2025 Annual Meeting Resources

Vestry, 3 yr term

I’m currently finishing a one year term on the Vestry. I would like to serve a full term now. I’m a retired teacher and live in Chandler. I’m a cradle Episcopalian originally from Iowa. I have been a member of Epiphany since 2005. I feel that serving on the Vestry is a way of giving back to the Epiphany community.

Vestry, 3yr term

Alex is a native of India, but was brought up in Dubai, UAE. He moved to Arizona in 2016 to attend ASU where he met his wife, Katie. They live with their two cats Felix and Pookie, their Dog Peanut Butter, and Leopard Gecko Mr. Skeletor in Mesa.
While living in India, Alex attended a School that was run by the Church of South India. After Moving to Dubai, Alex's family started attending St. Martin's Anglican Church, part of the Diocese of Cyprus and the Gulf, where he received Confirmation. At St. Martin's Alex was an active member of the Youth Group, leading the group in Worship Music on a weekly basis. After attending various Southern Baptist and Non-Denominational Churches starting in College and into Grad School at ASU, Alex and wife came back home to the Episcopal Church in the Summer of 2022.
Epiphany has felt like home to Katie and me after the Lord moved us to search for a new home church in 2022. The Church of the Epiphany has embraced our family, showed us a new way to live out our faith, and has provided us with just the right spiritual nourishment we need in this current season of life. I have served CoE as the Chair of the Men of Epiphany since 2023, member of the Stewardship Committee in 2023, and served on the RenewalWorks team last year as we worked to understand the spiritual needs of CoE and worked on a plan to help the church meet its members' needs.
I have extensive skills in starting and growing faith-based groups. In college I served as a spiritual mentor to a group of Freshmen as they navigated their first year of college. I also got together with a group of friends in college to minister to underprivileged children in rural West Tennessee by meeting with the children weekly to play sports with them, and minister to them by teaching, mentoring, and praying with them. Prior to joining CoE, Katie and I co-led a weekly dinner and bible study group at our previous church.
My time on the RenewalWorks team has shown me the many opportunities for spiritual growth within our Church. After prayerfully considering the expressed needs within our Church, and my experience with starting and growing faith-based programs, I am excited to partner with the rest of the Vestry to minister to our Church, and help guide it to a strong position both spiritually and physically.

Vestry, 3yr term

I was baptized at Epiphany on October 8, 2020; married at Epiphany on December 16, 2000; and confirmed at Trinity Cathedral on May 12, 2018. Epiphany's location is one of the reasons we bought our house and have attended for more than 25 years! I am a school psychologist, a recently-appointed board member of Tempe Community Council, and I am a Court Appointed Special Advocate. I view my future and past service to the Vestry as an expression of my faith and commitment to Epiphany.

Vestry, 3yr term

Vestry, 1yr term

I was raised on a farm in Nebraska, attending an American Lutheran Church, and migrated to the Phoenix area in 1990, just after my second daughter was born.  My parents had moved here after giving up farming the land so we moved in with them for a couple of months!  Childproofing.... don't bother, kids will find a way to move back in!  :)

My first husband, Pita Sunia, died in 2001 so he is now a permanent resident of the memorial garden.  I married Dwight Stone in 2021 and we still live in Mesa, less than 4 miles from both of my daughters and my two grandsons.  I retired a year ago after 30 years of teaching so now spend a great deal of time with the grandsons and dabble in fusing glass; making small dishes, ornaments, nightlights and jewelry.

I was confirmed in the Episcopal church prior to my first marriage in 1985 as it was important to me that I belonged to the same church as my husband.  When we moved to our current home in Mesa, we started shopping for an Episcopal church to make our home.  We found that home on our second try and have attended CoE ever since.  Over the years I have previously served on the vestry, on outreach (Serve) committee, taught Sunday School and helped with various things like the auction, bunco, bingo.... A few years ago I found myself feeling overwhelmed with life in general and pulled back from being as involved at work as well as church.  More recently I find that I am ready to become a little more involved again. 

I don't know what particular skills I have to offer; my personality strengths tend toward social activities.  

I believe the Vestry is strongest when it is made up of a wide variety of people with different perceptions and approaches.  A leadership role is not something that I am generally comfortable in, but I think my thoughts and beliefs are worth contributing to the rest of the Vestry.  It also helps me to have a better understanding of what is happening with our church when I am able to get the details of the decisions being made.  I look forward to having that opportunity again.

 Something to think about..... If you can laugh at yourself, you will have a never-ending source of amusement!

Junior Warden

Curtis Wood is a retired business owner and CFO (Chief Financial Officer) with experience in several industries, his last company a Naval Architecture & Marine Engineering firm in Seattle. He and his wife of 47 years, Cynthia, moved to Tempe in 2016 where they enjoy retired life with their 20-year-old cat, Morgan, and 2 Shih Tzu rescues, Max and Missy. Curtis bills himself a Professional Volunteer with involvement in several local organizations from Animal Rescues to local First Responder units. Currently he volunteers with the 100 Club of AZ (supports first responders and their families), the Apache Junction Police Department, and Lost Our Home Pet Rescue.

Curt grew up an active ELCA Lutheran where he was baptized & confirmed, involved in Luther League in high school & college, church choir and leading Boy Scouts as an adult. However, upon moving into the Epiphany neighborhood and with the family desire to support a neighborhood church, he decided to join Epiphany Tempe and become Episcopalian, where he has been attending for the past 2 years. His regular engagement with the Saturday Sod Squad has found him pressure washing rooftops and pathways, fixing fountains and fuse boxes, traipsing around the grounds at night verifying lawn watering systems, and everything in between to help serve his new parish. He’s honored to be nominated for Junior Warden.