new rector announced
In January of 2021, our Sr Warden Elizabeth Roberts announced at our annual church meeting that plans were being made to begin the search for our next rector. Thank you to the Rector Search Discernment Committee for generously giving their considerable gifts and time to this search process. All Souls owes the Committee a deep debt of gratitude. They have approached each step of this process with prayer and with open ears to hear the voice of God and his leading.
Finally, we have reached the end of our search, and we are very happy and grateful to announce that the Vestry has unanimously affirmed the recommendation of the Rector Search Discernment Committee of the Revd Dr. James M. Arcadi as the next rector of All Souls.
The Committee’s careful process has brought us closer together as a community and has shaped our vision of the future. The parish profile we now have is a gift, highlighting our history and all the ways God has blessed us on our journey, as well as giving us a vision and a hope for our future.
Through this process, we as a parish have been changed. We have had a unique opportunity to take a look in the mirror. We saw a few things about ourselves that we may not have liked, what we might call “opportunities for growth.” Rather than brushing aside what made us uncomfortable, we listened, prayed and asked God to lead us forward. We also found a few hidden treasures, and we’ve been glad to celebrate the gifts God has given All Souls that equip us to worship and serve in the ways he has uniquely called us. It’s been a time of tremendous learning and growth, without which we would not be ready to begin a relationship with a new rector.
Thank you, fellow parishioners, for your prayers, patience, contributions to this process, and words of encouragement along the way. This has been the work of all of us.
get to know Fr. James
Originally from Southern California, but having spent a decade in Massachusetts, Fr James and his family have lived in the Wheaton area for nearly four years. He did his undergraduate studies at Biola University, an MDiv and ThM at Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary, and a PhD in Theology and Religious Studies from the University of Bristol.
Fr James was ordained a deacon in 2009 and a priest in 2010 both in the Anglican Diocese in New England. He has served at Christ the Redeemer Anglican Church in Danvers, MA, Grace Anglican Church in Fitchburg, MA, St. Luke’s Anglican Church in the Crescenta Valley, CA, and Christ our Savior Anglican Church in Torrance, CA. Most recently he as served in assisting and interim capacities at All Souls.
On the academic side of his vocation, Fr James has researched and taught at Gordon College, Fuller Theological Seminary, the Hertzl Institute, and most recently as Associate Professor of Biblical and Systematic Theology at Trinity Evangelical Divinity School. He is also the author or editor of four books on various topics in theology with two more in publication.
James and his wife Alli have been married for 18 years. Alli is a North Dakota native and works as an accountant for Cedarstone Partners Inc. They have three kids (all born on the North Shore of Boston), Dominic who will soon be a freshman at Wheaton North, and Clare and Simeon who both attend the Clapham School. They are also the proud owners of an eccentric escape-artist of a Beagle named Bean.
Please join the Souls, the Search Committee, and the Vestry in welcoming Fr James and his family, Alli, Dominic, Clare, and Simeon.
Fr James, thank you for saying yes to this call! We look forward to your leadership and the growth All Souls will experience in the coming years.