by Judy Stack
Sarah Gettel and Alex Knoll were welcomed as members in November 2024, and quickly immersed themselves in the life of the parish. They initially experienced St John’s online, looking over the website and joining the Sunday worship livestream. They were drawn by the strong social, racial, and environmental justice focus; the excellent music; and the engaging and challenging preaching.
“When we decided to attend in-person, we were immediately greeted by Judy and others and felt very welcomed by the congregation.” Sarah says, “We are excited to be part of a faith community that shares a lot of the same values as we do. We’re both passionate about music, social and environmental justice, and sustainability.” Alex is excited to explore the “via media” way of the Episcopal Church and draw people to the Spirit from the piano bench.
Sarah and Alex moved to St. Paul in 2023 to begin a life together after meeting in the previous year and navigating a long-distance relationship that involved lots of back and forth between Alex’s home in southern Minnesota and Sarah’s home in Milwaukee.
Alex is an electric vehicle, renewable energy, and technology enthusiast, and once designed and drove a solar electric car across the continent of Australia. Sarah is passionate about racial justice, working with social justice organizations as a grant writer, and volunteering for local organizations like Showing Up for Racial Justice to call attention to systemic inequities. She loves to find ways to be involved in faith-driven social justice spaces.
Sarah sang with the choir for the Faure’s Requiem concert and Lessons and Carols and is also part of the Library Committee. She and Alex both have joined the Creation Care Ministry and are looking forward to the Eco Fair on Summit in May–“a week after our wedding here!”
Welcome, Sarah and Alex!
