the rev canon mark e. evans

The Rev Canon Mark E. Evans

from the Diocese of Springfield

Lay Nomination

Danny Shuler

St. Thomas, Salem, IL Diocese of Springfield

How long, and in what capacity, have you known the nominee?

I have known Father Evans for the past three or four years. First as a priest at Trinity Episcopal Church, Lincoln, IL, then as Canon to the Ordinary, Diocese of Springfield; member of the Diocesan Council; member of the Finance Committee; 2021 General Council Deputy and finally as a Supply Priest for our church, St. Thomas Episcopal, Salem, IL.

What gifts do you feel the nominee has for the ministry and office of a Bishop?

Mark Evans has been blessed with all the qualities necessary for the role of a Bishop. He listens and cares about the plights of the people on the street. He is not afraid to make the hard decisions that are beneficial to the individual and to the whole. Mark is well studied and versed in the scriptures and the history of the church. And maybe most importantly, he is gifted in the art of healing the wounds of verbal and spiritual battle.

Why do you believe this person would be a capable leader of the Diocese of Springfield?

Father Evans has every attribute necessary to hold and excel in the office of Bishop. He is a natural leader, able to feel the needs of his flock and to guide them in the direction of God's calling. His early adulthood was spent in the private sector, a time in which he learned the importance of making and staying within a budget. Then, the good Father heard and felt the call to a higher level. He left a lucrative job and accepted God's call. Every step of his ministry has been a huge success and he just keeps stepping up to meet every challenge. "Every one to whom much is given of him will much be required". The job of Bishop of the Diocese of Springfield is going to require a special kind of person, Mark Evans is that kind.

Parker Asplin

Trinity, Lincoln - Diocese of Springfield

How long, and in what capacity, have you known the nominee?

I have known Fr. Mark for 3 years, most of which was as my priest and then as my Canon.


Pastoral Care - You may not guess it given his more obvious gifts of logistical sense, but Fr. Mark is remarkably pastoral, and would take quickly to the pastoral element of a Bishop’s work.

Logistics - Fr. Mark is very good at details, financials, and reading meeting dynamics. I believe this is also a high value for a bishop, especially when combined with the pastoral element.

Humility & Conviction - Fr. Mark has been given a very plain, straightforward, self-effacing manner, yet without loosing a sense of action and sureness. It is this combination that I believe is imperative for a bishop to have, humility to avoid vainglory and to hear those in your charge, and conviction to make hard decisions concerning them.


I believe Fr. Mark would be a capable leader of the Diocese of Springfield, because he has already shown himself to be a capable leader within it for so many years. I believe without hesitation that he has the experience, the heart, and the humility necessary to lead this diocese through this chapter of our diocesan story.

Clergy Nomination

Jonathan Totty Rector of Grace Episcopal, Galveston, The Diocese of Texas

How long, and in what capacity, have you known the nominee? I have known Cn. Evans for four years. I first knew Cn. Evans when he was my parish priest at Trinity Lincoln, IL. Since then, he has been my mentor and colleague.


Cn. Evans is gifted for the ministry and office of Bishop, because he possesses: 1) a pastoral heart; 2) a commitment to Christian orthodoxy as understood by the Scriptures and Councils of the Church; 3) strong administrative ability; and 4) the ability lead others in the mission of Christ. Cn. Evans provided pastoral care to Trinity, Lincoln's established congregation even while welcoming a growing crowd of young new members to Trinity. Cn. Evans is committed to Christian Orthodoxy, and would resolutely fulfill the Bishop's vocation of custodian of the faith. Cn. Evans has administrative skills from his previous career in finance, and is able to lead people according to a clear vision and mission.


The Diocese of Springfield would benefit from Cn. Evans' leadership, because of the aforementioned ministerial gifts he possesses. Furthermore, as Canon to the Ordinary, Fr. Mark has an intimate knowledge of the Diocese of Springfield's strengths and challenges.

