The Rev. Winnie Varghese Is Called as Rector of St. Luke’s Episcopal Church, Atlanta

I’m writing to share with you the exciting news that the Rev. Winnie Varghese has been called as the next Rector of St. Luke’s Episcopal Church in Atlanta. This is indeed a great thing; a Spirit-filled match of Winnie’s significant gifts with this thriving, diverse, historic church in the heart of the city. Winnie will be with us through the end of May before heading to Atlanta to begin her work there in August.

I know that we will all miss Winnie’s inspiring and energizing preaching, her leadership on social justice issues, and her love for our congregation. But I also believe that this is a wonderful opportunity for Winnie and that the St. Luke’s Vestry and congregation — who, in their own words, were seeking an “outstanding preacher and inspiring teacher” and someone with a passion for social justice “who inspires the congregation and clergy to ‘live like Jesus’”— have chosen well.

Winnie joined Trinity in 2015 as Priest and Director of Community Outreach and later served as the Chief Justice & Reconciliation Officer and Strategic Clergy, Global Initiatives. Most recently, Winnie was the Priest for Ministries and Program Coordination, where she has worked to improve communication and coordination of programming across Trinity. Before joining Trinity, Winnie served as the Rector of St. Mark’s in the Bowery.

Throughout her time as a priest, Winnie has been a leading voice on issues including mass incarceration; systemic racism; gender, sexuality, and LGBTQ issues; and immigration, among others. Winnie also helped launch the Trinity Union Fellows Program, which brings students from China and India to Union Theological Seminary for a year of academic training and work to prepare them as global faith leaders to educate their communities and churches.

You can read St. Luke’s announcement of their new Rector here. I’m sure you will all join me in congratulating Winnie, thanking her for her service to Trinity, and wishing her all the best in this exciting new chapter for her and Elizabeth in Atlanta.