On behalf of the Vestry, we are pleased to announce that The Rev. Vicki D. Zust has accepted the call as Saint Mark’s seventh Rector beginning September 1.
“The way forward unfolded clearly for us.”
-Elizabeth Anstaett, Rector Search Committee Chair
The Rev. Vicki D. Zust, who grew up, studied and ministered in central Ohio, will return to her home state to become the seventh Rector of Saint Mark’s Episcopal Church. The Rev. Zust answered a call from the Saint Mark’s Vestry to lead the parish, which she will do starting Sept. 1. She previously served as Rector of St. Paul’s Episcopal Church in Williamsville, NY, in suburban Buffalo.
“I am excited to be called to be the Rector of Saint Mark’s. I can’t wait to begin getting to know everyone and to become a part of the life of the congregation,” she said. She added that she prefers to be called Vicki.
View Vicki’s Greeting to the Parish
“Vicki brings a unique combination of training, experience and enthusiasm which promises to uplift and grow the community in and around Saint Mark’s,” said Saint Mark’s Senior Warden Mark Drew. “We are truly blessed to have her leadership and we are thrilled to welcome her as our new rector.”
A Message to the Parish from the Vestry
Vicki grew up in Westerville, received a Bachelor of Arts degree in elementary education from Ohio Wesleyan University and a Master of Divinity degree from the former Seabury-Western Theological Seminary, Evanston, IL. She served as Director of Youth Ministries at St. Peter’s Episcopal Church in Delaware, OH, from 1988 to 1994. She was Assistant Rector at St. Alban’s Episcopal Church in Bexley in 1997 and 1998 before being called as Rector of Trinity Episcopal Church in Newark, where she served through 2004. After that she served five years as Canon to the Ordinary for the Diocese of Southern Ohio, where her roles included working with 82 congregations in planning and stewardship, developing youth curriculum and overseeing the development of the diaconate and priesthood. Vicki was called to St. Paul’s in suburban Buffalo in 2009, where she has emphasized youth and adult formation, stewardship and community involvement. During this time she also served more than four years as the Bishop’s Assistant in the Diocese of Western New York.
A Rector Search Committee was appointed last September by the Saint Mark’s Vestry following the retirement of The Rev. Dr. Paul St. Germain. Members of the committee were Elizabeth Anstaett, Chair; Scott Milburn, Vice Chair; Anice Ellis, Vestry Liaison; Betsy Gillespie, Barb Keyes, Michele Johnson, Dan Morton and Gloria Wylie.
“The way forward unfolded clearly for us, despite a collection of strong, equally talented and experienced candidates,” Elizabeth said. “In the end I think we would all say, without qualification, that the Holy Spirit guided the process and led the committee to the right way forward for our parish.”
