The Anglican Church in North America’s Provincial Council has elected four new members to the Provincial Executive Committee: two from the clergy, the Rev. Dr. Jake Stum and the Rev. Lisa Schwandt, and two from the laity, Dr. Joan Deeks and Dr. Bill Atwood.
They will all serve on the Committee for the next three years. We were able to catch up with them to hear a bit more about each of their stories and what they most hope to see happen in the province over the next few years through the work of the Executive Committee.
The Rev. Dr. Jake Stum
The Rev. Jake Stum serves as the Executive Director of the Anglican Relief and Development Fund. His passion is to help Christians and local churches engage the world in healthy ways, which led to unique professional paths: church planting, international and domestic community development, owning a small business, leadership consulting, and fundraising.
He currently lives in Cleveland, TN, with his wife and three sons, with whom he enjoys spending his free time, and he also enjoys fly fishing and football.
The Rev. Lisa Schwandt
Rev. Lisa serves as a deacon for the Anglican Diocese of the Western Gulf Coast and is a member of Hope Pointe Anglican Church. She is also the Canon for Discipleship in her diocese.
Deacon Lisa served in ministry in a myriad of roles her entire adult life. She was ordained to the diaconate in May of 2009. Her joy is disciple-making, ever in awe of the ways God continues to prepare His Bride for His return. She loves joining in with Him in the proclamation of His Gospel, sharing His love, and encouraging His people. In addition to serving on both the local and diocesan levels, Lisa served provincially for the past three years as a member of the ACNA Executive Committee.
Dr. Joan Deeks
Joan is a professor in the School of Business at a Christian liberal arts university in Canada. Joan also has over 25 years of business experience as an HR professional and corporate leadership/management consultant. Her company, Advantis Consulting Group, is involved in management, human resources, and board development training and consultation for leaders. Prior to Advantis, she served in senior management roles with the Vancouver Canucks Hockey and Entertainment, and several municipal governments in British Columbia. She served as a member of the Executive Council for the Anglican Network in Canada (ANIC), and with a passion for assisting church leaders and teaching children, she has worked with dedicated teams in the development of the ANIC Strategic Ministry Planning manual and their Kingdom Story Sunday School curriculum.
Dr. Bill Atwood
Dr. Atwood was a part of the Provincial Assembly Executive Committee for the past few years. Over the years, he served the ACNA in many roles, from his local parish, as a Sunday school teacher, youth group leader, vestry member, lector, and senior warden; to his diocese, as president of the Standing Committee; and to the province, as a delegate to Provincial Assembly and a GAFCON representative.
Dr. Atwood has a Doctorate in Administration and has been a schoolteacher since 1980. He is married to his dear wife of 29 years, Carol, and resides in the Diocese of San Joaquin, serving at Christ Church Anglican in Oakhurst, CA.