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St. George's Clergy & Staff

Contact Information

Rector: The Rev. Dorothy Sanders Wells
Cell: 901.484.5649 | Msg: 901.754.7282 | dorothy@stgeorgesgermantown.org

Parish Administrator: Eileen Fields
Phone: 901.754.7282 x101 | eileen@stgeorgesgermantown.org


Director of Music Ministry: Stephen Karr, Phone: 901.754.7282 x102 music@stgeorgesgermantown.org

Senior Warden: Perry Pennington | perry.pennington@memphistr.org


Junior Warden: Molly Prewitt | mollymoore816@hotmail.com


St. George’s Episcopal Preschool Director: Sarah Bettendorf
Phone: 901.757.2675 | sarah@stgeorgesgermantown.org


St. George’s Episcopal Preschool Assistant Director: Kelly Flaherty
Phone: 901.757.2675 | Kelly@stgeorgesgermantown.org


Children’s/Family/Youth Ministry Director: Karrie LaCroix | karrie@stgeorgesgermantown.org


Webmaster: Joe Austin | josephgaustin16@gmail.com


General Office
office@stgeorgesgermantown.org

Communications, TIP of the Lance
communications@stgeorgesgermantown.org
TIP Editor: kit.decker@earthlink.net

Senior Warden: Perry Pennington perry.pennington@memphistr.org

Junior Warden: Molly Prewitt mollymoore816@hotmail.com

Vestry Clerk: John Planchon johnplanchon@att.net

Treasurer: Jim Vogel jmvogel@comcast.net

Staff Biographies

The Rev. Dr. Dorothy Sanders Wells, Rector at Saint George’s Episcopal Church

A native of Mobile, Alabama, The Rev. Dorothy Sanders Wells came to Memphis when she began her undergraduate studies at Rhodes College, and she has made Memphis her home since that time. She received her Bachelor of Arts degree in Vocal Performance from Rhodes, her Juris Doctor degree from the Cecil C. Humphreys School of Law at the University of Memphis, her Master of Divinity degree from Memphis Theological Seminary, and her Doctor of Ministry degree from Candler School of Theology at Emory University.

A practicing attorney in Memphis for nearly 18 years before her ordination as a priest, Dorothy began her legal career with the former Waring Cox firm, and spent most of her legal career with FedEx Corporation, where she was responsible for the design and compliance of employee benefits plans maintained by the FedEx companies. After her ordination, Dorothy previously served as a Curate at the Church of the Holy Apostles. She is a published author, and her essays can be found in a number of publications and on her blog.

Dorothy loves the Memphis area and enjoys being involved in community organizations. She is past Chair of the Board of Directors of Metropolitan Inter-faith Association (MIFA), a member of the Board of Directors of Church Health, a member of the Board of Directors of Community Alliance for the Homeless, and a member of the Board of Directors for Room in the Inn-Memphis. She previously served on the Board of Trustees of St. Mary’s Episcopal School, the Alumni Executive Board of Rhodes College, and the Boards of Directors of the Margaret Hyde Council of Rhodes College and of Memphis Area Legal Services, Inc.

Dorothy also has served the Episcopal Diocese of West Tennessee as its Secretary, and has served on the Standing Committee. She has served as a member of and Secretary to The Bishop and Council, and as Chaplain to the Episcopal Church Women. She was recognized by Rhodes College as a Distinguished Alumna in 2011, and received an Algernon Sydney Sullivan service award at Rhodes’ commencement in 2015.

She and her husband, Herb, are the parents of two adult daughters, Alexis and Meredith. She enjoys reading, cooking and travel.

You can email Dorothy at Dorothy@stgeorgesgermantown.org.

Eileen Fields

Eileen came to St. George’s in 2004, and knows the ins and outs of the life of the parish better than most anyone else. As Administrator for Operations and Finance, Eileen’s time is almost totally taken up with the finances of the parish, records management, and building maintenance and operations (she is staff to the Buildings and Grounds Committee, as well as numerous other of our infrastructure committees). In light of recent changes, she is also taking back responsibility for maintaining our calendar (no small order).

Contact Eileen: efields@stgeorgesgermantown.org

Born in Greenville, South Carolina, STEPHEN KARR is a compelling interpreter of opera and orchestralworks, and is in demand as a conductor and keyboardist. He is in his second season as opera music
director at the University of Memphis, where he led the inaugural production in the new Scheidt
Family Performing Arts Center in Spring 2023, Puccini’s La bohème. He also debuted with Opera
Memphis and the Memphis Symphony Orchestra with Zach Redler’s The Falling and the Rising in his first
season in Memphis.

Before moving to Memphis, he was Associate Conductor and Artistic Administrator at Long Beach
Opera from 2018-2021, where he was scheduled to conduct Robert X. Rodriguez’s Frida and Peter
Maxwell Davies’s The Lighthouse, both productions which were cancelled by the COVID-19 pandemic.
Conducting Frida, he made his debut with Anchorage Opera in Alaska in February 2020. In 2011, he
co-founded Pacific Opera Project, for which he was music director until 2016. With POP, he led
productions of Trouble in Tahiti, Così fan tutte, The Turn of the Screw, La Calisto (LA premiere), 
Ariadne auf Naxos and The Rake’s Progress (LA professional premiere), among others. The Las Angeles
Times praised his performance of the Stravinsky as having kept orchestra, cast and chorus on
“well-articulated rhythmic track.” He has worked as the music director for the OPERA Iowa tour, and
been on music staff with the Glimmerglass Festival, Opera New Jersey and Palm Beach Opera.

