Elizabeth Lienesch is a new intern at St. John’s who will be part of our parish for the next two years. She is a student at Luther Seminary in St. Paul, pursuing a Masters of Divinity and is in formation to become an Episcopal priest. Elizabeth grew up in North Carolina and moved to Minnesota 15 years ago to go to Carleton College in Northfield. After graduating, she worked for 10 years as a community organizer with an organization called TakeAction Minnesota, focusing on issues of healthcare reform, economic justice, and criminal justice reform. For the last year, Elizabeth has been at home with her baby Frances who turned 1 in early June. She lives with Frances and her wife Claire in the Midway neighborhood of St. Paul and likes to bike, watch college basketball, garden, and hang out on her front stoop chatting with neighbors (at a safe distance).
I’m so excited to be joining the St. John’s community. I know of St. John’s as a church that is deeply rooted in tradition and history AND that is willing and able to be creative and innovative. I’m excited by the work St. John’s does in the world, both locally and globally, and by your commitment to both direct service and larger structural change. I know that worship at St. John’s is full of meaning and life, and that you all are finding ways to translate that worship into new forms in the midst of the pandemic. In this time of great pain and injustice in our cities, state, and world, I cannot wait to be part of a community that sees itself called to be in deep community with one another and to create a more just world together.
