Welcome to The Rev. Chana Tetzlaff, Associate for Children, Youth, and Families!
The Rector, Wardens, and Vestry of St. Chrysostom’s Episcopal Church & Day School are excited to announce that The Rev. Chana Tetzlaff has accepted the position of Associate for Children, Youth, and Family Ministries! She’ll begin her work with us on September 1, 2024, and is looking forward to bringing her enthusiasm, passion for community building, and wealth of professional experience to the St. Chrysostom’s family, with a special focus on young people and families throughout our school and parish. You can read her fascinating bio here. Please join us in offering Rev. Chana a warm welcome as she begins her ministry here at St. Chrysostom’s!
A note from The Rev. Chana Tetzlaff
Dear people of St. Chrysostom’s,
I am so excited to be joining you as your new Associate for Children, Youth and Family and Day School Chaplain! Teaching and building faithful, vibrant communities are two of my great passions, and I am excited to match that with your enthusiasm for the young people in your midst. In supporting their growth, sustenance and nurture in relationship with Jesus – and as we build the connection with the Day School, serving young families of the neighborhood and surrounding areas – it is my hope that the vibrant energy of the upcoming generations will intertwine with the sage wisdom and resilience of life-long faith shaped by our great Episcopal tradition. And I hope that together we will grow something new and wondrous among us, with all the hallmarks of what already makes St. Chrysostom’s a haven of beauty and commitment to Christ’s abundant love.
My ministry background is varied and diverse, having served people from all walks of life and background. I have served as the Rector of a small, family parish of 35 people faithfully gathered across several generations on a Sunday in a small Appalachian Kentucky town. I have walked the beach with retirees in North Carolina who dreamed of growing their young church plant beyond their current bounds, with founding members still present and active. Most recently, I served as the Associate for Formation at a large suburban parish in Indiana, whose influx of families wounded by religious trauma was transformed by the experience of God’s gracious, nonjudgmental love made known in the love of caring, hospitable community. My love of travel came in handy when learning to “speak the culture” in each of these places and, though there have been ups and downs, in each place I have learned much about God’s goodness and grace from the rich tapestry of voices brought together in praise and wonder. From the tiniest voices of children demanding their “Jesus cracker” to the oldest saint reminding me that what is most important is feeding God’s sheep – not counting them! – I have a deeply rooted conviction that when two or three are gathered with God at their center, God will do infinitely more through us than we can ask or imagine! I can’t wait to see what is in store for us all as we walk together. My thanks to Rev. Ian and the search committee for faithfully discerning God’s call with me. You have an amazing staff, and I am so glad to become a part of this phenomenal team of ministers.
I am praying for all of you – and hope you will also pray for me – as my family prepares to join you. My spouse, TJ, and I greatly look forward to moving into the neighborhood at the end of the summer. Though you won’t see him on Sundays (he’s also a priest and will be serving in Winnetka), I’m sure y’all will cross paths at some point as we explore all that the Gold Coast, Old Town and Lincoln Park offer.
With joy and gratitude,
Chana+
(Pronounced Shawna, she/her)
From the Rector
Friends in Christ,
Your Vestry and I met in the middle of May for our annual retreat—a time to get to know one another and to set priorities for our work as Rector and governing body. While we identified several priorities for the 2024-25 program year, none carried the same weight as ensuring robust Christian formation for children from birth through the end of high school, as well as providing pastoral support for their families.
There have been seasons at St. Chrysostom’s where that work has been done deeply and well, and there have been other seasons where we have not tended to this essential work as well as we might have liked. Teaching the faith is part and parcel of who we are as Christians; introducing our children to the traditions of the Church and the unique nature of Christian community must be a priority in all our decision making. To that end, I am delighted to report that your Vestry tasked me with finding an Associate for Children, Youth, and Family who would also serve as Day School Chaplain – a seasoned priest whose call was to the formation of children and young adults and who was looking to put down some roots in our community.
I was able to vet several candidates, and after interviews with parents from the Day School and Church School, staff, clergy, Vestry members, and our Wardens, The Rev. Chana Tetzlaff quickly became our preferred candidate for this work. We were impressed by her ability to conceive, build, and lead complex children and youth programming—keeping in mind that the Christians of the future are often relating to the world in different ways than the Christians of the past, and that the rhythms of family life in 2024 have altered significantly.
Her bio and letter speak for themselves; Rev. Chana is deeply qualified for this work and is excited to join us September 1st, just in time for Kick Off Sunday September 8th. Look for more children and family news—including news about a Fall Confirmation class—in the coming weeks as we look to weave Chana into our community.
If you would like to contribute toward our revitalized children’s ministry program and Rev. Chana’s work, you may donate on our website here, selecting Children’s Ministries from the drop-down menu, or writing it in the memo of your check. Travis and I donated this morning.
To God be the Glory,
The Rev. Dr. Ian Burch, Rector
From the Senior Warden
Dear Friends,
When I began my term as Senior Warden earlier this year, I challenged our Vestry to be a governing body focused as much on listening as governing. One of the important messages we heard was how crucial it is to this congregation to have a robust program focused on youth Christian formation. Another message we heard clearly was the need to strengthen the collaboration between the Church and its most important ministry, the Day School. These topics were the basis for much of the discussion and planning at our retreat in May and resulted in directing our new rector, as one of his first major tasks, to identify an associate who would design, build, and lead an exceptional youth formation program at St. Chrysostom’s.
Rev. Burch and I were delighted to learn the parishioners, parents, and vestry members who met with the Rev. Chana Tetzlaff felt as strongly about her as we did. Not only did her interview and resume convey her capabilities and qualifications for this role, but her enthusiasm and desire to build an outstanding youth formation program matched ours. I’m excited for what she’ll bring to our church and school, and look forward to seeing her engage families and young parishioners in ways we have not been able to in recent years.
I’m grateful to those who have shared constructive feedback with me and other members of the vestry. We’ll continue to seek guidance on where to focus our resources to grow the congregation, improve outreach, and deepen our relationship with the communities we serve. Bringing Rev. Tetzlaff on board is an early step in our mission to write the next chapter of St. Chrysostom’s Church and Day School. I’m buoyed by the progress we’ve already made in the last year.
Very truly yours,
Robert Valente, Senior Warden