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Meet Our Assistant Rector
Background
St.
Mary’s Church welcomed The Rev Virginia (Ginny) Dinsmore in
October of 2005 after completing studies at The General Theological
Seminary in NYC and being ordained to the Diaconate in September of
2005. Prior to joining
the staff, she served part time as assistant to the rector at The
Church of the Redeemer in Astoria, NY and St Dunstan’s,
Succasunna, NJ. Before
moving to the Northeast to attend Seminary, Ginny lived in
Tennessee, so if you detect a southern accent, now you know why!
Ginny’s
journey into ordained ministry
included the challenges and opportunities presented in a move from
The United Methodist Church to The Episcopal Church.
This call came during her middler year of seminary at The
Theological School at Drew University.
She says the following: “It took an Episcopal priest
teaching in a Methodist seminary to show me that preaching in the
liturgy is just one element among many, albeit an important one.
I became curious about the Episcopal Church through my
studies especially with regard to the Eucharist.
As I came to understand the importance of the Eucharist in my
own life and the life of the church, I starting searching and
discerning what this meant for the rest of my time in seminary and
beyond. After much
discussion with peers and friends and much prayer, I made the move
from The United Methodist Church to The Episcopal Church.
This call was nurtured by the Baptismal Covenant and the
order and structure of the liturgy.”
Ginny is also
passionate about helping to bring the biblical text alive for both
children and adults. She
is passionate about helping people make connections between what
they do in the liturgy and their everyday lives.
At St. Mary’s
in addition to liturgical responsibilities and providing support to
our growing community, Ginny’s ministry is focused on families,
planning and implementing Christian Formation programs, retreats and
events.
Education
Ginny
earned a Masters of Sacred Theology with an emphasis in liturgy and
a Certificate in Anglican Studies from The General Theological
Seminary, NYC, and a Masters of Divinity from Drew Theological
School, Madison, NJ, and a BA in Psychology and Pre-Seminary from
Tennessee Wesleyan College, Athens, TN.
Interests
Ginny lives in
Portsmouth with her 23 year old son, Benjamin.
Her interests include jigsaw puzzles, the beach, and learning
Spanish as a second language.
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