Our Diocese

Clergy and Lay Licensing, Bishop’s Calendar, Ordination Officer, clergy Personal Reports, COM liaison, clergy Days, Renewal of Vows and conferences, Bishop’s Reports and Reports for CPG, Canonical changes of clergy.

As Interim Canon to Ordinary, Steven support the Bishop’s ministry and holds the role of Chief of Staff at Diocesan House. Steven is also Transition Minister working with our congregations and clergy to discern new mutual ministry. He is a Lutheran pastor of the New England Synod of the ELCA and previously served as Associate to Bishop James Hazelwood.

Processes new clergy background checks, Letters of Agreement, and New Clergy Information packets. Supports the Fresh Start group for new clergy. Supply Clergy listing. Sabbatical grants, Continuing Education grants; Clergy Children education grants; Ministry Development grants; Bement-Waterfield grants; 21st Century Congregations.

Managing Editor of ABUNDANT Times magazine & Mission Matters; social media; consult/assist congregations with communications issues; provide a website audit; consult/assist website builds; internal announcements & external press.

Diocesan Cycle of Prayer; day-to-day updates to website; format Mission Matters; layout and copy editor for ABUNDANT Times; manage databases

Melanie is the contact for submitting payroll hours. She is also the contact if you are hiring a new lay employee or for any termination or other changes to the payroll for lay employees.

Lydia provides support to all diocesan staff by performing administrative duties, including but not limited to answering the phones, greeting visitors, diocesan events, record keeping, recording of parish audits, event registrations & Safe Church.

Contact for clergy payroll and benefits questions; Consult/assist congregations/clergy with clergy compensation and clergy tax questions; HR related matters; Ensure compliance with changing tax laws and employer requirements such as Affordable Care Act reporting, etc.; Property Insurance Matters.

While we are re-staffing the Archives, please send any inquires related to congregational history to Susan Olbon.

Directs the day-to-day financial operations of the Diocese; develops and monitors a balanced Diocesan operating budget; responsible for assuring the accuracy of budget to actual financial reports; manages the performance of the annual audit activity and timely preparation of audited financial statements; ensures compliance with procedures, controls and accounting policies; identifies and implements financial process improvements; and oversees cash flow and Treasury functions. Committee requirements include staff liaison to the Budget and Financial Planning Committee and to the Audit Committee; serves on the Audit Committee of the Trustees for the Diocese of Western MA.

Responsible for managing the processing of accounts payable, accounts receivable, and cash receipts; reconciles payroll & benefits; prepares monthly statements to congregations and communicates with Bookkeepers / Treasurers as needed; reconciles credit card and PEX card charges; processes expense and mileage reimbursement requests; maintains subsidiary schedules and reconciles to GL accounts; produces annual 1099’s; key role in preparing for and executing the annual audit.

Communicate with parish treasurers and meet with vestries and finance committees to respond to questions regarding their invested funds; Process expenses from vendors and execute initiated deposit and withdrawal requests from shareholders; Interact on a regular basis with Mercer, our investment consultant, and serve as a liaison between Mercer and the finance committee; Oversee the activities of all the Trustees committees; Produce the quarterly valuation of the Fund and calculate and distribute the quarterly disbursement; Plan and organize the quarterly Trustees meetings.

Jennifer has been the Director of the Berkshire Servant Leadership Center since its beginning in 2007 and founding Vice President of BIO, Berkshires Interfaith Organizing, in 2014. She holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Social Work from Elmira College, and a Masters in Divinity from Berkley Divinity School at Yale University. She currently lives in Pittsfield Massachusetts with her husband, her two daughters and her son.

Mark served as bishop diocesan of the Church in Newark, NJ from 2007 – 2019. Prior to that he served as rector of All Saints, Worcester from 1993 – 2006. As Missioner for Spirituality and Leadership, Mark is working on a part-time basis with congregational leadership two Sundays each month and offering spiritual direction to clergy.

The Rev. José Reyes grew up in Springfield, Massachusetts and received a BA from Williams College with a major in Psychology and a concentration in Latina/o Studies in 2007. Following his undergraduate studies, he worked as an Elder Protective Services Case Manager and later as a Case Manager for the Mental Health Association during which he decided to pursue ordination to the priesthood. He went to Virginia Theological Seminary in Alexandria, Virginia receiving his M. Div. degree in 2015. He has served as the Head Pastor of San Marcos Episcopal Church in Alexandria, Virginia and Associate Rector of All Saints Episcopal Church in Worcester, MA. José loves the outdoors, is an avid runner and enjoys playing the guitar, piano, and drums.

Molly serves and the Diocesan Intake Officer for both concerns relating to suspected misconduct under our Safe Church Policy, and for any matter involving clergy misconduct. It is her responsibility in receiving reports of concern to listen respectfully, offer pastoral care and response, and ensure that appropriate processes for accountability are followed. Molly served as rector of Christ Church in Rochdale, priest-in-charge at St. Andrew’s, Turners Falls. Currently, Molly serves as associate rector at Saints James and Andrew, and lives in Greenfield. Before entering parochial ministry she spent over thirty years in independent school teaching and administration. Ordained in 1978 in the Diocese of New York, she holds both M.Div. and D.Min. degrees from the Episcopal Divinity School in Cambridge, Massachusetts.

Tanya trains and certifies diocesan staff, clergy and volunteers in the Safe Church program. She serves as rector of All Saints’, South Hadley and as Director of the Lawrence House Service Corps.

Archdeacons are appointed to assist the bishop with canonical requirements of formation, academic training, deployment, supervision and support of those ordained to and preparing for ordination to the diaconate. Contact Jane for matters about deacons including identifying who in your faith community might be called to be ordained to the diaconate.

Chris is Special Assistant to the Bishop for Special Projects and Director of the veterans ministry initiative, “Building Bridges.” Having spent twenty-five years in campus ministry, Chris is now dedicated to veterans ministry initiatives, outdoor Christian communities, and the innovation of new expressions of “church” in the Diocese of Western Massachusetts.

Chad Wright serves as the assistant director of Building Bridges and the site director for the luncheon in Greenfield. Chad is currently finishing up a bachelors in social work from Elms College. Chad is a veteran with a passion for community service.

Erik has served two interims with UCC congregations, one in Colorado and one on a coastal island in Maine. Before being called to Sheffield as priest-in-charge in 2017, he served as interim pastor for a Lutheran congregation and priest-in-charge for an Episcopal congregation in Augusta, Maine, bringing the two together to form one congregation. Called as rector of Christ Trinity Church, Sheffield in 2020, Erik was received into The Episcopal Church. He has shepherded Christ Trinity to full federation as an Episcopal – Lutheran community of faith and forged ecumenical collaboration with the Appalachian Trail Ministry.

The Diocesan Disaster Coordinator is our liaison with US Disaster Program, a branch of Episcopal Relief and Development. Episcopal Relief & Development’s US Disaster Program works in areas across the United States that have been affected by disasters. By offering resources and training to help communities prepare for disasters and providing emergency support, we help vulnerable groups of people to make a full and sustained recovery.