The Episcopal Church of Wichita Falls calls Amy Haynie – UPDATED

The congregations of All Saints’, Good Shepherd, and St. Stephen’s Episcopal churches have come together as The Episcopal Church of Wichita Falls and are worshiping under one roof at 5023 Lindale Drive. They have been worshiping together since July 6 and have been employing supply priests while they went through a search process.

That process has culminated in the call of the Rev. Amy Haynie as priest-in-charge. Her first Sunday will be October 5, 2014.

The Rt. Rev. Rayford B. High, Jr., said, “I am so proud of these congregations coming together to further the mission of the diocese and The Episcopal Church of Wichita Falls. It has been a prayerful and thorough process, and I urge the diocese to hold them and their new priest in joyful prayer as they move forward together.”

Laurie Cruse, senior warden of All Saints’, said, “We are so excited to start the next chapter of our church life as the Episcopal Church of Wichita Falls with our new priest-in-charge, Mother Amy Haynie. She brings with her the enthusiasm and expertise that we need to build our church.”

Ann Coleman, senior warden of Good Shepherd Episcopal Church, said, “I am relieved, elated, and optimistic about the future. This whole process has reaffirmed my faith in the Holy Spirit. She does good work.”

Marie Libby, senior warden of St. Stephen’s, said, “Our supply priests have helped us maintain our focus and mission through a difficult time. But now we are beside ourselves with happiness and excitement as we look forward to welcoming Mother Haynie into our family. She is a native North Texan and a graduate of Midwestern State University. She is very enthusiastic and inspiring; on her interview Sunday, after her morning service, a parishioner came to me and asked when she was going to move into the office and start!  So with joy in our being and hope in our hearts we welcome Mother Amy back to Wichita Falls and The Episcopal Church of Wichita Falls family!

Haynie graduated from Archer City High School and Midwestern State University in Wichita Falls before moving to Highland Village where she still resides with her husband, David. They have two sons, Sam and Ben. Sam is a sophomore at Texas State University in San Marcos. Ben is a sophomore at Flower Mound Marcus High School.

Haynie’s first career was in nursing, and she worked for more than a decade in that vocation before hearing and responding to a call to the priesthood. She attended SMU’s Perkins School of Theology, earning a Masters of Divinity and an Anglican Certificate. After graduation, she served for five years at St. Martin-in-the-Fields Episcopal Church, Keller. Haynie also worked as the InReach coordinator for the diocese of Fort Worth and, with a team of dedicated Episcopalians, assembled plans for the reunification of the diocese following the resolution of the current litigation. She was a deputy to the 2012 General Convention and will be an alternate deputy for 2015. Haynie is the diocesan youth coordinator and chair of the planning group for the 2014 diocesan convention. With Annette Mayer, she co-facilitates the Community of Hope Lay Pastoral Training program that has just begun in the Fort Worth diocese.

UPDATE: This post was updated to correct two errors: Haynie’s first Sunday is in 2014, not 2015, and the churches are known as “The Episcopal Church of Wichita Falls” not “The Episcopal Church in Wichita Falls.”