Meet the Vestry
Spike Lobdell
Senior Warden
Spike Lobdell has been a member of Calvary since 1999. His great-great grandfather was an Episcopal priest in Buffalo New York. His family also established the Episcopal Church in Rumson, New Jersey back in the late 1800s. This past year Spike led the Our Church 2030 initiative where the goal is for Calvary to become a catalyst of spiritual growth for our parishioners and the community. Working with all parishioners and members of the community to realize this objective will be an important element of his role as Senior Warden. Spike served on the Vestry (2016-2018), Chair of the Nominating Committee (2019-2023) as well as the Finance and Investment Committees over time. Spike founded the New England Science & Sailing Foundation (NESS – Stonington) in 2002 and now serves as the Chairman of the Board. NESS teaches STEM to approximately 9,000 students across the country using water-based platforms like sailing to foster academic success and social emotional development. Over 50% of the students receive some form of financial aid to participate. NESS is the only school partner program accredited by the New England Association of Schools & Colleges (NEASC). In 2023 Westminster School in Simsbury, Connecticut named Spike the recipient of the Alan F. Brooks Distinguished Alumni Award. In 2021 he was named the Ocean State Chamber of Commerce (Connecticut/Rhode Island) Citizen of the Year. In 2020 Spike received the Martin J. Luray Award from US Sailing. This is the highest recognition for achievement in community sailing. He received the National Recreation Foundation’s Robert W. Crawford Achievement Prize in 2019, an award that recognizes the individual who has done the most to advance the lives of inner-city youth through recreation. Formerly CEO of XL Capital’s non-insurance operations, Spike worked at JP Morgan for 27 years in various senior management capacities. He currently serves on the Board of Directors for the National Sailing Hall of Fame and Sailing Museum in Newport, Rhode Island where he chairs the Education Committee. Spike was a founding member of the Stonington Harbor Yacht Club, where he is a Past Commodore. He is a former trustee of Westminster School, where he was Vice Chairman of the Board for nine years. Spike and his wife Betsy Bowman live on Masons Island and enjoy cruising New England waters, especially Maine.
Jim Taylor
Junior Warden
I have been an active member of Calvary Church for 20 years. Since that time, I have held two previous Vestry assignments under different rectors, participated in the committee that led us to Gillian, and was previously the President of the Calvary Music School. More recently I have been an active member of the Our Church 2030 Initiative Task Force. Additionally, I’m the co-chair of the Stewardship Committee, and volunteer to usher at the 10 AM service. I grew up in Florida but didn’t find structured religion until later in life when my wife, Lori, and I began looking for a church in which to raise our two daughters. We found St. Andrews Episcopal Church in Yardley, Pennsylvania. We joined Calvary Church when we moved to Stonington in 2004. Calvary drew us in with its welcoming culture, active outreach, and its engaging music program. In my free time, I can be found golfing, boating, and traveling. I’m excited about the opportunities at Calvary and I look forward to navigating through the new challenges that we face. I believe in living out our baptismal covenant and commit to doing everything I can to bring joy and energy to our Calvary community
John Ong
Treasurer
I am an active musician and my first experience at Calvary was at a concert about 12 years ago given by The Ten, my NYCbased a cappella group. I was instantly attracted to this little church by the sea, and it was a pleasure to connect more deeply when, after a long international career as a banker, I moved to Stonington from Norwalk in 2018 when becoming Head of Finance and Operations at Pine Point School. In addition to singing in the choir, I have served Calvary on the Finance and Endowment committees for two years and have completed my first year as Treasurer. I have two grown children living in Ohio and Senegal, and with a life revolving around numbers and music, I also serve as the numbers guy on the boards of the University Glee Club of New York City, The Anglican Singers, and Salt Marsh Opera.
Ben Baldwin
Clerk
Ben has been a member of Calvary Church and the Calvary Church Choir since 1998, when he moved to Stonington. He grew up in Toronto and New York City and graduated from Vassar College. He currently works as a commercial real-estate appraiser, appraising farm and forest land in eastern Connecticut. He is a member of the Town of Stonington's Conservation Commission and is a volunteer with the Stonington Land Trust. He is a past member of the Stonington Borough Fire Police and the Chorus of Westerly. He served a previous term on the Calvary Vestry in the mid-2000s, has served on music committees, and as a Eucharistic Visitor. Ben and his partner, Kristin Lichtenberg, who sings in the United Church of Stonington choir, live in Stonington with their daughters Elizabeth and Katherine. His son, Will attends law school in Virginia.
