At my interivew with the vestry and the Rev. Michael Vermillion to be their first parish assistant priest I was asked. "How do you feel about the exchange of the Lord's Peace? "I'm good, but not promiscuous" was the answer that came out. Father Mike said that that sealed the deal.

He and I fashioned a partnership along with the lay staff that others only write about. He was killed on my 44th birthday on July 18, 1987. With the advice and consent of the Diocesan bishop the vestry elected me rector. I served for nine more years which included building a new church which required moving the grave of a civil war veteran. For years people said it couldn't be done. They said it about a lot of things we ended up doing together.

Debby and I were married there by Bishop Charles Vache on November 28, 1986 with our four children in attendance.

I often said that I was to be the interim between Father Mike and his successor. I turned out to fill both of those roles. The parish I served longer than any other was the one which spawned the call in me to interim ministry.