David Baumann Priest-in-Charge, St. John's, Centralia

How long, and in what capacity, have you known the nominee? As a clergy colleague in the Diocese of Springfield for over seven years.


Competence as a pastor and as an administrator, with an admirable combination of the gifts of wisdom, dedication to the faith, pastoral sensitivity, leadership, and competent understanding of the Bible and solid theology.


Because of the admirable record of the exercise of the gifts listed above, along with a proven record of competence in the exercise of his ministry along with the evident respect he has earned from a great number of clergy and lay people in the diocese.

From the OTM Profile

Describe a moment in your recent ministry that you recognize as one of success and fulfillment.

In my work at St. Paul's, Plymouth I saw increased positive thinking and a sense of fulfillment against feelings of despair as the members there learned to cope with the departure of their final full-time priest and come to grips with their reduced financial resources. At Trinity, Lincoln a small, disheartened congregation grew is numbers and vibrancy. My tenure as Canon coincides with a difficult time in the Diocese. I have endeavored to serve to the best of my abilities to enhance the ministry of the people and churches of the Diocese.

Describe your liturgical style and practice

I have been trained in the Anglo-Catholic tradition and am comfortable there. I believe this training has prepared me to serve the needs of most parishes, even those who are more comfortable with a more contemporary expression of worship. It is my practice to have as much lay involvement in the worship service as the rubrics allow.

How do you practice incorporating others in ministry?

I believe that laity are vital in the life of the Church, both for corporate health and for their own growth in discipleship. I make it a practice to help place people in positions where their gifts are recognized and rewarded and where their discipleship to Jesus Christ can be enhanced. I think it is more healthy for me to act as a coach and teacher rather than as an authoritarian leader and to 'give away' as much of the ministry as I can.

How do you care for your spiritual, emotional and physical well-being?

I believe that a rhythm of activities is the best way for me to remain healthy. I try to set aside time each day for worship and prayer, study, professional duties and relaxation. I also find that ‘switching gears’ between these activities and not trying to overdo each one past my abilities to maintain concentration and not multitasking too much is beneficial to my well-being. My wife and I are both avid recreational readers and we enjoy traveling, concerts and plays. I have found that each of these activities gives me an opportunity to step away from the everyday bustle of life and can provide insights that are helpful in my vocation as a priest.

Describe your involvement in either the wider Church or geographical community.

As a layperson and as a priest, I have been active in diocesan activities. From 2014-2017 I was a faculty member for CREDO specializing in teaching financial health to clergy. I have been elected as a Deputy to General Convention three times. In Lincoln, I was active in the Lincoln Ministerial Assoc. Prior to seminary, I was a board member and Treasurer for The Portage County Interfaith

Caregivers, an ecumenical group that coordinated gifts of time and talent from members of local churches to the community at large. I have also participated in and led domestic and international mission trips to New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina and to Peru, one of our Companion Dioceses.

How do you engage in pastoral care for others?

Pastoral care is by definition personal. It involves meeting people where they are at that point in their lives and showing them that God cares for them and loves them where ever they may be. Personal one-on-one interaction is necessary for good pastoral care and I am comfortable doing that myself and/or training others to provide it.

Tell about a ministry project that exists because of your leadership. What was your role in its creation? Who can be contacted?

Trinity had not had a Sunday School program for some time. I discerned that even though there was not a current need, it would be healthy and welcoming to have one in place in the event new families came to us. i started by involving the Vestry which help to refine the idea. I approached an experienced educator about heading the project and she agreed. As she was then a relatively new Episcopalian, we worked together to find curricula that were worthy and could be done with the resources at hand. When we asked for volunteers to teach, we had 6 that completed the Child Safety training, roughly 12% of our ASA at the time. Kaysha Simpson

How are you preparing yourself for the Church of the future?

