce said. “They are knowledgeable and well-grounded in their Christian lives as individuals and a family parenting their two children, Anna and Luke. The Phillips family will be a rich and integral part of our church family.”
A geology graduate from Western Carolina University and graduate of YWAM (Youth with a Mission) Discipleship Training School (DTS) and School of Biblical Studies (SBS), Phillips comes to Incarnation with some impressive credentials. As one of the founding members of Emmaus Ministries, he assisted in establishing their first school of biblical studies in 2006 and served as executive director.
“Very quickly, you will discover that he is a superb communicator and attentive listener,” Charlie Pierce said.
Phillips was active in St. Peter Episcopal Church in Lake Mary prior to his ordination as transitional deacon last September.