Rev. Steven Hoskins joins the ADNE as Rector of Imago Dei Anglican Church
Rev. Steven Hoskins joins the ADNE as Rector of Imago Dei Anglican Church
The Lord is my shepherd. I shall not want. (Psalm 23:1)
Rev. Steve & Sarah Hoskins, her father Everett, and their five children ages 7-19.
Imago Dei Anglican Church in Bangor, Maine is excited to welcome a new rector, the Rev. Steven Hoskins, in early June after a nine month interim season.
Originally from the Midwest, Rev. Steve and his wife Sarah journeyed together into the Anglican tradition through the three-streams worship and healing prayer ministry of Church of the Resurrection, Wheaton, IL. After attending Trinity (ne Episcopal) School for Ministry, Steve and Sarah moved with two children to Fort Collins, Colorado to plant Christ our Hope Anglican Church with the Anglican Mission in America. Now, 15 years and 3 additional children later, they are excited to embrace a new chapter and new adventure in ministry moving to Bangor, Maine as the rector of Imago Dei Anglican Church.
Rev. Steve and Imago Dei’s nine-member search committee met together several times virtually and once in person before a call was extended to the Hoskins and accepted on February 1. Rev. Steve explained, “When I heard about the word Bishop Andrew spoke to the Imago Dei community from Deuteronomy 2:3, I took it as a personal call, ‘You have been traveling around this mountain country long enough. Turn northward!’ Sarah and I are humbled and excited to move from the mountain country of Colorado northward to come alongside the ADNE and Imago Dei to pursue transformation and revival in New England and to participate in the restoration of all things.”
Bishop Andrew and the Search Committee asking the Lord to bless the completed Parish Profile in November 2019.
Chrissy Kenerson, Imago Dei’s Senior Warden reflected, “The search process here at Imago Dei was actually a time of rich reflection and depth that I am personally grateful our congregation got to experience. We intentionally took the time to dig deep into who we are called to be as a community and put in the effort to articulate that calling for everyone to see. The whole experience was graced with a sense of God's goodness and care for us during each step of the journey.”
Scott DeLong, Pastor of Ministry Systems at Imago Dei, said of the process, “At the very beginning, Bishop Andrew said that the Lord was not going to make this difficult for us, and I think we were all really surprised when that proved true! At times, we were tempted to move faster than our process allowed, and at other times we were tempted to hold back from moving to the next step, but thanks to the leadership of Bp. Andrew and Chrissy and the commitment of the search committee members to prayerfully walk in step with the Good Shepherd, we were able to work through our own emotions, fears, and desires to come to a unified and joyful decision.”
Rev. Steve will be the second rector of Imago Dei since its launch in March 2012. He succeeds the Rev. Canon Justin and Rev. Amy Howard, who planted and discipled this vibrant community that enjoys God, loves others, and joins with Jesus for the restoration of all things.
Commissioning the Interim Preaching Team: Stu & Christie Greener, Luke & Rose Redington, Dan Miller, and Scott DeLong. Rev. Chuck Bradshaw and Brooks Linde were added to the team in 2020.
On September 13, 2019, Imago Dei threw a party for the Howard family in downtown Bangor with Bishop Andrew and several other clergy attending. The next morning, Rev. Justin preached his last sermon as rector of Imago Dei and his family received the blessing of the congregation to begin a new chapter of ministry. Within the service, several new interim teams were commissioned, including six lay preachers that gather weekly to collaborate on sermon development.
Scott DeLong, was appointed to chair the preaching team, lead Sunday services in collaboration with Deacon Tom Gilbert, and manage various aspects of parish life, but he wasn’t alone. Chrissy noted, “Our congregation responded to the transition with hope and grace and a willingness to jump in and serve where there was need. It was amazing to see the people of Imago Dei step into a new level of authority and freedom as we entered a time of uncertainty and unknown.”
Rev. Charles Bradshaw signing the Oath of Conformity as a new priest in the Anglican Diocese in New England on January 26, 2020.
A welcome addition to Imago Dei leadership during the interim was Rev. Charles “Chuck” Bradshaw, a retired Episcopal priest and missionary to Uganda who began attending Imago Dei with his wife Beth. Rev. Chuck was officially licensed in our diocese in January 2020, and provided sacramental ministry to the church in recent months.
Bishop Andrew commented, “I am so proud of Imago, Chrissy, Scott, and the team of leaders who oversaw this transition and discerned the call over Reverend Steve’s life. They did a beautiful job of keeping in step with the Holy Spirit. This is a major transition and we need to keep the faith that God is actually for us! They have done just that. They are a credit to Canon Justin and Rev. Amy who labored in love to build this extraordinary church from the ground up. I am also hugely excited at the prospect of Rev. Steve and Sarah leading Imago in a new chapter. At one point in the process, I was sent a video of a worship time in the selection process where Steve and Sarah were worshipping with the Imago family. The video was taken from a balcony above the worshippers. It really did feel like I had a heavenly perspective. Steve and Sarah were surrounded by the Imago family. I recall thinking - and there is the answer to many, many prayers.”
Rev. Steve and Sarah visiting Imago Dei on March 15, the last Sunday Imago Dei met in person before COVID-19 restrictions took effect.
Chrissy summarized Imago’s hopefulness for the future by saying, “We are so excited to have Rev. Steve Hoskins and his family coming. Even in these unusual and challenging times, I believe that the Lord has been our Good Shepherd and is continuing to lead the people of Imago Dei and the Hoskins family into new and hopeful spaces together. We are grateful for the ways the Lord has sustained, grown and strengthened us through this process of transition and we are ready to move into the next chapter of our story with God.”