In a postmodern and pluralistic society, we cannot assume that the Christian faith is predominant anymore. Therefore, I have often geared my preaching and teaching toward the basics of Christianity to help my congregation be effective evangelists and apologists for their faith. I refrain from focusing on the internal divisions in the Church as this is unhelpful in conversion and discussion - but rather focus on the power of the Spirit that can accrue to those who choose to be a disciple of Christ. The positive aspects of grace and redemption are much more important messages than the internal strife of the Church and I try to make this a priority.

What is your personal practice of stewardship and how do you utilize it to influence your ministry in your worshipping community?

My wife and i give at least 10% of our pre-tax income to organizations who help build the Kingdom of God. The local parish receives the greater portion but Nashotah House Seminary, missionaries of our acquaintance and other religious organizations are recipients too. At Trinity, we made Outreach a line-item in the budget. Each year, the Vestry worked diligently to identify two or three local ministries to receive significant contributions. Leaders of these ministries were invited to our annual Trinity Sunday celebration, presented with the checks and offered a time to tell us more about their work

What is your experience of conflict involving the church? And what is your experience in addressing it?

My time at Trinity was blessedly free of major conflict. When disagreements arose I tried to focus the conversation on objective things (what we were trying to accomplish and why) and not on personalities. Sometimes I was better at this than other times. In all cases I tried to maintain some sort of relationship, even if it was as mundane as talking about the weather so the temptations of polarization and separation could not take root. Even when the differences seem irreconcilable we need to find ways to stay in connection. Grace and forgiveness are hallmarks of our faith. We must keep them uppermost in our minds in our interactions with our brothers and sisters in Christ..

What is your experience leading/addressing change in the church? When has it gone well? When has it gone poorly? And what did you learn? As I reflect on my ministry I have noticed that how change is introduced makes a big difference. For instance, when I imposed or mandated change based on my authority, it happened but there was little excitement about it. When I learned to offer change as a servant would and focusing on the advantages that change would bring, the response was much more enthusiastic. Leading change is a pastoral work, I need to have a relationship with those who I am asking to make adjustments for it work best. I have also learned that enthusiasm is not always an indicator of leadership ability. I backed a committed member of my Education for Ministry group to be my successor as Mentor. Unfortunately, 6 months into her leadership, the group was unraveling. I had to return so the original members could complete their fourth year of study. When change is thrust upon us, again having relationships helps. When the COVID shutdowns occurred, I was able to rely on members who had greater technological experience so services could be streamed and on others who found ways to maintain connections with members who were isolated.

Two Recent Sermons

Palm Sunday B

Mark 11:1-11a

Isaiah 52:13-53:12; Psalm 22:1-11; Phil 2:5-11; Mark 14:32-15:47

If Palm Sunday feels a little schizophrenic to you, if it feels as if you are being pulled in incompatible directions between euphoria and despair, if it seems very unsettling and incongruous, then congratulations are in order, you are paying attention.

We entered the church waving our palms and singing Hosannas propelled by the stirring words of the first gospel reading. Jesus sent two disciples on ahead to procure the colt that would carry him into Jerusalem. It has a feel of preordination to it – Jesus knew the colt would be where he said it

was and the bystanders who saw the disciples taking it questioned them but did not stop them. It seemed as if there were a supernatural plan to all of this and it’s unfolding as scripted. There is a plan, but it’s not the one the well-wishers who cheer Jesus on expect.

After a few days, Mark continues the story, the part we read just now. Where are the well-wishers now? Not only have the people stopped singing hosannas, they have gone completely the other way and are now clamoring for Jesus’ death. The throng who shouted ‘Blessed is the coming kingdom of our ancestor David’ did not get what they wanted so they turned on Jesus. They did not get the mighty warrior or the regal king, they got a humble itinerant preacher who went and got himself arrested. Never mind that the charges are bogus, they didn’t get the person who would make their immediate lives better so take him away. They wanted someone who could conjure up food out of nothing like he did for the five thousand. They wanted someone who would restore the dignity of the nation of Israel. They wanted someone who would make their material lives better and when they didn’t get it, they turned their backs on him and even cheered on the powers that be as they did away with this trouble maker. If this all sounds like the broken promises that we are used to from politicians, it is. This story is as old as human nature, wish for someone to fix the problems of the day and when they don’t, feed them to the wolves. We 21st century citizens have not changed our stripes in 2000 years and those in the future will not either. So much for the plan that seemed so promising.