Terri Brennan
Terri lives in Stonington with her four-legged “children” Winston the English Foxhound, Winnie the English Sheepdog and their sidekick G.G. the cat, as well as the very chatty trio of budgies, Skye, Sailor and Wellie. After splitting her time working in NYC and following her passion for riding horses in the Hudson Valley area, then living in Africa, the pull of living near the water brought her back to her island ‘roots’ of growing up in Puget Sound and thus she discovered Stonington! Based on her love for Africa, Calvary’s Uganda Mission Team was a huge draw, as was the wonderful music that is so much a part of the magic of Calvary. Since joining Calvary Terri has become a member of the Uganda Mission Team, Prayer & Care (including as a Eucharistic Visitor), the Flower Guild, and the 2030 Committee. She also serves as an acolyte and for a time organized the coffee hour. Living in Stonington has allowed her to be back on the water enjoying both sailing and a revived passion for rowing as part of the Mystic River Rowing Club. Terri is also a member of the Stonington Garden Club and is currently co-chair of the Club’s Conservation Committee. Terri enjoys skiing, the arts, even occasionally dusting off her cello to play, as well as exploring the history of the area.
Betsy Carr
A lifelong Episcopalian, Betsy and her family moved to Stonington over 50 years ago, she has been attending Calvary ever since. She became the Vestry clerk for eight years before going to work full time. Now that she has retired from fund raising at Yale University, Brown and Connecticut College, she has become involved with several local organizations. She is a past member of the Boards of Trustees of the Stonington Historical Society and the James Merrill House. She presently sits on the Borough Commission of Planning and Zoning. Most importantly Betsy and Jennifer Parsons took on the task of becoming Co-Senior Wardens at the time of The Reverend Alfred Tisdale’s departure. They worked together for three years during a challenging time in the life of Calvary Church. Betsy’s family includes two sons, Revell and Geordie. Revell is a Professor at the University of Kentucky, his wife Ansel is a poet and teaches at Berea College, and they have a son named Jericho (7). Geordie has retired from the wine business in Sonoma, California and is teaching school and his wife, Mieko, has a landscaping business. They have a daughter, Malena (15) and a son Nico (12). Betsy also has a twin sister, Carol Souter, who has moved permanently to Stonington from England and also attends Calvary.
Chris Chenard
Chris has been a parishioner of Calvary Church since 2023 and is grateful to God and the Calvary community for the spiritual home that Calvary has become. He currently serves as an usher, lector, member of the Stewardship Committee, and on the Altar Guild. Chris works at Electric Boat as a Program Manager and lives in Stonington with his wife, Ashley, and their dog, Kiki.
Dean Davis
Dean Davis, originally from New York City, came to Stonington Borough in 2004 after meeting Calvary parishioner Joanna Frank. He first attended Calvary in 2012. He is an alumnus of Duke University and earned an MBA from New York University. Much of his career was dedicated to software development at Microsoft. Now retired, he serves as a trustee of Salt Marsh Opera and is currently chairman of its investment committee. Dean has enjoyed participating in the Calvary book club and serves on the board of Calvary Music School. His other interests include sailing and classical music. He maintains a second home in Portsmouth, New Hampshire. He just finished two years on Vestry filling an unexpired term.
Paul Leeming
Paul Leeming lives in Stonington with his wife Julia (an architect), their two children Emilia (12) and David (10), and their two dogs Rosie (6) and Pancake (2). Paul first joined the Calvary congregation in 1983 when his family relocated to Stonington. He served as an acolyte and on the bell choir as a young parishioner and, upon moving back to Stonington after many years living and working in New York, served on the Calvary Vestry and as a member of the 2030 Committee. Professionally, Paul is a Financial Advisor and Partner with UBS Long River Wealth Management (based in Hartford and Stonington). Previously he served for 15 years as a senior member of the UBS Chief Investment Office in New York. Paul is an avid tennis and paddle tennis player and an amateur pianist. He is currently treasurer and a member of the Board of Directors of the Stonington Historical Society, past president of the Board of Governors of the Wadawanuck Club, and past president of the Board of Directors of La Grua Center.
