Dear Friends in Christ,
I am delighted to announce that Christ Church has called Mrs. Dawn Ryder to serve as our new Director of Children’s & Family Ministries. A parishioner at Christ Church since last year, Dawn brings to this ministry a deep love for Jesus Christ, a lifelong connection to the Episcopal Church, and extensive experience in the spiritual formation of children and young people. She was baptized and raised at Grace Episcopal Church in Whitestone, Queens.
At Grace Church, Dawn oversaw Sunday School and youth programs for children from preschool through high school. She developed lessons grounded in the church year and the Sunday lectionary and organized the annual Christmas pageant and Easter egg hunt. She also served for six years as a counselor at Saint Michael’s Conference for high school and college-age young people, where she taught classes, led discussion groups, assisted with worship and the pageant, and organized games and activities.
For more than twenty years, Dawn has worked professionally as a photographer specializing in children and families. She looks forward to bringing her creativity, energy, and gift for storytelling to this new ministry, helping our parish see and celebrate the ways our children are learning, growing, and experiencing the love of God.
Dawn and her husband, Thomas, have been married since 2007 and live in Whitestone with their daughters, Eden and Phoenix. As members of Christ Church and parents of children in our parish programs, they understand firsthand the importance of a joyful, welcoming, and faithful community for children and families.
In her cover letter to our Search Committee, Dawn wrote that she hopes “to make Jesus known in the hearts of our youth” and to guide our children and families “with love and grace.” I am confident that her faith, warmth, experience, and joyful spirit will be a great blessing to Christ Church.
Please join me in warmly welcoming Dawn to our parish staff and in praying for her, for our children and families, and for this exciting new chapter in our common life.
In Christ,
Father Matt