But there was a plan. Centuries before, Isaiah had a revelation. Listen to this from Isaiah chapter 53. 3 He was despised and rejected by others; a man of suffering and acquainted with infirmity; and as one from whom others hide their faces he was despised, and we held him of no account. 4 Surely he has borne our infirmities and carried our diseases; yet we accounted him stricken, struck down by God, and afflicted. 5 But he was wounded for our transgressions, crushed for our iniquities; upon him was the punishment that made us whole, and by his bruises we are healed. 6 All we like sheep have gone astray; we have all turned to our own way, and the LORD has laid on him the iniquity of us all. 7 He was oppressed, and he was afflicted, yet he did not open his mouth; like a lamb that is led to the slaughter, and like a sheep that before its shearers is silent, so he did not open his mouth. 8 By a perversion of justice he was taken away. Who could have imagined his future? For he was cut off from the land of the living, stricken for the transgression of my people. 9 They made his grave with the wicked and his tomb with the rich, although he had done no violence, and there was no deceit in his mouth.

What Isaiah prophesied and what Mark recorded are so similar it is breathtaking. I can almost feel the hair on the back of my neck standing up as I read that passage. The servant who was so unassuming that he escaped notice for the person he really was. Yes, Jesus had his followers but for the most part, he was ignored by Israel. The detailed account of his torture and its results is so close to reality it is startling. His meekness before Pilate even as they both knew a great injustice was being carried out. Isaiah says he was oppressed and afflicted yet he did not open his mouth to save himself. Like a lamb that is led to slaughter he went meekly without protest. He was executed like a notorious criminal, they made his grave with the wicked and his tomb with the rich. It all played out just as Isaiah had recorded it. What that means is that it was all part of the larger plan set down by the Father since before time to rescue humanity from sin and death.

Isaiah writes, the righteous one, my servant, shall make many righteous and he shall bear their iniquities. Because he poured out himself to death and was numbered with the transgressors, yet he bore the sins of many and made intercession for the transgressors . The Servant who was without sin bore the sins of all. St. Paul writes the same thing to the Philippians.

The reading from Isaiah that we heard this morning prophesies the culmination of God’s plan at the end of time but this week we focus on the nitty gritty of how God accomplishes his plan.

Jesus Christ took everything that was evil upon himself, the sins, the weaknesses, the contempt for his Father and all the rest and took it with him to die. He was blameless in all of that but we weren’t and he did it for us because we were unable to do it for ourselves. Christmas was only the beginning, Easter was the goal.

We begin the most holy week of the year today because Jesus Christ, the humble, obedient Servant, saved us from ourselves. Left to our own devices, we are the crowd that turned its back of God because He didn’t fix our problems in the manner we wanted them fixed. Instead we made other gods of wealth, success, status, sex, or any number of others things that fed us in the here and now. But the Father kept the covenants he had made and remained steadfast even as we went our own ways. In the end, he saved us from that which we could not save ourselves even as we would agree we did not deserve it.

Jesus was lifted on the tree on that barren hillside so many years ago and we would have seen him as a condemned criminal. God in his foreknowledge saw him as being lifted up to exalted status, and in that hour of humiliation God made it into a victory.

