The East Tennessee Episcopal community is excited to announce that The Rev. Maribeth Manoff has accepted Church of the Nativity’s call to be their Priest-in-Charge. Mother Maribeth will begin her work at Nativity on November 1, 2023. We give thanks for Fr. Robert Thompson’s good work in continuing the work and ministry of Nativity in the interim.
Below are two letters that comprised Nativity’s announcement:
October 1, 2023
Beloved Parish Family,
The Search Team and the Vestry have good news! After continuing and thriving under the interim, part-time ministry of Father Robert Thompson, we have called Mother Maribeth Manoff as our new Priest in Charge.
While we prepare to say farewell to Father Robert, the Vestry and Search Team, after much prayer, commend to you the person we believe God is sending to us as our new priest. Like Father Robert, she will be part-time. Mother Maribeth comes to us with wisdom, life experiences, and a gift for facilitating ministries. She is excited to join us. We look forward to growing and prospering with her in ministry at The Church of the Nativity.
We want to acknowledge and give thanks for all the gifts and graces Father Robert has shared with us. His tender care and strong leadership have blessed us and allowed us to continue to move forward as a church. We have grown in membership, ministry, and deepened the roots of our faith.
Mother Maribeth Manoff’s start date is November 1, 2023. Please be in prayer for her and our congregation, as well as the Transition Team.
As a congregation, let us say a good goodbye to Father Robert and welcome with open arms our new priest, Mother Maribeth. May God bless us as we move forward together.
Your Vestry and Search Team
Tue, Sep 26, 2023
Dear Friends in Christ at Church of the Nativity, Fort Oglethorpe,
I am so very excited, and beyond grateful, to say “Yes!” to your call to me to be your next Priest-in-Charge. I want to thank you for so many things! Thank you for the wonderful parish profile you put together, and for your updated web site. I was able to discover so much about you and your ministries, and I felt the Holy Spirit calling. Thank you to your vestry, search committee, and staff for their welcome and hospitality, their openness and thoughtfulness on the day of my interview. The Holy Spirit was palpably among and in us.
Thank you for your faithful ministry as the body of Christ in Fort Oglethorpe. Your care for each other and your surrounding community is abundantly evident. Thank you most of all for your call to me to join with you in ministry. My heart is full with looking forward to worshiping, learning, and serving with you.
God’s peace,
Mother Maribeth