Members of St. John’s Circle of Care are lay pastoral caregivers licensed to serve in the Episcopal Church of Minnesota. They are spiritually formed and commissioned to practice the Benedictine Spirituality and Pastoral Theology set forth by Community of Hope International.
Over the next couple of months, we’ll be introducing you to everyone in the Circle of Care so you can get to know them better: who they are, and what this ministry means to them.
Be sure to watch the videos for lots of fun question-and-answer moments in addition to reading the profiles written by the members!
Keith Davis
Click here to watch the video on YouTube.
Hello and Abundant Blessings To You! My name is Keith Davis. Originally from Gary, IN, I came to the Twin Cities in 1979 to attend the University of MN and have lived here ever since. I’ve been a member of the St John the Evangelist for 27 years as of October of 2026. Debbie Brown, the interim assistant priest at the time, first welcomed into this faith community. Two Sundays later, I was introduced to member Jim Johnson, who warmly and graciously introduced me to a number of parishioners. Before long, I had a cadre of acquaintances, many have become friends.
I believe I was called to lay pastoral caregiving from my early church years. Serving as a youth usher, I learned the importance of being welcoming. I was taught being an available and compassionate presence to others, especially during difficult times, is something one does for a friend. As an adult, I am learning how to extend that type of friendship to strangers.
COHI training for me has been intellectually and spiritually challenging. It has been my seminary for theological and practical learning. As a result, I have become more disciplined and centered in my prayer life, more discerning in reading scripture, and more attentive to the needs of others. I am learning to listen more, as St Benedict said, with the “ear of the heart.”
The biggest challenge I face is removing doubts that keep me from living fully in this ministry. Growing into this particular calling is an ongoing exercise in spiritual maturation. However, I believe Christ is working with and through me. There’s an old country saying: “Don’t worry about the mule being blind, just load the wagon. We’ll get there.” I feel Christ is telling me not to worry about what I may or may not have. Just do the work and believe in Him. Together, we’ll get there.
What gives me joy in this ministry is knowing people feel comfortable sharing intimate spiritual conversations with me. Joy also comes from engaging more prayerfully into scripture and associated materials.
My hope in this ministry is that I am truly where God wants me to be. In his PRAYER OF UNKNOWING, also known as the LORD GOD PRAYER, Thomas Merton states “…the fact that I think I am following your will does not mean that I am actually doing so. But I believe that the desire to please you does in fact please you.” I echo his concern. I pray what I do is God’s will for me.
I was recently asked, if I could choose one place to visit, all costs paid, where would it be and why. And the winner is…IRELAND. Along with Africa and Native America, Ireland is part of my DNA. I would spend time in County Wexford researching my paternal and maternal grandfathers’ ancestral links. I’ve had a love of Ireland for as long as I can remember and would relish an opportunity to explore it.
Jill Thompson
Click here to watch the video on YouTube.
Your name? How long have you been at St. John’s? Who is the first person who welcomed you?
Jill Thompson. I’ve been at St. John’s since September 1981. I think i was first welcomed by the Griggs family. And also Ed and Monica Cook.
What called you to become a lay pastoral caregiver?
The Reverend Dr. Craig Lemming invited me into this ministry at St. John’s. And it was like “the knock”. The invitation came during the Covid pandemic, when I was engaged in wondering what God was calling me to be and to do. When I sat with the invitation, the Holy Spirit showed me the opportunity, quite vividly.
What was the COHI training like for you, and how did it prepare you?
The COHI training provided a schedule to engage with others, in something new and for me, clearly an answer to what I had been seeking – that is, an opportunity to walk with others in learning about listening, story telling and being there .
How does participating in the Circle of Care feed your faith?
COC at St. John’s is a wonderful way to keep showing up, and to keep looking for ways to discover and contribute the gifts that I already have. A place to be reminded continually, and to be nourished by everything that happens at St. John’s. For me, a structure for empowerment. Empowerment in what? Well, listening to God and what God wants. Practicing patience, practicing story-telling, listening and being there for others.
What gives you joy in this ministry?
The opportunity to show up, and to know that I have many many resources in my midst in the community of Saint John’s. I love being surprised and delighted by what my parish family is up to.
What are your hopes for the future?
I hope to become more and more free to share what I love about my faith journey, and to see and hear others in our congregation just brimming with delight in what we are creating together.
What was the first concert you ever went to?
Quite possibly it was when I was in fourth grade and started playing the violin. I still have the program from my first orchestra concert.
If you could have coffee with any person, living or dead, who would that be and why?
I would so love to have coffee and conversation with my Mom (Ace Greene). She died 21 years ago (October 23, 2005), and every day of my life I’m present to conversations I’d love to have with her. I’ve grown so much into the daughter she knew me to be. I want to appreciate her for her love, her constant support, who she was (and is!) as a mother, and her unwavering faith.
I also would dearly love to have coffee with my dad, Bob Greene, who died unexpectedly in 1988. There are so many questions I want to ask, and so much to say about my love for my dad. I especially would like to share what it was like to find myself suddenly without him, and about how that experience has shaped my curiosity about loss and about grieving.
As I think about this “fun question”, I can see that my relationship with my parents has been a pathway to being in community with others at St. John’s who are growing in who they know themselves to be, and what it is like to walk with Jesus.