Today, the service does not end with the usual uplifting, triumphant closing hymn. I will give the blessing and dismissal and then I will kneel before the altar. I ask that we sit quietly in silence and reflect on the great gift that our merciful Father has given us, salvation from ourselves. It will not be a time to make lunch plans or greet your friends; please refrain from talking until you are safely far enough away that we cannot hear you. After sitting here briefly, please depart in silence; not in a rush but slipping away quietly as the disciples did as they deserted Jesus while he hung on the cross. It’s easy to say Hail to the King when things are going as we wish. How often have each of us swallowed those words when life is difficult? How often have we given our fealty to a different king than the Lord Jesus Christ? Let us give thanks to our God who remained steadfast even as we did not. Let us reflect on the gracious gift that He caused in his Son Jesus Christ as we begin this most Holy Week. Amen

Pentecost B

Acts 2:1-21; Psalm 104:25-35, 37; Romans 8:22-27; John 15:26-27, 16:4b-15

I sometimes wonder if the Holy Spirit feels a little like Rodney Dangerfield – he just doesn’t get any respect. Well, maybe respect is the wrong word, more like recognition. Of the three Persons of the Trinity, he is the one who doesn’t get the limelight like Jesus or the Father. In fact, we often don’t even think of his as a Person - instead of a ‘who’ we think of a ‘what’ and treat him more like a

force. I guess that happens when you are usually mentioned as some kind of wind or breath. The hazards of being called the Spirit.

But today the Holy Spirit gets his due; he is front and center; the main topic of the day. Today is often referred to as the Church’s birthday – today is the day when the Holy Spirit is unleashed on the world and I do not use that term flippantly. The Holy Spirit is power, the might of God. He has always been there but his presence has been masked and hidden until now. His presence is subtle in the Old Testament, he is mentioned or alluded to here and there, from time to time. But just as the Old Testament only alludes to Jesus Christ even though he was always present, likewise the Spirit has always been there even if his presence has not been noted. The Spirit is present at the beginning of everything. The first verses of Genesis say God breathed the Spirit over the void to create the heavens and the earth. In the second story of creation, God formed man from the dust of the earth and breathed life into him. The Spirit is active and always has been.

So, if the Day of Pentecost does not usher in a new entity, the Holy Spirit, it does usher in a new manifestation of that Spirit just as the Incarnation was a new manifestation of the eternal Son of God.

The Jewish holiday of Pentecost is fifty days after the celebration of the Passover which is the celebration of the Exodus from Israel. It is predominantly about tithing the first fruits of the crops to God. But, as it is a major feast that included sacrifices in the Temple, Jews and other believers were in Jerusalem from all over Palestine. All of them knew the story of the Passover and the Exodus. They also knew that fifty days after the Israelites left Egypt they were camped at the base of Mount Sinai. It was there that Moses went up the mountain to meet with Yahweh and returned with the Ten Commandments, the Law, written on tablets of stone.

Only a few people there that day knew that just ten days before Jesus had ascended back to heaven to be with the Father. Before he left, Jesus had promised to send them the Spirit of truth. There is a poetic similarity here. Moses went up the mountain, Jesus went ‘up’ to heaven. Moses returned with the Law written on tablets of stone, Jesus sent the Holy Spirit to write the law on the hearts of his people.

There is an echo from another Old Testament story. God confused the languages of those who were building the Tower of Babel to prevent them from constructing a society without God. At Pentecost, God reunited the languages of the various peoples to construct a society with Christ at its center.

Laws written on stone, imposed from the outside, are changed to laws written on hearts that are indwelling within us. Confused and divided nations are united in the kingdom of God. God desires spiritual revival, that is, a new recognition of and relationship with himself. This is the power of the Spirit.

The Spirit is God’s creative power from heaven to earth. We acknowledge that in the Collect for Purity and in most of the blessings that power and strength are given to us by the Spirit. Belief and faith allows us to call upon the Spirit. The Spirit is now on all people who believe – not just one or two as in the Old Testament.

