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| Our Rector |
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Father Robert Alves
Father Alves has been rector of St Barnabas Church since March 2004. Formerly, he was rector of All Saints Episcopal Church in Roanoke Rapids, North Carolina, a parish of similar size and character.
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As rector of St. Barnabas, Robert is responsible for the spiritual leadership of our parish of approximately 500 members. In this capacity he works closely with lay leaders to provide opportunities for spiritual nourishment through worship, study, and fellowship while challenging members to be responsive to the needs of others in the community and the world. Robert is a member of the officers' committee of the Greenwich Clergy Fellowship and of the Diocesan committee for Adult Confirmation & Christian Education. Robert also serves on the National Steering committee of Darkness into Day, the Episcopal Church Foundation campaign established for Hurricane Katrina relief in Louisiana and Mississippi.
Born in Philadelphia, the son of an Episcopal priest, Robert was raised in North Carolina and Virginia. Upon his graduation from the University of the South, in Sewanee, Tennessee, in 1981, he worked for a time in the printing and engraving business in Washington, D.C. Convinced to pursue his calling to the priesthood, he entered Virginia Theological Seminary, completing his degree of Master of Divinity in 1989.
His introduction to ordained ministry began as Assistant Rector, St. John's Episcopal Church, in Fayetteville, North Carolina, working within this congregation of 900 members. He was called to become rector of All Saints' Church in Roanoke Rapids in 1993, where he became regarded as a strong spiritual leader, with a commitment to pastoral care, outreach, and the youth of his parish. During his ten years at All Saints' he also held significant diocesan responsibilities, including membership on the Diocesan Council. He was chair of the committee to transition the newly elected Bishop of North Carolina in 1999, secretary of the Diocesan Standing Committee, and served as deputy and alternate deputy to the General Conventions of 2000 and 2003, respectively. Fr. Alves was the Secretary of the Diocese during his last year in North Carolina.
Robert and his wife, Polly, met at Sewanee and married in 1983. Raised in California, Polly majored in English and has a fine musical background. She brings her wonderful soprano voice to our St. Barnabas choir, along with her considerable experience in sacred classical music, having performed with the Sewanee and University of Maryland choirs. Robert and Polly have two children, Mary and James, who attend Greenwich public schools.
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