Clergy
The Rev. John Deason (he/him)
Pastor/Rector
Pastor John has been with Holy Apostles and St. Stephen since the start of the partnership, joining the pastoral staff as an intern in the summer of 2019. Pastor John spent his formative years in Detroit, MI, where his love for mechanical things and the church were formed, not to mention a healthy appreciation and suspicion of all things “Midwestern.” In his early career, he worked in sales, marketing, and management in the automotive (he is from Detroit) service industry in Michigan and Ontario, Canada. During that time, he earned a bachelor of arts in business management focused on marketing and met his spouse Erin with whom he still can’t believe he gets to raise their two children, Molly and Mabel.
Thanks to his parents, he was raised in a non-denominational church with a Catholic heritage. Upon walking into an episcopal church in suburban Detroit, he again felt a tug and passion that he hadn’t felt since he was young. That tug brought him and Erin to Baltimore to be part of a team planting a new kind of church in SE Baltimore, a joint project of the Episcopal Diocese of Maryland and the Delaware Maryland Synod of the ELCA. He served as a staff member at Church on the Square and Director of development for the Episcopal Diocese for 3.5 years. During that time, a clear call to pastoral ministry emerged.
He entered formation for ministry as a Lutheran candidate in 2017. He attended seminary at United Lutheran Seminary, earning his Master of Divinity, a youth and family ministry certificate, and a certificate in ecology and theology from the Washington Theological Consortium, graduating in the spring of 2020. Following graduation, the people of HASS and Pastor John entered a time of discernment together, culminating in his being called as the first pastor of the newly formed Church of the Holy Apostles and St. Stephen and his pandemic ordination in our parking lot with both our bishops present!
Pastor John is always looking for lunch or coffee companions or a conversation about what God is up to in the world around us, particularly if we aren’t really sure. When he isn’t cheering on Molly or Mabel in their newest endeavor, you’ll find him working on any number of unfinished projects at home, with neighbors in Highlandtown, or at his family Cabin in the West Virginia Mountains.
The Rev. Diane Fadely
Deacon
The Church of the Holy Apostles & St. StephenStaff
Ms. Nancy Showacre
Director of Music
Nancy Showacre serves as Director of Music, a position she has held for many years. Her talent and gift for finding the right music for each moment while leading the choir and engaging the congregation are unmatched! She began piano lessons at age eight under the instruction of Dorothy Webster, the organist at St. John Lutheran Church in Linthicum. At age twelve, Nancy began organ lessons with Mrs. Webster, whose training was focused primarily on church service playing. That, in time, led to Nancy’s first full-time organist position at Lakeland Presbyterian Church which she held throughout high school and college.
After receiving a degree in Music Education from the University of Maryland, with the organ as her primary instrument, Nancy was offered an organist/choir director position at St. Stephen in 1976. In a short time, she came to see this not as a job but as her church home. Nancy and her late husband Bob married in 1979 and watched their daughters Hope and Becky grow up. She is forever grateful for the opportunity to serve the Lord in musical worship at the Church of the Holy Apostles and St. Stephen.
Ms. Angela Adams
Office Administrator
Angie is officially the Office Administrator, although we think she is more of a superhero whose powers of organization, memory, and kindness she uses only for good. She had worked for the churches that became HASS for over 20 years, long before anyone had a dream of what we could do together. When we partnered, we all already knew Angie was an invaluable part of what we would become, but as we approach the 25th anniversary of her arrival in our midst, we are even more thankful than we could express for her.
Her responsibilities include office management, communicating with parishioners, managing volunteers, assisting with the church’s financial management, organizing events, and keeping the church calendar up to date while assisting any of our many community groups, 12-step programs, and non-profit partners navigate using our building. Not to mention the other duties she picks up along the way, like dreaming about all the wonderful things we can do together in the world and reminding pastor John when he is late to pick up his kids.
Angie has been married to her husband Garry for over 20 years, and they have two children together, their daughter Karlie and their son Ben. When we force her to take time off, she loves to travel and visit new places, even better if there is a beach! She also loves her chats with folks on the phone and visits from the many people who stop by during the week.
Council
- Ms. Katie Swan – ’24, Council VP
- Ms. Jennifer Bertsch – ’24, Council Secretary
- Ms. Tracy Pearsall – ’24, Council Member
- Ms. Janice Severn – ’25, Council Member
- Mr. Harold Shaffer – ’25, Council Member
- Mr. Jeff Tsai – ’25, Council Member, Property Committee lead
- Mr. Paul Sloyer – Treasurer
You can contact the church council by emailing [email protected]
