It is a time of transition within our Diocese, and we have a new clergy transition to announce.
The Rev. Dr. Janet Waggoner has accepted a call as rector of St. John’s | San Juan, Olympia.
The Rev. Dr. Janet Waggoner is a native of Washington State – and of the church. Her early memories include singing in Sunday School and setting the table for guests who joined her family for dinner after church. When she was seven, some friends on the school bus asked, “What is your favorite word?” Bouncing on the back seat of the bus, she replied, “My favorite word is GO!”
Since then, Rev. Janet has ventured widely. She graduated from high school as co-valedictorian and was the first in her family to attend college. There, with her campus bible study group, she was invited to attend the Easter vigil at a local Episcopal church. Awed by the beauty of the liturgy and the open hearts of the people, she has been an Episcopalian ever since.
In her twenties, Rev. Janet worked for non-profit and for-profit organizations, ultimately serving as the development director for a food bank before answering the call of the Holy Spirit to “go into the world,” loving and serving communities as a priest. Rev. Janet attended Yale Divinity School, where she earned an MDiv magna cum laude, a certificate in Anglican Studies from Berkeley Divinity School at Yale, and a certificate from the Institute of Sacred Music, as well as prizes for scholastic excellence, liturgics, and pastoral leadership.
After serving as Associate Rector at St. Luke’s, Darien, and then at St. Matthew’s, Wilton, Rev. Janet was elected Rector of St. Paul’s on the Huntington Green in Shelton, CT. Under her leadership, the congregation grew and flourished, restoring the historic church, “beating the bounds” by walking and praying around the 32-mile perimeter of the town, and bringing local Episcopal congregations together to rebuild a church in Ecuador.
In 2012, when Rev. Janet and her family moved to Fort Worth so that her spouse could pursue his vocation as a theologian, she accepted the invitation of the local Lutheran bishop to serve as interim rector of Rejoice Lutheran Church in Coppell, Texas. Then, in 2013, the new provisional bishop of the Diocese of Fort Worth called Rev. Janet to serve as canon to the ordinary; she continued in this role through the tenure of two bishops. Since facilitating the diocese’s reunification with the Diocese of Texas in 2022, Rev. Janet has served the Diocese of Texas as Canon Missioner for Congregational Vitality.
Rev. Janet has offered her gifts to the wider Episcopal Church in many ways, including as a member and chair of the churchwide Task Force for Church Planting and Congregational Redevelopment. In Fort Worth, Rev. Janet provided leadership in the Fort Worth Interfaith Clergy and the Circle of Clergy for Racial Justice. She also served for seven years as a mentor to 4th graders in the Academy 4 program. In 2021, Rev. Janet earned her doctorate in pastoral theology, accompanied by a certificate in women’s studies. Her thesis examined the role and potential of intergenerational relationships in Episcopal congregations.
Rev. Janet’s adventuring is grounded in a life of prayer and compassion, nurtured by her nearly 30 years as an avowed Companion in the Society of the Companions of the Holy Cross. Closest to Rev. Janet’s heart are her two college-age children and the family wonder-dog, Comet. Rev. Janet enjoys traveling, hiking, quilting, reading, and cooking.
Delighted to be returning to parish ministry, Rev. Janet said, “I am overjoyed to be joining the faithful people of St. John’s | San Juan. Provisional Bishop Melissa Skelton, Canon Alissa Newton, the Convention of the Diocese of Olympia, and the leadership of St. John’s | San Juan have created a model partnership with the goal of lasting vitalization not only of St. John’s | San Juan, but also of the congregational redevelopment process. I am humbled and grateful to accept the invitation to minister with the people of St. John’s | San Juan and the Diocese in this Spirit-inspired endeavor.”
Please join us in welcoming The Rev. Waggoner to the Diocese, and keep all congregations experiencing transition in your prayers.
