Community Corner
St. Martin’s-in-the-Field Episcopal School and Church Celebrates the New Ministry of the Rev. Dr. Frank Sawyer
St. Martin’s-in-the-Field Episcopal Church was filled on Tuesday evening, December 11, as parish members, school families, and friends from the communities of Severna Park and the Diocese of Maryland gathered for the Celebration of New Ministry, which installed the Rev. Dr. Frank Sawyer as the Headmaster of St. Martin’s-in-the-Field Episcopal School.
The Rt. Rev. Eugene Taylor Sutton, Bishop of the Diocese of Maryland, was the celebrant. He spoke of welcome and hospitality in the Christian tradition. “This event tonight is not only for our school and the Severna Park area but also for the Maryland diocese and beyond. Welcome!”
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Dr. Sawyer prayed for God’s guidance and assistance as he carries out his ministry of education and leadership of the Age 3 through Grade 8 Episcopal School serving families in central Anne Arundel County. “This Celebration of New Ministry expressed the warmth and welcome that both I and my family have felt since our arrival in Severna Park,” said Dr. Sawyer.
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He received gifts from the various groups within the school and church, including an icon of St. Martin of Tours, the patron saint of the school and parish on Benfield Road. Two pre-Kindergartners, Andrew Kokoski and Vivian Major, charmed the congregation with their presentation of lighted candles, symbolizing enlightenment, education, and nurturing.
It is the tradition of the Episcopal churches to welcome a new head of school, or those entering into new positions, with a Celebration of New Ministry. Dr. Sawyer assumed the headship of St. Martin’s in July 2012 after a nationwide search for a new head. St. Martin’s-in-the-Field Episcopal School, founded in 1957, has grown from a neighborhood preschool to a highly regarded independent school where students from nursery through middle school become learners, leaders, and friends in a nurturing and stimulating environment.
Dr. Sawyer came from Episcopal Day School in Augusta, Georgia, where he was chaplain and chair of Religious Studies. He received his Doctor of Ministry from Church Divinity School of the Pacific, Berkeley, California, and his Bachelor of Arts in Philosophy from University of Toronto. He lives in Severna Park with his wife, Ginnelle Elliott, and their two daughters, Maggie and Pippa.
