On Saturday, March 19, the Central Deanery Council elected a new dean and officers. Welcome Fr. Isaac Petty (Dean), Terry Cobb (Vice Chair), and Cassie E. Brown (Secretary). Following their appointment, they sent out a letter of introduction to the deanery’s churches, we’ve included a copy of the text below.

Dean 

It is an honor to serve as your dean! I look forward to working with each church on our deanery. I serve a shared call as Vicar of St Luke’s Church in Excelsior Springs and as an Assisting Priest at Church of the Redeemer in Kansas City. After being raised in an evangelical church in Kentucky, I found myself led to the Episcopal Church while living in Nashville. After living in Central Europe for a year to work in refugee resettlement, I came to Kansas City, where I was confirmed at St Mary’s Church in Kansas City. I was ordained to the diaconate in November 2020 and to the priesthood in May 2021. I live in Kansas City with my two dogs, Milo and Teddy.   

Vice Chair 

Terry Cobb (she/her) 

I’ve been a member of St. Philip’s Episcopal Church in Trenton for the past twenty-plus years and currently serve as vestry secretary. At St. Philip’s, we all wear and share many hats such as Altar Guild, Worship Leader, Lay Eucharistic Minister, and the biggest hat of all: other duties as required. My husband Lynn and I live on a farm 27 miles northeast of Trenton where we enjoy gardening and wildlife-until the wildlife enjoys our gardening! I retired from the radiology department at St. Luke’s Hospital (Plaza) in 2000 and my husband retired from GE Medical Systems in 2010. 

Secretary 

Cassie E. Brown (she/her) 

I am a member of Calvary Episcopal Church in Sedalia, where my current engagement includes co-facilitating the RenewalWorks workshop series in the congregation. Prior to coming to Calvary, I worshiped at The Church of the Good Shepherd in Lexington, Kentucky, where I lived for eleven years. My ministry outside the church includes LGBTQ+ advocacy and volunteering with organizations for people with disabilities and the arts. Additionally, I am a clinical social worker, a newly returned central Missouri native, and also a writer — essays, fiction, and poetry. 

The Deanery Connection 

We, the 17 churches in the center of our diocese, have been connected to share in mission by spreading the Gospel of Jesus Christ, not only in deed but in word, in the communities where we find ourselves. We have been connected to share in the Governance of the diocese by staying apprised of happenings within our Deanery and the actions of other bodies, especially as we prepare for Diocesan Convention. In all that we do, we are connected for Collaboration in our ministries, to share in the task of evangelism and public witness, to reach out to our neighbors in any kind of need, to form Christians of all ages in our tradition, to partner in laborious projects around our churches, to join together for meals and celebrations, to offer care and support to one another, to learn from and with our colleagues, to pray for one another, and to worship together. Our deanery has the beauty, grit, and resourcefulness to engage and impact our world for Christ, and we are called to do so in connection with one another. Let’s continue to develop our connections and find new ways to partner in ministry! Join our new Facebook group and connect with your deanery leaders via email at central@diowestmo.org or by calling Fr. Isaac at (816) 905-4520.