Jean Marquand
A “cradle” Episcopalian, Jean was baptized in Schenectady, NY by the late Reverend Canon Darwin Kirby, whose influence has continued throughout her life She was confirmed at Emanuel Episcopal Church in Wakefield, Massachusetts. For 20 years she served as a Sunday School teacher beginning at All Saints Episcopal in South Burlington, Vermont, subsequently at St. Mary’s Episcopal, Barnstable, Massachusetts and finally at The Church of the Advent, Boston where she also was a member of The Advent’s Corporation. For 29 years she has been an Associate of The Society of Saint Margaret, an Episcopal religious order principally located in Duxbury, Massachusetts. She holds degrees and credentials from Simmons College, The University of Vermont and Radcliffe College. During her many years living in Boston, she was a board member of various philanthropic organizations and was employed by Meredith & Grew, Incorporated, a commercial and industrial real estate firm. Jean is a past president and member of The College Club of Boston and retains memberships in the Junior League of Boston, the Boston Junior League Garden Club, the P.E.O. Sisterhood, and the Harvard Club of Boston. Following the unexpected death of her husband, Elon (Lonny) Marquand, her equestrian interests led her to move from their home in Pownal, Maine to Stonington, Connecticut. Jean boards Well Done, her Dutch Warmblood dressage horse, at Dragonfly Equestrian Center, drives a black Toyota Tundra and lives at StoneRidge with Mimi, her dachshund and Selkie, her Siamese cat.
Phoebe Payne
Stonington Borough has held a special place in my heart since the 1970’s, when my husband, Joseph, son, Chris, and I traveled from Boston frequently to spend time with our dear friends, Marianna Wilcox and John Streeter. My husband, a renowned organist and harpsichordist, also spent time at the Zuckermann Harpsichord Factory. Although Marianna at that time was the OrganistChoirmaster at Calvary, we were never able to attend services because we had extensive musical commitments in Boston, particularly at the Anglo-Catholic Parish of All Saints, Ashmont, and later at Emmanuel Episcopal Church on Newbury Street, where I founded and directed the Children’s Choir. It flourished for nine years until there was no money to fund it, following a devastating fire. My own professional experiences have been varied but often connected through music. Always, I’ve taught music, both instrumental and in the classroom – from the public schools in Boston and Maine to the New England Conservatory Preparatory Division and the Hartt School of Music Extension Division in Middletown, Connecticut. Along the way, I went to law school and have practiced law since 1980, specializing in legal issues in the field of the arts. In Maine, after my husband passed away, I became a Court mediator, dealing with foreclosure and family matters (still possible via Zoom, which was necessary during Covid). Finally, two years ago, wanting to live closer to my son and his family in NYC, I was able to move to Stonington! I enjoy the opportunity to be a member of Calvary Church, sing in the choir, and be on the Board of the Music School and teach piano. Now, I look forward to being able to serve on the Vestry!
John Phelps
John Phelps grew up in Massachusetts, the son of an Episcopal priest, and am a lifelong Episcopalian. I received my B.S. in Mechanical Engineering from Worcester Polytechnic Institute in 1987 and my M.S. from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in 1993. I moved to the CT area in 1987 to start a job working for Electric Boat as an acoustic engineer and have now spent over 36 years in this profession. My work responsibilities center around design techniques and analysis needed to ensure our submarines remain undetected. I joined Calvary Church in 2007 when looking for a parish to raise our son in. My first exposure to serving Calvary Church was being part of the search committee that brought Alfred Tisdale to our parish. Since that time, I have served on the Vestry for four years while Alfred was Rector. During that time, I was active on both the Finance Committee as well as the Stewardship Committee. I later accepted the position of Junior Warden during the transition from Alfred to Gillian. I held that position for years. During that time, I took part in the renovation of Calvary House, efforts to address lead paint issues, repairs resulting from a dangerous windstorm, installing a new sound system, and helping the church develop live streaming capabilities proven necessary in light of the 2020 pandemic. My greatest joy at Calvary comes from the wonderful people I have met along the way, some I have gotten to know quite well while serving side by side in various functions. My greatest hope for Calvary at this time is that we can restore the parish to a strong, fiscally responsible church while rebuilding the relationships with our parishioners that make Calvary so special.