We are delighted to announce that Father Erik Broeren has accepted the call to be the next rector of St. Paul's Episcopal Church in St. Joseph and St. Augustine of Canterbury in Benton Harbor.

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Father Erik comes to us from the Diocese of East Tennessee, where he has been serving for seven years as Priest in Charge at St. Mark’s Episcopal Church in Copperhill. During his tenure at St. Mark’s, Father Erik also served for two years as the Vicar of Southside Abbey, a worship community that brings together housed and unhoused neighbors in downtown Chattanooga.

 

Father Erik was born and raised in The Netherlands. He lived in Central Europe for a number of years, and in 1997 he started a digital marketing agency with his husband, Mark, who is from the United States. In 2005 they moved to the United States in order to be nearer to Mark’s family. While Mark continued to operate their business, Erik pursued his calling to the ministry.

 

Father Erik completed his Master of Divinity at Vanderbilt University in 2010 and his Diploma of Anglican Studies at the University of the South, Sewanee, in 2017. Following seminary, but prior to his ordination, he served for six years as the Associate for Pastoral Care at Grace Church in Chattanooga. In this role as a licensed lay minister, he provided pastoral care, preached regularly, and was responsible for youth ministry and adult Christian Formation.

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We look forward to welcoming Erik and Mark to our community on July 21, 2024. Father Erik’s first Sunday at St. Paul’s will be August 4th; his first Sunday at St. A’s will be August 11th. Please join us in warmly welcoming Erik, Mark, and their three dogs to our beautiful corner of Southwest Michigan.