Open Letter to Diocese from Archdeacon Doty

Dear Family, Friends and Colleagues--

It is my pleasure to announce that I have been called to be the next Rector of the Church of the Holy Cross in Tryon, North Carolina and that I have accepted that call.

As someone who is a parish priest at heart, and one whose skills and inclinations are most useful and fulfilling in a pastoral environment, this call is a joyous return to my true vocation. I am excited about the potential ministry I can share with the people at Holy Cross, and am looking forward to having an active part in the life of the Diocese of Western North Carolina.

The Church of the Holy Cross is located in Tryon, North Carolina about twenty five miles north of Spartanburg and Greenville, South Carolina, and just a few miles south of Hendersonville, North Carolina and the Kanuga Conference Center. The church has about 450 members, most of whom are retirees, but they have expressed a desire to grow with young families and children. The stone church building is quite beautiful in a Gothic style with a marvelous pipe organ. The people that we have met there so far have all been very gracious and kind.

I will formally begin my ministry at Holy Cross no later than March 1, 2002. Pam and Isaac will remain in Knoxville (about a 2 1/2 hour drive from Tryon) until Isaac graduates from high school in June of 2003. Pam will continue to work at St. James' Church and to edit the East Tennessee Episcopalian. We will be putting our house in Knoxville on the market immediately (know anyone interested in buying a house in a great neighborhood?) and will be a commuting family for a few months. Our residence in Tryon will be the church rectory for a while, but we hope to purchase a house there sometime in the future.

Well, that is the news. We are excited about it and hope that you will keep us in your prayers. I will see some of you at diocesan convention in a few days and will gladly fill in the details then.

May God bless and keep you all!

Michael+
The Ven. Michael Doty, Archdeacon
The Episcopal Diocese of East Tennessee