New Rector at St. Mary's

The Rev. Kendall Haynes

St. Mary’s Episcopal Church has been a presence in the Lakewood community for over 60 years. It was founded by early residents as an “Episcopal Sunday School” shortly after World War II. St. Mary’s was established as a mission church at its present location at the corner of Gravelly Lake Drive and Lake Street in 1949. St Mary’s is now the church home for 240 families in the South Sound area. In 1998 St. Mary’s opened a Christian School. Currently eighty seven children are enrolled from pre-school through fifth grade.

For the past 22 years, the Rev. Kent McCulloch served St. Mary’s as its rector. Fr. McCulloch retired in September 2007. Since that time, an active search for a new rector has been under way. St. Mary’s Vestry, the church’s governing body, recently announced the call of a new rector, the Rev. Kendall Haynes. Fr. Haynes will begin his duties October 1, 2008.

Fr. Haynes is a native Northwesterner, a graduate of Bothell High School and of Willamette University in Salem, Oregon. He received his theological training at General Theological Seminary in New York City, from which he graduated with a Master of Divinity degree in 2005. He was ordained as a Deacon in the Episcopal Church in June, 2005 and as a Priest in December, 2005. He is married. He and his wife, Mindy have two pre-school age sons.

            Fr. Haynes comes to Lakewood from the Church of The Holy Comforter in Kenilworth, Illinois, a suburb of Chicago. He began his priesthood there as a Curate and most recently has been Associate Rector. As rector of St. Mary’s he becomes the youngest rector, or priest in charge of a parish, in the Episcopal Diocese of Olympia (Western Washington).