The Rev. Lisa Ransom Accepts Interim Ministry Position at St. James
The vestry of St. James Episcopal Church of Woodstock, Vermont, is pleased to announce that the Rev. Lisa Ransom has accepted an appointment as interim minister, effective October 29, 2017. Ransom will be responsible for maintaining vital programs, reinforcing the ministry of the laity, and increasing the potential for a successful ministry by the next settled priest.
Ransom has been engaged in ministry for more than 20 years. Ordained to the priesthood in 1996, Ransom earned a Master of Divinity degree at Yale Divinity School and a Certificate of Anglican Studies from Berkeley Divinity School. She also holds a bachelor’s degree in Art and Religion from the University of Kansas.
Ransom’s experience includes eight years at St. Dunstan’s in Waitsfield, Vermont, in leadership positions as rector, vicar and priest-in-charge. She has also previously served as interim minister at St. John’s in the Mountains in Stowe, St. Barnabas’ in Norwich, and St. Paul’s in White River Junction.
“I am convinced that the ancient wisdom from which the Church emerged is accessible in our small grassroots churches,” Ransom says as she reflects on the church of the future. “I am inspired and energized by the small communities throughout Vermont that live out the community and ownership that is Baptismal Ministry. The children in our communities are learning that they are valued and loved by God. This is how transformation begins.”
Barbara Johnson, senior warden of the St. James vestry, commented, “I am confident that Lisa’s experience in mutual ministry will enable our parish leaders, members, and friends to sustain our commitment to fulfill our shared vision of God’s calling for the ministry of St. James, Woodstock.”
Ransom is passionate about community and earth stewardship, and she is a founding member of Cultivate: The Episcopal Food Movement. She lives in Etna, New Hampshire, with her husband, Scott Baughman, and their two teenage sons, Chester and Morgan. Baughman and Ransom own Grow Compost, a Moretown-based business dedicated to nurturing microbial life and creating healthy soils.
In the photo: The Rev. Lisa Ransom