I think it is helpful to think of this new manifestation of the Spirit in a corporate sense; to think of how it affects us as a community of believers, which is the Church, and not just individually. Individual belief is a prerequisite, but it is not the end. To see how the Spirit works in our lives it is helpful to use the imagery of St. Paul. His analogy of how the Spirit worked in a community of believers was to compare that community to a human body.

We as individual can think of ourselves as various parts of the body, such as a hand, a foot, an eye or the stomach. Individually we do not amount to much at all but working in concert with the other parts we become something much greater than we can be by ourselves. An eye without a hand is of little use; a foot without a stomach to give it sustenance cannot survive. In the same manner, our individual gifts are worthless unless we use them in community with others of different but equally important gifts.

In his letter to the Ephesians, St. Paul writes Glory to God whose power, working in us, can do infinitely more than we can ask or imagine: Glory to him from generation to generation in the Church and in Christ Jesus forever and ever. That is the power of the Holy Spirit at work. When we align ourselves with God’s will, the power of the Spirit is unleashed and it is every bit as powerful as it was that first Pentecost. When we align ourselves with God’s will, life becomes like always walking downhill with the wind at our back; everything is easier because we are living into the power of the Spirit.

Pentecost signifies the giving of the Spirit to the community of believers rather than to just a chosen few as in the Old Testament. It signifies that each of us is not only worthy in our own right but also necessary to the Church as a whole. The use of our gifts to build ourselves up is selfish and limiting but to use them in service to others is freeing and leads to that joy that Jesus has promised to all who abide in Him.

Today, let us claim the breath of the Spirit that writes God’s laws deep in our hearts. Let us claim the breath of the Spirit that unites us into one people of the kingdom of God. Hear what the Spirit is saying to his people. Amen

Curriculum Vitae

Vocational Service Canon to the Ordinary – Diocese of Springfield, January 2020 - present Rector – Trinity Episcopal Church, Lincoln IL, December 2011 – September 2020 CREDO Faculty – Finance, 2014-2017 Director of Church Relations - Nashotah House Theological Seminary, January 2010 – June 2011 Regular supply priest - St. Paul’s Episcopal Church, Plymouth, WI Oct ‘09- Jan ‘10, Aug-Nov ‘10 Ordained to the priesthood on June 27, 2009

Education

M.Div, Nashotah House Theological Seminary, Nashotah WI, 2009 MBA (Masters in Business Administration), Drake University, Des Moines, IA, 1984 BA in Business Management, Luther College, Decorah, IA, 1981 Diocesan Service: Diocese of Springfield, Illinois Department of Finance: 2012 – present (Chair 2012-2018) Standing Committee: 2017- 2020 Diocesan Trustee: 2012-present Diocesan Council: 2012-present Deputy to General Convention: 2015, 2018 & 2022 Cursillo Team Spiritual Director Companion Diocese of Peru: Three visits to date Diocesan Service: Diocese of Fond du Lac, Wisconsin

Diocesan Investment Committee Chair Assistant Diocesan Treasurer Executive Council Diocesan Trustee Diocesan Coordinator – Education for Ministry (EFM) Lead alternate in the Lay order for General Convention 2006

Secular Employment

Sr. Equity Portfolio Manager, Sentry Insurance, Stevens Point WI, 1986-2006

Director - Equities & Special Situations, Farm Bureau Insurance, W. Des Moines, IA, 1981-1986

Professional Designation: Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA), Institute of Chartered Financial Analysts, 1990

Personal Information

I am married to Sandy Moore and we are the parents of three grown daughters. We both enjoy travel and reading in our spare time. Sandy is self-employed as a site assessor for the American Industrial Hygiene Association. As such, she is responsible for accrediting laboratories in the US and other countries as compliant with association standards.

Video Submission for question: After reviewing and reflecting on the information provided, why do you feel called to be a nominee for the 12th Bishop of

Springfield?

https://youtu.be/VN2NC82GBng

https://youtu.be/VN2NC82GBng

the rev canon mark e. evans

Documents