As a parish musician, Stephen has served parishes around the Episcopal Diocese of Los Angeles,
including positions as Organist/Choirmaster at St. Clement’s-by-the-Sea in San Clemente and St. Mark’s
church in Glendale (interim), as well as organist and associate conductor positions at St. Wilfrid of
York in Huntington Beach, St. Thomas the Apostle in Hollywood, and the parish of St. Athanasius at
St. Paul Commons in Echo Park. Over the 2022-23 academic season, he was a regular guest organist
at Trinity Episcopal Cathedral in Little Rock, where he played for Christmas, Holy Week and Easter.
As a concert organist, he has performed solo recitals at venues in Atlanta (Cathedral of St. Philip),
Los Angeles (First Congregational Church), Philadelphia (Episcopal Cathedral), Princeton (Princeton
University Chapel) and San Diego (All Souls’ Episcopal Church Point Loma).

Karr has taught at Chapman University, Michigan State University, USC and UCLA. His schooling
includes degrees in organ (Mercer University and Westminster Choir College) and orchestral conducting
(UCLA). He lives in Midtown Memphis with his wife, Hannah Waldman, and their children Leonard and
Eleanor.

Sarah BettendorfParishoner Sarah Bettendorf joined the St. George’s staff as Director of St. George’s Episcopal Preschool for the 2009 – 2010 school year. Sarah has been President of the Board, and later Head of School of the Early Childhood Learning Centre, a prestigious International school in Seoul, Korea. Sarah and her family are active members of the parish.

Contact Sarah: sarah@stgeorgesgermantown.org

Karrie LaCroix was born Illinois and attended Marquette University in Milwaukee, WI, earning her Bachelor’s of Science Degree in Nursing with a minor in family studies. She and her husband, Jason, moved to Germantown in 2004, and are the proud parents of twins, May and Tucker with us here on Earth and Emma who gained her wings into heaven at the age of nine. Their household also includes 3 dogs who have found them along the way, and an adorable bunny. In her free time, Karrie enjoys cooking, exercising and doing anything outdoors. As a former registered nurse with 18 years of clinical experience, she has spent a great deal of time working with patients and their families. She has enjoyed working with children as a Girl Scout Leader, through volunteering at local schools and through teaching Sunday School/Children’s Chapel/VBS at Church of the Holy Apostles. Additionally, her experience as a special needs mother has given her a unique perspective of life and faith that she looks forward to sharing with all of us here at St. George’s.

You can email Karrie at: karrie@stgeorgesgermantown.org

Volunteer Staff

Bookshoppe Manager: Connie Douglass and Pat Gallagher
Cantor: Andrew Proctor
Communications: Kit Decker
Exultemus Director: Tom Fields
Sanctifica Director: Billie Moore
Weddings: Sarah Bettendorf

St. George's Vestry

The Vestry acts on behalf of the church in matters pertaining to the church’s finances and property. Persons who believe that they are called to this particular ministry of the church stand for election, and if elected, serve a three-year term during which regular attendance at meetings and faithful participation in the life of the parish are expected.

The Rector and Vestry of St. George’s Church have adopted the following covenant and Vestry norms with respect to the exercise of the Vestry’s ministry in the church:

Vestry Covenant:

Covenant between the Rector and Vestry of St. George’s Episcopal Church, February 2024:

We covenant that we will

  1. be exemplary by our actions in gathering, discovering and serving, through regular attendance at worship, fellowship and formation;
  2. be committed to serving God and one another with forgiving and loving hearts, and showing it;
  3. share the story of God’s love with others through our actions and words;
  4. respect the dignity of every human being; and
  5. welcome everyone by accepting and embracing differences.

We agree that we will conduct our meetings by:

  1. being punctual;
  2. being 100% responsible for how we choose to respond to situations;
  3. being committed to team decisions, supporting them and observing confidentiality;
  4. resolving conflicts directly;
  5. listening for understanding and avoiding interrupting or side-bar conversations;
  6. adhering to the meeting process; and
  7. participating and giving others the opportunity to participate.

2024 Vestry Officers and Vestry Members

Vestry Officers for 2024 are: Perry Pennington – Senior Warden, Molly Prewitt – Junior Warden, Jim Vogel-Treasurer, John Planchon – Vestry Clerk

Elected to the Vestry at the Annual Parish Meeting 2024 were: Lou D’Eri, Leslie Darr, Courtney Felts, Jimmy Luke and Amery Moore

Other Vestry members are: Wayne Carpenter, Dan Lange, Carolyn Mason, Angela Saunders, Helen Morrow, Elise Patterson, and Steven Jenkins

St. George's Contact Information

St. George's Episcopal Church Exterior

Office Hours: Monday – Friday (9:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.)

Telephone: 901.754.7282
Email:
office@stgeorgesgermantown.org

We are located in the heart of Germantown at 2425 S. Germantown Road.
See the map below for driving directions or feel free to call us.  Also, please send us your questions or comments using the Contact Form.

Location & Directions

Questions and Comments